Hint - Daily Intake - OUT NOW!!

Originally published 19/03/2012

Mashing up dancehall, hip hop, UK house and bass music influences to create a flowing yet constantly surprising album

Hint’s third album ‘Daily Intake’, out 19th March 2012, sees this highly respected underground producer, remixer and DJ working with incredible vocal talent from around the World; which is a scintillating record for dancefloors and headphone moments alike.

Album opener “Crash And Burn” featuring Natalie Storm is the lead single, to be released as a limited edition upfront double A-side 10” (backed with “Aliens Enter” feat. T-Fly) in January. Hint’s take on current UK house mixed with Jamaican dancehall, “Crash And Burn” characterises the album’s sense of being both weighty and a lot of fun. Through serious and thought-provoking lyrics, Jamaican talent Storm proves that not every club banger has to be all about partying. Hint (Jonathan James to his Ma), says, “Natalie picked up on the mood of the track and used the energy to talk passionately about injustices in the World.” An early promo has been met with immense support, with confirmed radio play including Rob da Bank on BBC Radio 1.

‘Daily Intake’ features a handful of uniquely talented vocalists, with women heavily outnumbering men; while this bias was not intentional, it has a striking effect, and in Hint’s words, “I’m glad it’s worked out that way. So much of the UK underground scene can be too male-dominated, so I feel that bringing in some super talented female voices to the mix adds a new dimension.”

Prodigious teenager T-Fly is from Austin, TX, and is Hint’s most momentous discovery since a pre-Kicks Rizzle featured on his last album. “Aliens Enter” grew from a killer beat that Hint had made but could not pinpoint the right vocalist… that is, until Tru Thoughts A&R Robert Luis came back from SXSW 2011 raving about a young female MC he’d seen in a showcase for the Austin Hip Hop Cipher, a charitable community project that helps young performers explore and express their talents. The buzz was so intense as T-Fly performed that show, and Luis – knowing that Hint was looking for someone to perfect this track – was in the right place at the right time. Hint says, “T-Fly really picked up on the more ‘far out’ elements of the beat. It’s off-key and peculiar. You feel that she gets really caught up in performing, and this is music as escapism, as something supernatural”. Her other track, “Peter And I”, is even more imaginative and escapist; telling of a day spent with Spiderman, Peter Pan and others, T-Fly’s stylings flow gloriously atop Hint’s ‘80s boogie style beats.

“Watch The Media” featuring Profisee originally started life as a beat that Hint used for his remix of MJ Cole and Wiley’s “From The Drop” which caused a huge buzz, being played by Annie Mac (BBC R1) and Blackdown (Rinse FM/Pitchfork) among others. Amid constant DJ requests, Hint built the beat into a full tune. The track came together in the wake of the UK riots and News International scandal and, since Scotland’s Profisee (Paul White, Bullion, Hextatic) is the only UK based vocalist on the album, it seemed right to talk about these current affairs, and he handled it with real flair and passion. On the lighter side of things, girl-boy duo Josie Stingray and 1-O.A.K. – from the Honor Roll Crew out of Oakland in the US West Coast’s Bay area – infuse the feel-good hip hop tracks “Give It Up” and “Find Yourself” with that entertaining and fresh vibe that the West Coast seems to do so well.