Talkin' Loud, London, UK
The hype around UK garage has faded, but MJ Cole's album debut, Sincere still stands the test of time. When Matt Coleman started with classical training, studying at the Royal College Of Music during the early '90s, daytime belonged to classical music until he earned his university degree, but his ambition was to be part of the drum 'n' bass business spending his nights at clubs and raves. In 1998, MJ Cole released a 12", Sincere on Metrix Recordings helping to re-define the genre. Gilles Peterson became excited by MJ Cole's take on garage, and soon a deal with Talkin' Loud was cemented. The man formerly known as Matt has stayed true to his sound in a time when everyone else in London has turned to drum 'n' bass or US-flavoured r 'n' b.