| Ewan David Alman/Da Brakes | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ewan David Alman Northolt, England West London |
| Also known as | Da Brakes, Brakes, Lyrical B, DB |
| Born | 31 July 1984 |
| Genres | British hip hop, Rap |
| Occupations | Songwriter |
| Instruments | Rap |
| Labels | Unsigned |
Ewan Alman (born 31 July 1984) is a British actor and rapper, commonly known by his stage name, Da Brakes, and known for his role as Fraser in the feature film Breathe.
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Born in Paddington, west London, Ewan David Alman is a British born actor/rapper best known by his stage name Da Brakes. His name derived from an incident as a child riding a trolley. Brakes was approaching a curb and started pressing what he thought was the brakes but was actually the mechanism to raise and lower the platform. Subsequently he crashed into the curb and badly damaged his shin. The name 'Brakes' stuck and was eventually used as his rap persona.
Brakes first television appearance was on the BBC MI5 drama Spooks where he played the younger brother of the lead character Danny. He then went on to appear in various commercials such as Phones 4U as well as hit television dramas such as William & Mary and The Bill.
Brakes began rapping at the age of 14 with school friend Syke who formed one half of the duo 'Strictly 4Bidden'. Syke & Brakes honed their skills freestyling and battling until eventually they were ready to enter their first competition to be staged at The Hackney Empire. However, Skye was reluctant to enter citing the reason that they were not ready and needed more practice. Brakes however thought otherwise and decided to enter the competition as a solo artist. Brakes went on to win 'Best Under 18 Act' and 'Best Overall Talent'. Strictly 4Bidden soon disbanded and Brakes continued as a solo artist.
Brakes has achieved moderate success with his three releases Business as Usual (2006), Still Unsigned...The Mixtape (2007), and Clean but Still Street (2009). The latter features a collaboration with American rapper Kel Spencer.
In 2009 Da Brakes signed to independent label Brown Moose Records. This relationship came to an end in August 2010 and now Da Brakes continues to record independently
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Teenage Kicks | Panza | Paul Windmill |
| Breathe | Fraser | Nicholas Winter | |
| Silly Billy | Dave | Mark Jackson | |
| Sweet Mother (short film) | Ayo | Momodou Touray | |
| 2007 | Oovoo (Internet) | Beat Up Boy | James Rouse |
| Finding Frank Again | Pool Player | Fire Engine Films | |
| MTV (Commercial) | Jogger | Erica Herbert | |
| Little People (theatre) | Joe Ellis | Crooked Sleeve Theatre Company | |
| Keeler (theatre) | Lucky Gordon & Johnny Edgecombe | Paul Nicholas | |
| 2005 | Yesterday's Tomorrow (short film) | David | Duane Wharton |
| 2003 | Loveman (short film) | Deeton Wilmot | Duane Wharton |
| Phones 4U (commercial) | Featured Male | Joy Films | |
| The Bill (TV) | TJ Daley | Sylvie Boden | |
| William and Mary (TV) | Vernon Manning | Matthew Evans | |
| 2002 | Sex Bomb (commercial) | Featured Male | Flextech |
| Bold (commercial) | Featured Male | Production International | |
| Regulate (short film) | LJ Brooks | Duane Wharton | |
| The Bill (TV) | Lee Robson | Thames Television Ltd | |
| 2001 | Stolen (short film) | Jerome | Stephen Sloper |
| Spooks (TV) | Bruno | Rob Bailey |