About this user
They're one of the sharpest, most exciting bands, of any genre, this country has."
Hot Press
Messiah J & The Expert are an mc/producer tag team from Ireland. They were born three days apart in February 1981 in two hospitals to four parents in one Dublin. Both were heavily interested in music from an early age and they spent their childhood and teenage years collecting football stickers, records and heroes. They met at a Scratch Perverts instore in late 1999 and started to hang out. Influenced by the early nineties golden era of Hip Hop, they saw in each other a similar understanding and ethic and went about writing songs.
After three or four years learning their trade in a three piece group called Creative Controle, with whom they released two Eps (Bloodrush and Check The Vision), they formed Messiah J & The Expert. They released their debut album, 'What's Confusing You?' in 2003 on Volta sounds which was received very warmly and sold out of its first pressing. They were happy and played many, many gigs and had much, much fun. The influence list grew too.
When MJEX finished touring and promoting album number one, they drew breath and went about trying to become better songwriters. Messiah J moved house. Now living a stonesthrow from each other, lots of writing was done. They assembled a series of demos which resulted in a Lamacq session on the BBC in May 2005. They reeled in G Bone on guitar and The Twiddler on bass and became pretty damn tight live.
2006 saw the birth of Inaudible Records, a record label set up by MJEX and their manager, General Knowledge. The first release is a limited edition 12" single 'When The Bull Gores The Matador' (feat C Rayz Walz of Def Jux). It is a taster of what to expect on the second Messiah J & The Expert album 'Now This I Have To Hear', which will be released this Autumn.
This story has only begun. For more information, just ask! info@messiahjandtheexpert.com
Achievements:
They've supported Public Enemy, The Streets, Jurassic 5, Gangstarr, Buck 65 and Xzibit, amongst others.
They have recorded sessions for Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 1, Across The Line on BBC Radio Ulster and for 2FM in Ireland.
They won the title of Best Dance Act in 2004 in the Hot Press Reader's Poll. They were also nominated for Best Dance Act in the 2003 Meteor Irish Music Awards.
They have received the honour of Single of the Week/Fortnight in several publications for the four singles they've released so far.
Influences:
DJ Shadow, Aesop Rock, The Smiths, Portishead, Rakim, Hip Hop '88 to '96, Sage Francis, Holland Dozier Holland, David Bowie, The Kinks, Bjork, Wu Tang Clan, The Libertines, Rass Kass, The Sex Pistols, Aphex Twin, 60s nuggets music and lots more
