M-Beat

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

M-Beat is the stage name of Marlon Hart, a jungle musician and producer, born in 1975 in East London to Jamaican parents. His father Junior Hart organised parties and in 1988 founded H Jam Productions. An uncle of his is Sly Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer. His father saw him drumming as a schoolboy and gave him an audio workstation.

Music and breakthrough

Jungle is a style from London with fast breakbeats and heavy basslines. The breakthrough came in 1994 with Incredible, a collaboration with the reggae singer General Levy, which reached the top ten in the United Kingdom. The track was performed on Top of the Pops. That same year came Sweet Love, an adaptation of a song by Anita Baker with the singer Nazlyn and trumpeter Kenny Wellington. In 1996 he worked with Jamiroquai on Do U Know Where You're Coming From.

Influence

M-Beat showed how jungle could be connected with reggae and reach the charts. The genre came out of London's club life.

Listening

• 
  Incredible · M-Beat feat. General Levy, 1994
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 1994Album
• 1994Wicked Album
• 1996Knowledge

See also

• Jungle and drum and bass