Def Tex – old school veterans? Well, you could call them that. Originally formed in 1986, they’ve been cutting their teeth on the mic, turntables & sampler for as long as they can remember. The early line up was CHROME, SURE DELIGHT & ROXKI (now known as R-KEY) back in the days when they took the Brixton ‘Illin Rap Clash’ by storm, and won hands down. After those days of being the consummate pub rap band came the ill-fated deal with Ten records (Virgin dance subsidiary, at the time home to Soul II Soul, Mantronix & Loose Ends). Highlights of this period were the first tour with De La Soul and numerous gigs with the likes of BDP, Cash Money & Marvellous, & the Demon Boyz. It was also around this time that THE ANTHROPOLOGIST (originally part of the Def Tex dance crew, ‘2 True’) first picked up the mic, and the early Ten records tracks came out on the Soundclash label. The ‘Master Blaster’ EP became the blueprint for the Def Tex sound: hard, but musically thoughtful. So we’re now talking about the dark days of the UK hip-hop scene, no industry interest saw most groups putting out their own budget material, And struggling to keep it going. Def Tex were no exception, notching up a total of 8 EPs, and a gang of rave reviews. The boys proved they were in it for the long term. This vital experience of putting out records and working with various musicians to create different incarnations of the Def Tex sound brought about their first hook-up with Son Records, the ‘Poetic Speech Techniques’ EP (1998). Working with drum & bass producers, the E-Z Rollers, saw their sound move on to the next level, and confidence running at an all-time high. With the next release on Son, the ‘Synchronise’ EP, things got even better. Forming a proper band meant that live performances were elevated too, along with the recordings. Just ask anyone lucky enough to check their shows. 2001 saw the release of their sublime debut album ‘Serene Bug’, loved by all who listened. Since then they’ve been out on the road, composing, recording, releasing EP’s (2003’s Dancehaul’ and 2005’s ‘Freaks’) losing band members, acquiring new ones, living, all the usual stuff... And now here they are, with a boosted, super heavy line-up, older, wiser, with a whole Sport Billy bag of new musical directions and a spanking new album.