Micachu
It didn't take long after being offered a scholarship at Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study composition for Mica Levi to start leading a double life of sorts. The Surrey born Bow raised lass was blowing minds outside of music school as a DJ and MC around London garage and grime scenes, leading her to release her first mixtape 'Filthy Friends' through her MySpace page. Filthy Friends soon found itself garnering praise from every relevant music website that picked it up, the tape encompassing grime, indie, drum & bass and garage as well as featuring an all star cast with Jack Penate, Golden Silvers and Toddla T, Man Like Me and Ghostpoet all making appearances.
Soon after she formed a band, The Shapes, consisting of school friends Raisa Khan (keyboards, synths) and Marc Pell (drums, percussion). The band's experimental yet poppy and ramshackle live shows soon gained them even more attention, Mica arming with a half size guitar and a hoover that seemed to intuitively understanding her incredible musical talents.
These talents were recognised by Matthew Herbert's Accidental label who offered to put out a Micachu & The Shapes 7" and in August of 2008 'Golden Phone' which was also produced by Herbert was released to critical acclaim and was released, soon followed up by the 'Lone Ranger' 7" on Brikabrak Records.
Mica went on to sign with Rough Trade Records for 'Jewellery', her first full length album. The record again was met with near blanket critical acclaim, and there was much criticism of that years' Mercury Awards when it was announced that the album had not earnt a nomination.
Mica's music was soon reaching worlds it hard never imagined, with the band touring Europe and America in support of 'Jewellery' as well as making their mark on the festival scene. It was during this summer period that Mica teamed up with Kwes to release the 'Kweasachu' mixtape, considered by us and cast of others to be a work close to genius, again featuring an impressive lineup of established and upcoming talent.
Micachu's next big project came over a year later. After a period on tour and a well deserved break, she teamed up with the London Sinfonietta Orchestra to record 'Chopped and Screwed', the record a homage to both Mica's classical training and the her hip hop upbringing. The record is curious, sure, but also wonderful - it re-implants Mica's experimental talents and her ability to turn those ideas in to something that could be regarded as pop, or in this case even classical, music.
2011 has also seen us treated to another of Mica's mixtapes, this time a collaboration with Kwake Bass of Speakers Corner Quartet - an hip hop and jazz infused instrumental band. The tape see's Mica and Kwake go toe to toe, trading musical blows as they alternate with each track. It's a reminder of the reason we fell in love with Micachu in the first place - her ability to get a musical concept spot on is essentially second to none, and with her exploration into different worlds of sound we are almost given the chance to go along for the ride or wait for her to return, armed with a tape full of music and brain full of new ideas.