Two Fingers 'Two Fingers' album

Imagine if Timbaland were kidnapped and held hostage in a council flat in Tottenham. Imagine then, that elite robot agents aligned to the New World Order were sent into rescue him with laser cannons little knowing that the kidnappers were in fact an underground cell of benefit-cheat Jedi. Imagine hip hop recapturing the sheer brutality of classic-era Public Enemy without it becoming a retread. Imagine if "urban" music was made not for the charts but the heart. Imagine "Two Fingers".

Two Fingers are Brazilian beat-adventurer Amon Tobin and Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman. The pair met when Tobin lived in Brighton and bonded over an interest in music that ran way beyond the boundaries of "electronica". In Montreal they applied production techniques associated with UK styles like drum & bass to the template of hip hop. It was an experiment with explosive results. MOBO-winner Sway (now signed to Akon's Konvict label in the US) heard what was brewing he was so taken with it, he flew straight out to Montreal and recorded seven tracks with them, showing a harsher, more serious side to his personality whilst offering wry social commentary on everything from the way young Black men are treated ("What You Know") to crazy girls who do too many pills ("That Girl"). The remaining rhythms were voiced by sometime Missy protégé Ms Jade and dancehall legend Ce'Cile. A couple of instrumental rhythms were added and this, first stage of a continuing project, was complete.

"Two Fingers" is a project unlike anything that any of the three main players has ever made before, a unique, utterly uncompromising, brutal and beautiful record that could only have grown out of the UK and the internationalism of those involved. If it's not hip hop as we know it, then nor is it drum & bass or grime. Like all the best music it transcends genre to stand on its own - icy, transcendent, brilliant.

Two Fingers tour dates
Wed 13 May UK London Scala
Thu 14 May Germany Berlin Maria
Fri 15 May Holland Amsterdam Melkweg
Sat 16 May France Paris Elysee Montmartre

Two Fingers biography
The first, explosive emanation from a unique new collaboration, "What You Know" is delivered with all the impact of a knockout blow to the solar plexus. Hi-tech but rugged as hell, "What you Know" sounds like "Blade Runner" re-enacted in Tottenham, a juggernaut rhythm laced with the finest of lyrics.

North London MC and MOBO winner Sway, a million miles from his recent "Saturday Night Hustle," comes through with a lyric about misperceptions, the way that Black youth in Brtian is stereotyped and discriminated against, but done in a way that also acknowledges the role that rap music plays in reinforcing these stereotypes. It's highwire stuff - funny, clever, thoughtful and angry.

Two Fingers are Amon Tobin and Joe "Doubleclick" Chapman. The pair met when Tobin lived in Brighton and bonded over an interest in music that ran way beyond the boundaries of "electronica". Last year, while Tobin was living in Montreal, they began bouncing beats back and forth, trying to apply production techniques associated with UK styles like drum & bass to the template of hip hop. When they had a few tunes together they sent them to Sway. He was so taken with what they were doing, he flew straight out to Montreal and recorded seven tracks with them. The remaining rhythms were voiced by sometime Missy protégé Ms Jade and dancehall legend Cecile.

The result is a project unlike anything that any of the three main players has ever made before, a unique, utterly uncompromising, brutal and beautiful record that could only have grown out of the UK and the internationalism of those involved. Due for release in March 2009, "Two Fingers" is set to be one of the records of the year. "What You Know" is where you start to get to know that. Get it now. Ya know that!

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Tracklisting

Two Fingers - Two Fingers