MJ Cole
One of U.K. garage's first true stars, MJ Cole's work has spanned Mercury Prize-nominated albums and a lengthy career as a remixer and producer. His widely praised 2000 debut Sincere was a landmark release for the genre, taking the pirate radio-bred sound aboveground by emphasizing its soul and R&B influences. Following 2003's Cut to the Chase, a guest-heavy set that touched on U.K. hip-hop and ragga, Cole remained busy remixing artists like Mariah Carey and Amy Winehouse, collaborating with artists ranging from Dizzee Rascal to Bruno Mars, and continually exploring rhythms with his solo EPs and singles. He returned to his classical roots with 2020's MJ Cole Presents Madrugada.
While growing up in London, Cole studied the oboe and piano, ultimately earning a degree in music from City University. He also immersed himself in electronic music culture, working as a tape operator and engineer for the drum'n'bass label SOUR. Cole issued a breakbeat single as Morf in 1995. While working on Ramsey & Fen's 2-step remixes for Kym Mazelle in 1996, he caught the garage bug and worked on numerous productions as well as remixes for Soul II Soul, Goldie, Gwen McRae, Another Level, and State of Mind. He started releasing garage singles under his own name in 1997, and a few as Box Clever, including one of the first releases on Prolific Recordings, which he founded in 1998. Cole's song "Sincere," recorded using a sampler and Atari, was released via AM:PM the same year, and was one of the first Top 40-charting garage singles. Soon after, Cole signed to Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud label, which released the "Crazy Love" single in May 2000 and the full-length Sincere that July. The album's quick, crisp production style earned him a Brit Award nomination as well as a Mercury Prize nomination.
Cole released another album, 2003's Cut to the Chase with Talkin' Loud, before leaving the label in 2004. That year, he began releasing a steady stream of singles and EPs on Prolific, issuing collaborations with Tubby T, Wiley, and Elisabeth Troy (who had previously sung on "Crazy Love"). During this time, he remixed artists such as Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and Mariah Carey, took his DJ set on the road, and composed music for television ad campaigns. His own Riddim EP appeared in 2010. Over the next several years, he co-wrote songs with Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith, remixed tracks by Jess Glynne and Adam F, and produced tracks for Dizzee Rascal and Katy B while also finding time to release his own music on the Panoramic EP. Lobster Boy Records issued the single "Alcatraz" in 2016. The following year, he returned with "Shelter" featuring Bruno Major, the DJ Zinc collaboration "Interbass," and the solo single "Pictures in My Head." The material kept on coming in 2018 with the Kojey Radical collaboration "Soak It Up," the Foundations EP, and "Waking Up" featuring Freya Ridings.
2020 saw Cole release his first album in 17 years, one he had always wanted to make. Inspired by his early classical background, Presents Madrugada, released on Decca, was an instrumental album of piano and strings with a soaring, transcendent, filmic quality. In 2021, Cole collaborated with Rudimental and Josh Barry on the single "Remember Their Names."
© Heather Phares & Paul Simpson /TiVo
-
-
Waking Up
Electronic - Released by Ministry of Sound Recordings on 11 dec. 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sincere (Deluxe)
Dance - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 7 aug. 2000
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Waking Up
MJ Cole, Cédric Gervais, Freya Ridings
Dance - Released by Ministry of Sound Recordings on 22 feb. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Waking Up (VIP Extended Mix)
Electronic - Released by Ministry of Sound Recordings on 22 feb. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oyster Music - The MJ Cole Mixes
Electronic - Released by Crimson on 5 aug. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
MJ Cole Presents Madrugada
Klassiek - Released by Decca (UMO) (Classics) on 3 apr. 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Remember Their Names (feat. Josh Barry)
Dance - Released by Atlantic Records UK on 20 aug. 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MJ Cole Presents Madrugada Remixes
Electronic - Released by Decca (UMO) (Classics) on 13 feb. 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Watertight
House - Released by Prolific Recordings on 1 feb. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cut To The Chase
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Need (MJ Cole Dubb Mix)
House - Released by 892 Recordings on 8 jun. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strings For Jodie (MJ Cole Remix)
Electronic - Released by Decca (UMO) (Classics) on 13 feb. 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
From The Drop
Electronic - Released by Prolific Recordings on 1 nov. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Rumble
Dance - Released by Ministry of Sound Recordings on 26 aug. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo