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If you had to list the top 10 hottest DJ / producers in breaks over the past 12 months, Eddie 'Ed Solo' Bickley and Lloyd 'Skool of Thought' Seymour would be dead certs for a podium finish. Hotter than an aerobics class held in a sauna with the central heating cranked up to the max, both have individually cemented a reputation for laying down insane tracks and killer DJ sets across the globe. Since joining forces, however, they have provided a host of huge singles, including 'When I Was a Yout,' 'Love Your Life' and 'Babylon Breaks', along with the thundering remixes of Groove Armada's 'Superstylin' and Freestylers v Pendulum 'Painkiller' which have seen them in high demand for production work as well as for DJing. Their debut album 'Random Acts Of Kindness' has whipped up a press frenzy with DJ Mag, IDJ, Knowledge, EQ, Beatmag and lots more all printing features on this dynamic duo!



But before we get ahead of ourselves, let's spin back through the misty turntables of time, to the days when Skool of Thought was a young, slip of a lad, a time when you weren't worth your salt unless you had an Atari ST in the studio. We find our man flipping through some dusty vinyl in a Brighton record shop, when a chance meeting with a little known DJ by the name of Krafty Kuts produced a meeting of musical minds. Discovering a mutual love for the breaks, Skool Of Thought and Krafty Kuts set up the world-renowned SuperCharged club night in Brighton. As residents of the night, the two DJs played every week to an ecstatic crowd, in what is now a legendary Wednesday session on the south coast. As the club night exploded, demand for vinyl releases of the SuperCharged sound grew, and two record labels were born. ??In walks Ed Solo; the shy and nocturnal half of the duo, who's more elusive than a badger in the Sahara during daylight hours. Ed Solo regularly locks himself away in secret studio locations, co-writing breaks with Krafty Kuts or Deekline and drum 'n' bass with Brockie or Darrison. Last year he came dangerously close to hitting the big time with the release of 'Touch Your Toes' on Fat Boy Slims 'Southern Fried' imprint. ??Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought met in 2000, at a time when Ed was creating breaks with Krafty Kuts and, finding common ground in their approach to music, they decided to write tracks together. The first Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought single was the double a-side 'Feel The Music' and 'Loud Noise', the bottom heavy thumpers with a soulful twist which caught the attention of many in the scene and shot the 12" to number 1 in DJ Magazines Beats & Breaks chart. Their tunes were spotted by a production company that was working with MTV, and the boys were soon commissioned to write the music for the MTV EMA's (European Music Awards), which later won an award for 'Best Title Sequence'. ??Following these early successes, the labels went into collective overdrive and soon they were celebrating signing the Freestylers to the Against The Grain stable. The release of Freestylers 'Push UP' single blew the roof off, selling over 100,000 copies worldwide, going top 10 in 5 countries and picking up a gold disc along the way, 'Push Up' was by far the biggest selling breaks tune ever. Lloyd, aka Skool Of Thought, found himself in charge of two of the most highly regarded breaks labels in the world. This led to him spending increasing amounts of his time at the business as label manager, rather than as an artist. Over the next few years Lloyd dedicated the majority of his time to this role and his success at the job soon saw the additional signings of Krafty Kuts and Splitloop, plus another album from the Freestylers. It wasn't until last year that time permitted Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought to join forces once again and start work on their forthcoming album 'Random Acts Of Kindness'.?



'Random Acts Of Kindness' encompasses all of the sounds and styles that have influenced the pair over the years; from soul, funk and reggae to drum n bass, hip-hop and breaks. Effervescent, opener 'Love Your Life' isn't just for the ska jump up crowd, it's great song based fare and an early indicator of how the album delivers to more than just the dancefloor. Next up is King Tubby sampling soundbwoy stylings of Babylon Breaks. Reggae influences rear their head again on slowburning skankers 'Life Gets Better' and 'Raspberry Dub', while the D&B Remix of 'Feel The Music' does exactly what it says on the tin. Dipping into the UK underground with a bassline to loosen your fillings on 'Sludge', the guys show they have an eye for the retro too with their reworking of Incognito's classic 'Always There'. Throw in piano-laced hip hop ('Sometimes') and beeps and bleeps aplenty ('Tug Nut') and youÕve got an album, which could never be described as samey. ?



"Follows an infectious template like previous LPs on Against The Grain such as the Freestylers"IDJ

"Basslines like nothing else, beats so tight words fail me" – EQ Magazine

"Outstanding output with some seriously big time breaks" - One Week To Live

"I pity the fool who does not pick this up" - 5/5 (Tug Nut) – IDJ

Single Of The Month 5/5 (Love Your Life) – DJ Magazine

Radio support from Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Pete Tong, Annie Nightingale.

Features in DJ, IDJ, Knowledge and more to come

Discography:

Random Acts Of Kindness (DJ magazines November Album Of The Month)
Tug Nut
Babylon Breaks
Believe In The Funk
Love Your Life (Tune Of The Month – DJ Magazine)
When I Was A Yout
Hold Up
Feel The Music (No 1 Beats & Breaks Chart – DJ Magazine)
Loud Noise (No 1 Beats & Breaks Chart – DJ Magazine)
Remixes

Groove Armada “Superstylin” (No 2 Best Remix of 2005 – BBC Radio 1)
Freestylers feat. Pendulum “Painkiller” (Tune Of The Month – DJ Magazine)
Bookings:

If you are a professional promoter and would like to book Ed Solo & Skool Of Thought please email info@superchargedmusic.com your enquiry. They are also available to book with MC Darrison should you require an MC.

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