“Where’s Labrinth?” yells Tempah as he takes the stage. “I can’t accept this speech without Labrinth, I can’t” he goes on, the crowds still cheering. Labrinth (actual name Timothy McKenzie) – who co-wrote, produced and leant guest vocals to the track – clearly needs to be included. “Where’s Labrinth?” Tempah repeats, applause slowing. “Where is he? Lab?” The O2 falls silent. Tempah’s friend and co-writer is nowhere to be seen. It looks as though Tempah has been snubbed.
“I didn’t even know Tinie was going to call me on stage,” Labrinth explains when we meet a week later. “So…I went to the toilet!” he reveals, burying his face in his hands with embarrassment. Fortunately no love has been lost between the two collaborators and Labrinth is now looking forward to letting his own music take the spotlight taking centre stage with his own music.
“I’m going to call the album The Gallery,” he says. “. I feel like I’m a photographer with music and . [I] take pictures of different sounds and bring them all into one studio. I like the idea of me being in so many energies and pictures and presenting those pictures to the world.”
This sonic gallery offers enormous variety. Lead single, “Let The Sun Shine”, with its uplifting sound and slick production that reached number 3 three in the charts at the tail end of summer last year. Then there is “Powerless”, a finger clicking Nina Simone-esque pop number. “Beneath You’re Beautiful” is a piano driven ballad co-created with Mike Posner (of “Cooler Than Me” fame) that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Coldplay album. “2AM” is a euphoric club stomper inspired by the thought of “an old fat man” who decides “to go raving all over the world”. And “Express Yourself” samples the Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band classic and gives it a glossy 21st century update. All in, where Pass Out blended multiple genres (RnB, Drum N Bass, Dubstep, Pop) into one track, The Gallery caters for many musical tastes.
“I want it to be a mixed, wild album,” says the artist. “In a gallery every picture can look different even when created by the same artist. I draw in different styles every day; music is a mash up of everything that I experience.”
Labrinth’s rise to prominence hasn’t happened overnight. Having first drawn attention for producing the 2009 album, A.D.H.D, by Master Shortie, the 22-year-old collaborated, co-wrote and remixed for the likes of Professor Green, Jessie J, Devlin and Gorillaz. In the process, he attracted the interest of professional talent spotter, Simon Cowell. After Cowell signed Labrinth to his Syco – making him the first non-reality show originating talent on its roster signing since the days of Pop Idol – he trusted the singer/songwriter enough to give him his own imprint, Odd Child.
“I want to bring through other artists I believe in and give them the same mentality as I have – which is freedom,” says Labrinth, explaining that he tends to look for new talent beyond the hype machine of industry showcases. “I don’t like The X Factor,” he says. “Some people have a dream to be a singer and The X Factor can work for them. But I’m wishing for something very different.” And when it comes to signings – as with his collaborations – fun is the only key element he’s looking for. “That and being free with the music as much as possible, ultimately bring success,” he says.
With signings, more collaborations and his own material all in the works, can Labrinth expect a Brit Award for himself in the future? “I love the idea because it does feel like you’re being appreciated,” he says. “But I try to keep my head out of it. If I’m just making music for awards then I’m not going to make good music.”
[Originally published in Wonderland Magazine Issue 26, April 2011. Photography Alistair Strong.]
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