MJ Cole's pioneering 2-step sound has influenced everything from grime to dubstep to bands like The xx. His breakthrough track, "Sincere", was one of the first proper garage songs to penetrate the UK top 40 and is still played religiously at 6 am during every house party from Hackney to Hartlepool.
Cole grew up in West London. Coming from a musical household, he went on to study at the Royal College of Music, and that classical background still informs much of the way he crafts electronic music. By 1998, "Sincere" was in the top 40, and in 2000 he got his first top 10 single with "Crazy Love".
After a twenty-year career, it would be easy for Cole to become entrenched in the past and try to re-create those 2000s days, but instead, his obsession is the new. His record label, 892, rapidly adjusts to the changing face of the modern music industry, and when you add that to The Gin Factory, he hasn't just created an innovative platform not just for himself but for new artists as well.
Over the years, Cole has established himself as one of the most consistent producers in Britain and a mastermind for bringing through new talent. He’s produced tracks across the spectrum for artists like Dizzee Rascal, Katy B, Becky Hill, Shift K3y and Stormzy. He co-wrote and produced "Nobody But You" for Mary J Blige alongside Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes. He has since teamed up with the ferocious young grime MC AJ Tracey to create “The Rumble”, a dark and industrial colossus that showed just how diverse his sound has become. "The Rumble" was followed by Shelter featuring Bruno Major, also released on Cole's new label 892 Recordings. Outside of 892, MJ Cole has dropped records on Disclosure's Method White label and Red Light’s label Lobsterboy.
