M. J. Cole

M. J. Cole (born Matthew James Firth Coleman, 9 August 1973) is an English house and UK garage producer, writer and remixer.

Career

Born in London, England, in his youth, Cole was classically trained on the oboe and piano, and won scholarships to both the Royal College of Music Junior Department and City Of London School.^[1]

Having graduated from City University, Cole began at respected drum ‘n’ bass label, SOUR, as a tape operator and sound engineer to the likes of Freq Nasty and Ed Rush. It was working on Ramsey & Fen’s 2-step remixes for Kim Mazelle, however, that gave him the garage bug.

From there, Cole penned and produced Sincere in 1998 using a sampler and Atari, which was eventually picked up by Pete Tong and AM:PM and became one of the earliest garage records to break into the UK Top 40.^[2]

He signed on Gilles Peterson’s Takin’ Loud label where in 2000 he produced his first album, also called Sincere, which earned him two Top 15 singles, a prestigious Mercury Music Prize nomination, Brit Award nomination and beat Dr Dre to win MOBO's Best Producer award in 2001.^[3][4] He received a Silver Disc for UK sales in excess of 60,000 copies.^[5] Cole formed a live band to accompany his Sincere album performing on Jools Holland’s Later Show as well as TOTP, CDUK, The Chart Show, Mercury Music Prize and the MOBO Awards. In 2003, Cole followed Sincere with his Cut To The Chase album, also released via Talkin’ Loud.^[6]

After leaving Talkin’ Loud in 2004, Cole released several singles and EP’s via his own Prolific Recordings label. Cole’s output on the label has included many notable collaborations including grime legend Wiley and long-time collaborator Elisabeth Troy.

More recently, he has collaborated with T Williams on Privilege, released in 2015 on Today/Tomorrow Records and released Bouldaz on Disclosure’s Method White label the same year.^[7][8]

Cole has continued to produce for artists across the musical spectrum. Dizzee Rascal’s Bassline Junkie, Example’s Something In The Water and Katy B’s Blue Eyes were all produced by MJ Cole.^[9]

In 2014, he co-wrote and produced Nobody But You for Mary J Blige with Sam Smith & Jimmy Napes, and again in early 2015 on Napes’ own Making Of Me EP.^[9]

He has also remixed tracks for Amy Winehouse, Mariah Carey, De La Soul, Alicia Keys and many more.^[10] Recently he has released remixes of Jess Glynne’s Hold My Hand on Atlantic and DJ Fresh & Adam F’s Believer on Ministry of Sound.

MJ Cole has written and produced scores for several major TV advertising campaigns including the Schwartz "The Sound Of Taste" campaign and wrote a piece called Lava for O2.^[11] Cole was also responsible for the construction and design of a new recording studio complex in Clerkenwell called The Gin Factory.

Alongside his producing, writing and remixing work, MJ Cole continues to tour as a DJ at the world’s biggest festivals and clubs.^[12]

In 2016 MJ has been writing and producing with several new artists from across the musical spectrum.

His latest single “Alcatraz” is set to be released on Redlight’s Lobster Boy Records in early 2016.

Discography

Albums

• Sincere (2000) – UK No. 14^[13]
• Cut to the Chase (2003)

Singles

• "Sincere" (1998) – UK No. 38
• "Crazy Love" (2000) – UK No. 10
• "Sincere" (remix) (2000) – UK No. 13
• "Hold on to Me" (2000) – MJ Cole featuring Elizabeth Troy – UK No. 35
• "Wondering Why" (2003) – UK No. 30^[13]
• "Never Say Never" (2004) - ft. Shea
• "When You Said You Loved Me" (2004) - ft. Tubby T
• "Badboy" (2006) - ft. Laura Vane
• "Watertight" (2006) - ft. Laura Vane
• "Gotta Have It" (2009) - ft. Digga
• "From The Drop" (2010) - MJ Cole & Wiley
• "Satellite" (2011)
• "Red and Black" (2012)
• "Bouldaz" (2015)

References

External links

• Prolific Recordings
• MJ Cole biography at the DJ List