Black Grass

Ian Thompson, performing as the DJ and producer Mex, had already established himself alongside Carl Faure in the Brighton, England duo Black Grass. Drawing on their individual histories, the pair crafted a wide-ranging blend of British rap and trip-hop. By the middle and later 1990s Mex had become an internationally recognized turntablist, appearing behind the decks for Portishead, Big L, and Jurassic 5 while issuing separate big-beat and turntablist recordings under the names the Mexican and Clockwork Voodoo Freaks. His talent for selecting hip-hop breaks sampled from Latin, soul, jazz, house, and funk sources supplied the core of the duo’s musical foundation, which Faure then enriched with textures drawn from his own background in drum’n’bass and jazz-house production. Issued on the Brighton label Catskills Records, the duo’s self-titled debut reached listeners abroad in October 2003 and arrived in full the following year, earning warm responses within Britain’s underground club, dance, and hip-hop communities. Faure soon departed, prompting Mex to adopt the Black Grass name as a solo alias. Over the ensuing years he concentrated on live work, performing across Britain and Australia in support of De La Soul and Miguel Migs. In 2006 he released the follow-up album A Hundred Days in One, again through Catskills.