Just Begin

People who like Just Begin also listen to Marc Mac, 2000black, IG Culture, Tatham,Mensah,Lord & Ranks, Reggie B, The Politik, Kay Suzuki, Soulparlor, Moonstarr, Favorite Flava.

Wildheart released Just Begin on Mon Mar 24 2014. The 2 track Jazz release features A Race Of Angels, Akwasi Mensah, Dego, and Theo Parrish. **Wildheart** has also released vinyl by [The Unit](/artist/the-unit), [Budgie](/artist/budgie), and [Tony Allen](/artist/tony-allen). Browse the [Wildheart catalogue](/label/wildheart). People who like Just Begin also listen to Marc Mac, 2000black, IG Culture, Tatham,Mensah,Lord & Ranks, Reggie B, The Politik, Kay Suzuki, Soulparlor, Moonstarr, Favorite Flava.

A Race Of Angels

Akwasi Mensah

Absorbing a lifetime’s worth of soul, reggae and hip-hop growing up in North-West London, Dego was a sound system selector before he had left school and a pirate radio DJ not long after. Developing as a producer, his first releases were at the dawn of the 1990s as part of 4hero, dance music pioneers for whom jungle and drum n’ bass was their work’s exoskeleton, shooting off into techno and jazz. Their sound was freely infused with myriad musical influences and a wealth of renegade London spirit, supported along the way by all-star guests like Larry Mizell, Roy Ayers and Terry Callier. They turned out a slew of albums – among them 1994’s Parallel Universe, the Mercury Prize-nominated Two Pages in 1998 and 2001’s Creating Patterns - each one a thrilling statement of musicianship, a shade ahead of the pulse of modern British black music and a deft balance of the avant-garde and daring futurism. At the start of the 2000s Dego, Phil Asher, IG Culture and a cast of other likeminded Londoners started Co-Op at the Velvet Rooms, a clubland home for a fresh new scene that was emerging. The sound of the club was maybe best captured in 4hero’s ‘Hold It Down’, a Dego-written minor hit. His 2000BLACK label, meanwhile, was gallantly carving out its own niche via a series of singles, albums and compilations, its output an uncompromising concoction of house, techno and soul, or just London boogie for short. Then his first solo album A Wha’ Him Deh Pon?, a storming, sprawling twenty-track opus, won across-the-board acclaim in 2011. After a spell working in New York in the mid-2000s, Dego returned to his London roots and picked up where he left off. A reinvigorated 2000BLACK put out the Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks long player, an exemplary piece of teamwork with frequent collaborators Kaidi Tatham, Matt Lord and Akwasi Mensah. And in 2013 and 2014 Dego embarked on a string of hotly received 12” releases: a diverse three-tracker on Italian imprint Neroli; a one-two punch combo of EPs for Eglo and Brooklyn producer Falty DL’s Blueberry Records; and another deadly triple-header on Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature. Dego’s sound might be difficult to pin down – naturally morphing into something else when you think you’ve got it figured out – but what remains consistent is his vivid awareness of the wisdom in leaving genres out of the picture and letting the music itself do the dirty work.

Dego

Theo Parrish is a revered force in the electronic music scene. He is a legendary music producer, a versatile DJ and the owner of the heavy-hitting Sound Signature record label. Growing up in Chicago, Theo received early influences from jazz and soul artists by the likes of Miles Davis, George Gershwin, Stevie Wonder and Nina Simon. At the young age of 13, Theo discovered the Chicago House music scene and began DJing.
 
He attended art school at the Chicago Academy of the Arts and the Kansas City Art Institute. In 1994, Theo received his degree and moved to Detroit where he became an active DJ in the already established Detroit electronic music scene. In 1995, Theo gained exposure in the scene when he secured his single "Lake Shore Drive" on the B-side of a Moodyman record. Shortly after, he released his first solo project in 1996 called "Baby Steps EP". In 1997, Theo created the now well-known label, Sound Signature, and released multiple projects while also working under the alias 3 Chairs with Rick Wilhite and Dixon. Heavily inspired by Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, Theo's releases on Sound Signature are soulful and focused on rhythm.

In the following year, Peacefrog records released Theo's first full-length LP, "First Floor". Following a slew of EPs, collaborations and compilations, Parrish released his second full-length album, Parallel Dimensions, in 2000. This album was met with critical acclaim and sold out quickly. Between 2001 to 2002, Theo was producing at a prolific rate. During this period, he released more than 10 singles and EPs including: "I Can Take It", "Locations of Lost Color", "Solitary Fight" and his white-label Ugly Edits series. Beyond his solo project, Theo was also part of the Rotating Assembly, a musical group which showcased live musicians and singers. The group released their first full-length "Natural Aspirations" in 2004. 

Theo has kept up with a steady stream of singles, EPs and projects since the early 00's including his popular collaboration with Andrew Ashong, "Flowers". Since 2006 Theo has released four full-length albums including: Sound Sculptures Vol. 1 in 2007, Sketches in 2010, American Intelligence in 2014 and his newest album Wuddaji in 2020.


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