Stevie Hyper D

Stevie Hyper D (born Stephen Austin, 20 September 1967 – 5 July 1998) was a British drum and bass MC.

Stevie Hyper D
Background information
Birth nameStephen Austin
Born(1967-09-20)20 September 1967
London, England
Died5 July 1998(1998-07-05) (aged 30)
GenresElectronica, drum and bass, oldschool jungle, hip hop
Occupation(s)Vocalist, MC
LabelsDance Concept, Island
Associated actsDfrnt Lvls

Biography

Stephen Austin was born in London, England on 20 September, 1966, to a Spanish mother and Barbadian father. He died on 5 July 1998 of a fatal heart attack, attributed to Coronary Thrombosis after a long international tour.

Style and significance

He was one of the pioneering MCs in the drum and bass-oldschool jungle scene. He has been credited[1] with inventing the "Double Time" MCing style, where he would double the speed of the generic MC flow but would still fit within the bars of the music.

He was the first drum and bass MC to have a major release when The Next Step was released on Island Records in 1999. He also had an album, The Legend, which was released on the independent drum and bass label Dance Concept which was produced by Benny V. These tracks gained airplay on national radio stations Kiss FM and BBC Radio 1,[2] as well as receiving support from the underground pirate scene including Kool FM which was one of the stations he performed on regularly.[3] His track "Buffalo Soldier" from the album was nominated for DNBA tune of the year in 2004.[4]

Hyper D is widely accepted as one of the true pioneering drum and bass MCs.[5] It is also accepted he was the innovator of the ‘double time’ MC style that is commonly used today.[6] Appearing first on the 1991 track "Teknoragga", Stevie went on to record tracks across various genres, from jungle, to hip hop and even to house music. He was the first drum and bass MC to secure an album with a major label, Island Records. The Next Step, with his producer Dfrnt Lvls, was released in 1999, a year after his death. He held residencies at all the elite jungle and drum and bass events, but it was during his bookings at Labyrinth that he met Benny V. Nothing came of it at the time, but when Benny V also hooked up with Dfrnt Lvls, his recorded work was put together again for The Legend album which had tracks played on UK National Radio as well as receiving huge underground support on the pirates.[7]

Discography

Albums
  • The Next Step (1999), Island Records

Singles
  • "Teknoragga" (1991), Reverb Records
  • "Boomshakalack" with Ils (1995), Made in London Records
  • "Life Is Funny" (1999), Island Records
  • "All I Wanna Do / Move Your Body" (2003), Dance Concept
  • "Flexin Today / Junglist Soldier" (2006), Dance Concept
  • "Aint No Stoppin Us Now / Buffalo Soldier" (2007), Dance Concept

References
  1. "Skibadee Interview on Beat Culture". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  2. "BBC Radio One Tracklistings". Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  3. "Kool FM 20th Birthday". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  4. "Urban Takeover". Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  5. "Stevie Hyper D Tribute Night". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  6. "Skibadee Interview on Beat Culture". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  7. "Dance Concept Artists Stevie Hyper D". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
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