From The Word Go

Native Hippity Hoppers get wantonly eclectic

Alison Curtis, 22 Oct 2008

The opening ‘The Year Of The Genie’ was put on repeat six times before I even moved on to the rest of the album. Can I call it a classic? I think I will. Despite being described as funk, hip hop, reggae and psychedelic, MJEX are hard to pigeonhole, but they needn’t worry about that as From The Word Go is an exciting, innovative, air-punching, heart-pumping album. Since their last Choice Music Prize-nominated outing, Now This I Have To Hear, they’ve waded through albums by Marvin Gaye, The Clash, The Zombies and Parliament, all good sources for inspiration. The lead single ‘Megaphone Man’ is 2 minutes 42 seconds of sublime pop, which I predict will fill many a dancefloor across this country, followed by one of the best bass lines I’ve heard in ages in ‘Keep The Noise Down’, a song about turning into what you thought you wouldn’t. Other highlights include ‘Jean Is Planning An Escape’, which could easily be a Bond theme and the gospelesque commentary of the state of the world today, ‘Geography’. The pace of the album hardly leaves you time to catch your breath, but Joanne Daly’s beautiful vocal on ‘Amnesia Comes Easily’ is just plain stunning. With so many generic rock bands out there, MJEX create a listening landscape that’s totally different, maybe even challenging at times, but I for one am thankful they’re producing records like this. As they say themselves “We can turn the magic on”, and they have.

Alison Curtis

Messiah J & The Expert release their third album, From The Word Go, through Inaudible Recordings in October.

2008-08-06

Messiah J of hip-hop duo Messiah J & The Expert is to helm three Saturday night shows on Dublin's Phantom FM over the coming weeks

2008-03-13

Dublin rap outfit Messiah J & The Expert are looking for fans to help create the artwork for their new album.

2007-12-04

Messiah J & The Expert have announced a Dublin date in November.

2007-10-10

Dublin hip-hop outfit Messiah J & The Expert will be performing live on Nadine O'Regan's The Kiosk show on Phantom FM.

2007-08-03

It’s not often someone threatens to ‘slash your ears off’ at a gig, but when 2FM DJ Cormac Battle says it, he means it – in a good way!

2007-05-31

“Rick Astley, Glenn Medeiros, Shakespeare…” – the beauty of a MJEX record is that you know that it’s going to do something different. This has gone beyond a question of ‘Irish’ hip-hop, the duo make great records full stop and ‘All The Other Girls’ is no exception, a rap track about women that is neither offensive, clichéd, tiresome nor afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve.

2007-05-18

Messiah J And The Expert’s wonderfully titled Now This I Have To Hear (insert clever “Now this you have to hear” comment here) put rap firmly on the Dublin ‘Can do’ list. While you won’t be jumping around the place shouting about roofs going up in flames with ‘Place Your Bets’, you will be very impressed by the lyrics, and more than a little excited about the production. Next up: Messiah J retires and The Expert develops his own clothing line.

2007-02-19

With last November’s inaugural trek such a huge success, RTÉ are wasting little time in unleashing the next 2FM 2Moro Tour.

2007-02-14

Messiah J & The Expert prepare to take Limerick by storm at the fourth Heineken Green Sphere event.

2006-11-22

Messiah J and The Expert aim to put Dublin hip-hop on the map. To do so, they must tackle several deep-set prejudices – such as the belief that Irish people can’t rap.

2006-11-08

With Now This I Have To Hear, Dublin duo, Messiah J & The Expert have delivered an album that fully justifies their braggart handles.

2006-10-25

After the relative disappointment of their debut record, we really need these two to come back strongly and prove that Irish hip-hop actually is a viable concern. The good news then, is that ‘Something Out Of Nothing’ is a belter: a cool and funky old-skool tune topped off with a classy female vocal. Nothing particularly new to be sure, but carried off with confidence and humour.

2006-09-22

Although Ireland’s still finding its own sound in terms of hip hop, MJEX keep the bar raised with this sweet little ditty. Featuring Def Jux’s C Rayz Walz, bolstering both their reputation and record sales, it’s a catchy track with simple beats and an infectious hook that will definitely keep our heads nodding into the summer. An indication that their second album, due out in autumn, has been worth waiting for.

2006-04-11

The boys previously known as Creative Controle are back again with tour dates and their first single in over two years.

2006-03-20

Attention all hip hop fans - Messiah J & The Expert will be playing the Temple Bar Music Centre on Saturday 27 August.

2005-08-23

Messiah J & The Expert will be playing six dates across the land from February 19

2004-02-10

Dance music news with Mark Kavanagh.

2004-01-29

Messiah J & The Expert's DJ Flip picked up the coveted title at the weekend's World ITF DJ Championships

2003-12-09

Messiah J & The Expert will headline a night of homegrown hip-hop at The Shelter

2003-12-02

The second coming of Messiah J & The Expert, Ireland’s finest hip hop band.

2003-10-09

Messiah J & the Expert are da bomb!

2003-09-29

They’re one of the sharpest, most exciting bands – of any genre – this country has.

2003-09-17

With new album in tow Messiah J & The Expert will shake their thing in the east and west

2003-09-11

Creative Controle change their name, new album details and a bunch of live dates

2003-03-24

Fantastic Irish hip hop pioneers Creative Controle bring it to Cork for a live appearance at Telefunkin' in the Savoy

2002-07-02

2002-03-29

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