Visioneers

Among his numerous pseudonyms, producer Mark Clair stands out chiefly for his contributions to the groundbreaking outfit 4hero, whose trajectory has encompassed hardcore techno, drum'n'bass, broken beat, and alternative R&B. Through the Visioneers vehicle he imparted an organic flavor to his affinity for the jazz-inflected strain of golden age rap and the artists who extended that approach across the 1990s and 2000s, among them the storied figures DJ Premier, Pete Rock, and J Dilla. Visioneers, operating chiefly in instrumental mode, first surfaced in 2002 via two 7" singles issued on Clair’s self-run Omniverse imprint. Following the appearance of a third Visioneers single in 2004, he shifted allegiance to BBE, which put out the complete Dirty Old Hip Hop in 2006, incorporating those earlier 7" tracks alongside additional material. The subsequent year saw the arrival of Dirty Old Remixes, containing a rework by DJ Jazzy Jeff plus a guest spot from Pharcyde. In 2012 Clair revived the Visioneers name for Hipology, likewise issued by BBE.