REQ (musician)
| REQ | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ian Cassar |
| Also known as | req-1, DJ Req |
| Born | Brighton, England |
| Genres | Trip hop, downtempo, experimental |
| Occupation(s) |
Disc jockey record producer graffiti artist |
| Years active | 1984 – present |
| Labels | Skint Records, Warp Records |
Ian Cassar is an English disc jockey, electronic music producer and graffiti artist who works under the pseudonyms REQ and req-1.
In the words of AllMusic's Sean Cooper, REQ began in his native Brighton as "one of the U.K.'s most respected graffiti artists."[1] He began his graffiti work in 1984 "after the Beat Street tour hyped his sense to the basic tenants of hip hop. Although he was a disc jockey for many years without musical training, REQ only began producing music of his own in the mid-1990s when he signed to Skint Records, who issues his earliest releases.[1]
His debut album, One, was critically acclaimed by such publications as The Wire and production duo Coldcut.[1] In 2015, Fact Magazine ranked the album at number 14 in their list of "The 50 Best Trip-Hop Albums of All Time" and noted "his compositions didn’t pander to the popularity of the growing trip-hop scene, instead dwelling in a noisy, near-ambient back room."[2] His follow-up album, Frequency Jams (1998), was made an "Album Pick" on AllMusic.[3] Describing 2002's Sketchbook, Pitchfork said: "Most music-- even most great music-- consists of slight variations on well-established themes, and it's difficult to find an album that sounds truly new. Sketchbook is such a record."[4]
Discography
Albums
- One (1997)
- Frequency Jams (1998)
- Car Paint Scheme (2000)
- Sketchbook (2002)
References
- 1 2 3 Cooper, Sean. "Req". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ↑ Twells, John; Fintoni, Laurent (30 July 2015). "The 50 best trip-hop albums of all time". FACT Mag. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ↑ Cooper, Sean. "Req - Frequency Jams". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ↑ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6760-sketchbook/