XLII Biography:
Born in Ukraine, raised in the UK and now living in Japan, XLII is a multifaceted MC, producer, sound engineer and DJ whose music is as diverse and rich as his background. Over the years it's been labeled hip hop, electronica, abstract, dubstep and drum n bass. In reality, it's all these things and more, or as they say 'the total is always more than the sum of its parts'.
XLII moved to Japan in 2004 following his first release, the album-sized mega-EP CD-R "Lethargy" in 2002. Since his move to the land of the rising sun (or rising fun as he likes to call it) he has collaborated and performed with some of the biggest names in the country's underground hip hop and electronic music scenes, including Broken Haze, ASA, DJ Ken-One and Yamajin da Sportsman to name a few. He's also released and featured on various releases across formats (vinyl, CD, digital) as both an MC and a producer (and also sometimes an engineer, but no one pays attention to those dudes when they check the credits, only the nerds).
His most notable releases to date were in 2008. First on ASA's 'FAB2' album (which he also engineered), which release peaked at 9 on Cisco charts, the country's most famous and popular alternative charts. And then on Broken Haze's 'Raid System' album single which went all the way to 1 on Cisco charts and also made the top 10 on iTunes Electronica charts.
In July 2008 he released the 'Time Slip' EP on his own Fubar Recordings label, receiving a lot of attention and support throughout central Japan. A video from the 'Time Slip' EP track 'Deserted', directed by Gaspard Kuentz received a lot of praise for its captivating cinematic visuals and was aired regularly on MTV Japan (which as you can imagine was a nice break from the mainstream templated videos you generally see on MTV). In December of the same year he also released a one-off Drum'N'Bass digital mini-compilation with Pentagon & Ethix called "White Label", which garnered attention abroad in dnb circles.
With all this time spent in the studio staring at a screen while clicking on a mouse (most of the time), XLII understandably likes to perform his music live as often as he can (if only to get a bit of color on his skin, and also because he's rather good at it). He's been a regular fixture both in Tokyo and throughout Japan, keeping crowds entertained with a show centered around a laptop and a microphone. He mashes, mixes and creates beats and melodies on the spot before adding lyrics on top, sometimes off the cuff when he's feeling adventurous (kinda like Eminem in 8 Mile but in many ways a lot better and with no American slang references). For most live performances, XLII features guest MCs and scratch DJs, often making unplanned changes on the go and "putting people on the spot", thus endorsing a more raw and refreshing "session" feel.
Away from all this bling and artist success which affords him the lifestyle of the rich and famous (read between the words there), XLII is also a sound engineer as previously mentioned, catering to many of Japan's modern scenes and genres, from hip hop to dnb. Some people say he has golden ears. You'll have to hunt him down yourself to find out whether or not that's true. We reckon the discography kind of speaks for itself.
XLII's latest release is an album, titled "Ego Friendly", released on the Raid System label in Japan and worldwide in December 2009. The album is preceded by a 12" vinyl EP, also called 'Ego Friendly', which will hit stores in September 2009.
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