Long before Kosheen rewrote the rulebook on a how a band could blur musical boundaries and gain respect from peers and fans alike, group creator, producer and songwriter Markee Ledge was making up his own rules as he began his notable musical journey.
Born in Glasgow and raised on a diet of Cocteau Twins, Everything But The Girl, Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses and a healthy portion of dub reggae, including Scientist, Lee Scratch Perry and King Tubby, Markee started writing songs on his guitar in his bedroom from his early teens.
Markee always gravitated towards new sounds and as a teenager was attracted to the Sub Club where the Slam boys were helping to usher in the new era of house and techno. Hearing this new clubbing soundtrack greatly affected his desire to produce electronic-based music tracks.
A move to Bristol exposed Markee to the emerging styles of ragga, breakbeat and hardcore techno. Conscious of these fresh new sounds and local talent, he started jungle club night Ruffneck Ting with his Ledge crew.
He also started producing under the name Substance and this is where he met his long-term collaborator, Darren Beale aka Decoder. The duo pursued a tech drum & bass soundtrack with their next label venture, Breakbeat Culture, as well as running labels Tech Itch and the Breakbeat Culture record shop and parties.
At the same time, Bristol came into its own with the ascent of Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead, as well as groundbreaking drum & bass DJs like Roni Size, Krust & Die. Decoder & Substance released some seminal music in this so-called ‘golden era’ of drum & bass.
Markee pursued his interest songwriting and forming a band and began searching for vocalists. In 1999 he found lead singer Sian and Kosheen was born.
Kosheen signed to independent Moksha Recordings the same year and released three singles, which generated grass-roots support. The band began recording their debut album ‘Resist’ the following year, which was signed and released by BMG Records in 2001. In the meantime the single ‘Hide U’ had blown up in the clubs before crossing over to the UK charts at No. 7.
Upon release, ‘Resist’ charted at No. 8 and with the release of two subsequent singles, ‘Catch’ and ‘Hungry, it sold half a million copies, making it the most successful drum & bass album at that time.
After touring extensively, Kosheen had become a successful live act and festival favourite. By 2002 the band had recorded enough new material for their second album ‘Kokopellii’ and many tracks were written with live audiences in mind. The album charted at No. 6 in the UK and first single ‘All In My Head’ hit No.7.
Their third album, ‘Damage’, was released on Universal in Germany and Moksha in the UK, while their fourth and fifth albums, ‘Independence’ and ‘Solitude’, came out on their own label.
Through all this, Markee has remained the central figure, writing the music and songs as well as producing / engineering the albums and overseeing the project.
Since Kosheen have taken a break from recording in 2011, Markee has continued writing new material and collaborating with other producers and vocalists. Markee Ledge’s 2015 solo album ‘Elevate’ was initiated from these sessions. The LP continued the Kosheen vibe with big vocal fronted tracks but with a greater emphasis on cutting edge, instrumental productions to satisfy the current UK underground music scene’s desire for deeper sounds.
2016 has seen releases on seminal bass music label Tempa and cutting edge techno imprint Skeleton, as well as the ‘Saturn’ remixes from ‘Elevate’ and the lead single from his second solo album, Dark & Shady, on his own Zonal label. The new album of the same name is due for release in February and features guest vocalists Alys Be, Susie Ledge and Jodie Elms.