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Unless you have fallen lifeless somewhere thru the cracks you’ve more than likely witnessed Cambridge come Londoners The Nextmen, also known as Brad Baloo and Dom Search, at one of their many sweaty styled-out club sets, festival-stopping performances or heard their incendiary mixtapes on the neighbourhood ghetto blaster.

This eclectic production duo have carved another shiny gem from London’s lovely low-end underbelly with a mix of electronic music styles in the form of their fourth studio LP ‘Join The Dots’ due to hit the streets in August. In typical Nextmen fashion the game has been sonically upped to dizzying heights as ‘Join The Dots’ progressed like a paint by numbers prayer of affection through all the genres and styles that are loved by the pair and their fans alike. The album was born from their explosive and eclectic DJ sets, which have been the focus of global critical acclaim over the last 12 years.

Making this connection between music they love be it dancehall, drum’n’bass, instrumental and actual hip hop, soul, funk, dubstep, indie, leftfield, ambient, pop and straight-up hands in the air party jacking pleasers, is something Baloo and Search always strive to achieve, weaving their way on 4 turntables with mastery and abandon, laced with their own sought after mash-up edits, bootlegs and specials. This studio record is certainly a reflection and reaction to what they have accomplish as DJs and a natural follow up to their last critically acclaimed album ‘This Was Supposed To Be The Future’.

The Nextmen in long-form and for those unversed, here’s a quick champion-style summary:

Dom (real name: Dominic Betmead) and Brad (real name: Brad Ellis) joined forces when Brad blagged a remix for London Posse and realised he didn’t have any kit with which to do it. In stepped Dom with his Roland S10 and not much else. “The track was called Style,” chips in Dom, “But it put us on the map. Everybody loved it. Radio 1 got hold of it.”“It was 75 bpm and really pedestrian,” deadpans Brad. “Fucking terrible.” Terrible or not, London Posse’s Style had something about it, not least the MCing skills of the posse’s Rodney P, with whom The Nextmen have subsequently enjoyed a long working relationship. In 2000, The Nextmen released their debut album Amongst The Madness on the revered 75 Ark imprint. Originally intended to be a Mo’ Wax-style instrumentals album, their label began sending the beats out to rappers in the States and before they knew it, The Nextmen were hip hop producers, working with Public Enemy, Blackalicious, The Pharcyde and Morcheeba. Get Over It, 2003’s sophomore album for Scenario, confirmed their position as one of the UK’s brightest beatmakers. The changes in Nextmen direction over the years – if they could even be described as such – grew out of their DJ sets, as they found the space to integrate the outer reaches of their record collections. It was an organic change, but one that was driven by their outlook: “As a clubber, I want to go out and hear varied styles of music,” says Dom “I don’t want to hear one kind of music all night.” This shift in approach found an echo in the studio too, firstly with reggae compilation Blunted In The Backroom, which they completed for the label Antidote. This was a headlong plunge into the depths of the Trojan catalogue, but re-wired by the Nextmen for the now. It was so successful, Antidote commissioned their third studio album, This Was Supposed to be The Future which featured collaborations with Sway, Fat Freddy’s Drop vocalist Dallas, Zarif, Alice Russell, Dynamite MC, Chicago’s own Kidz In The Hall, Jamaican legends Niney The Observer and Demolition Man, and LSK from Faithless.

Catch them this summer at numerous dates across the UK and Europe, and festivals including, The Big Chill, Beachbreak & Wakestock.

IT’S TIME TO JOIN THE DOTS...


Our launch party and Summer BBQ in assoc. with Friends & Family is on Sat 15th Aug @ Cargo, London. Check the amazing line up below, including a live performance from Ms. Dynamite, a big set from us and an exclusive one-off mash up alternative set from our pal High Contrast! BBQ and live art showcase in the yard from 7pm! Check below...

The Lion's Den - The Nextmen Ft. Ms Dynamite & Andy Cato

	The Lion's Den Featuring none other that Ms. Dynamite and Groove Armada's Andy Cato drops Monday 17th August, on Universal Records.
	Join The Dots Yes yes! We return to your local club, lounge, car stereo and radio airwaves this summer with our brand new album 'Join The Dots' released Monday 10th August! Order now from HMV» Order now from PLAY» Order now from iTUNES»

		Major Lazer - Hold The Line
		Mungo's HiFi - Black Paul Bogle
		Fuzzy Logik - In The Morning
		Deadmu5 - I Remember (Caspa Remix)
		Jay-Z - D.O.A. (Chase and Status Remix)
		MJ Cole - Sincere (Nero Mix)
		The Nextmen - Burn (Remix)
		Soundspecies - CDR People (Feat. Foreign Beggars)
		Redman and Method Man - Ayo
		The Nextmen - Lion's Den (Truth Remix)

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So if you wanna talk business drop a mail to either...

Jon Bailey on jon@mumsthewordmusic.com

Or... Marc Sheinman on marc@mumsthewordmusic.com

Alternatively, hit them up on myspace (see our friendspace below).

To book the Nextmen's DJ Set, accoustic or live show contact Greg @ Elastic Artists on...

greg@elasticartists.net