Akira the Don
| Akira The Don | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Adam Narkiewicz |
| Origin | UK |
| Genres | EDM, hip hop, trap |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, DJ, producer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels |
Living In The Future (2009-2016) Something In Construction (2004-2009) Interscope (2005-2006) |
| Website | www.akirathedon.com |
Akira the Don (real name Adam Narkiewicz) is a British music artist, DJ and producer.
His music and production traverses the boundaries between pop, hip-hop, indie and dance. He lists influences including Ice Cube, Adam Ant, Morrissey, Big Bang, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and the Wu-Tang Clan. His debut album When We Were Young was produced in collaboration with Danny Saber (U2, Black Grape), James Brown (Nine Inch Nails, Ash) and Emile (50 Cent).
Life and career
Born in West Bromwich and raised in North Wales, for most of his career he lived in London. Since 2014, he has been residing in Los Angeles.[1]
Rapper
In May 2011, he released his second LP, The Life Equation. The album is co-produced with Stephen Hague and features collaborations with Gruff Rhys (of Super Furry Animals) and Envy.[2]
In March 2014, Akira released A.T.D.R.I.P..[3] He played his final gig in London on May 19,.[4]
Producer
Akira has produced songs for a number of artists including two top forty hits for Lethal Bizzle,[5] along with songs for Newham Generals' Footsie,[6] Big Narstie,[7] Envy,[8] G-Mane, Littles, Marvin The Martian, Issue, and Time.[9]
DJ
In October 2014 Akira relocated to Los Angeles, where he formed the party rap duo MIDNITEMEN with long time collaborator and nightclub organizer Wade Crescent, and began DJing every week in Hollywood nightspots like The Roosevelt Hotel, Blind Dragon, Hooray Henrys and Bootsy Bellows. The latter is co-owned by David Arquette, for whom Akira provided accent coaching for the actor's role in a stage production of Sherlock Holmes.[10]
As resident DJ at Blind Dragon since its launch night, he has DJed parties for the likes of The Weeknd, Nylon Magazine[11] and Harry Styles.[12] He DJed for Justin Bieber at Hooray Henrys following his VMA's performance.[13]
Discography
| Release Date[14] | Title | Release Type | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2004 | Akira the Don's First EP | EP | |
| May 2005 | AAA EP | EP | |
| Oct 2005 | "Clones" (Featuring Bashy) | Single (CD / 7") | Samples Alice Cooper's "Clones" |
| Feb 2006 | Five and a Half Songs About Love | EP | |
| Sep 2006 | "Oh! (What a Glorious Thing)" / "Boom (Smash Stuff)" | Double A-side single | Featuring Why Lout? |
| Nov 2006 | When We Were Young | Album | Debut LP |
| Dec 2006 | All I Want for Christmas Is You (and World Peace) EP | EP | |
| Mar 2007 | "Hypocrite" (Radio Edit) | Single | |
| Jun 2007 | Stunners 130 | Mixtape | Featuring Wade Crescent |
| Feb 2008 | Thieving | Mixtape | |
| May 2009 | The Omega Sanction | Mixtape | Featuring Martin Carr |
| Oct 2009 | I Am Not Dead (YEAH!) | EP | Featuring Gruff Rhys |
| Nov 2010 | The Kidnapping of Akira the Don | Album | Featuring Joey2Tits |
| April 2011 | Living in the Future [15] | Compilation Album | Tracks picked by fans. |
| 16 May 2011 | The Life Equation | Album | Co-produced and mixed by Stephen Hague.[2] |
| 11 Sep 2011 | "Babydoll" | Single | Featuring Chilly Gonzales on the Remix |
| 19 Dec 2011 | Saturnalia Superman: Akira the Don Salutes the Majesty of Christmas | Album | Revised edition released 17 Dec 2012 |
| 18 Feb 2013 | "One More Pope to Go" | Single | |
| 24 Jun 2013 | "Games for the Thrones" | Single | Featuring Newham Generals' Footsie and Big Narstie |
| 10 Jul 2013 | "Ballistic" | Single | Featuring Darick Robertson on guitar. The official theme song for Darick Robertson and Adam Egypt Mortimer's comic Ballistic [16] |
| 4 Mar 2014 | "Rain in England" | Single | |
| 11 Mar 2014 | A.T.D.R.I.P. | Album |
Guest appearances
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "All The Wrong Places" | Mothboy | The Fears |
| 2006 | "Jerusalem" | Bravecaptain | Distractions |
| "I Can See Cities" | Mothboy | Deviance | |
| "Down" | Mothboy, Jeres, The Son Of King Rebel, & Soraya Mir | ||
| "Oh! (What A Glorious Thing)" | My Super Ex-Girlfriend (Soundtrack) | ||
| "Oh! (What A Glorious Thing)" | In The Hands Of The Gods (Soundtrack) | ||
| 2007 | "Diamonds" | Big Narstie | Hey It's That Fat Guy! |
| "Still" | |||
| 2010 | "Great Britain (Akira the Don Vs Joey2Tits Remix)" | Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip | Great Britain / Sick Tonight EP[17] |
| "Johnny Nemo" | Mothboy | Bunny[18] |
External links
- Akira The Don's official website
- The Akira The Don Twitter Profile
- The Akira The Don Facebook Profile
- The Akira The Don Soundcloud Profile
- Akira The Don biography from BBC Wales
- MusicTowers.com interview Akira the Don
- CMU's Chris Cooke interviews Akira the Don for The Beats Bar - thebeatsbar.co.uk
- Akira the Don's Animated Videos on Newgrounds.com
References
- ↑
- 1 2 "THE LIFE EQUATION". Akira The Don. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ↑
- ↑ http://akirathedon.com/blog/akirathedonlately/
- ↑ Lethal Bizzle - Back to Bizznizz | Akira the Don
- ↑ Footsie - End Of The Road Archived 2014-03-25 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑
- ↑
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- ↑
- ↑ Music Archives | Akira the Don
- ↑ "Living In The Future: Preorder Now!".
- ↑
- ↑ Sick Tonight / Great Britain EP out now!
- ↑ Mothboy - Johnny Nemo | Akira the Don