Introduction

ESSENTIAL-MUSIC is a leading "one-stop" resource providing European Distribution, Label Management and Marketing & Promotion to independent labels.

Essential Music has implemented numerous agreements with companies such as PIAS, Soulfood, Indigo, Bertus, Playground and many others, allowing us to provide our clients the most appropriate distribution channels for their releases. Essential will manage all the aspects required to get product into the physical and digital marketplace.

In addition, our clients benefit from our team's extensive experience in marketing, promotion and label management across Europe.

Some of our most successful projects include:

 

The Prodigy


“The Prodigy are back and they are here to dig up your dancing soul. Lock up EVERYTHING” – Clash

“A fine, beat-blasting return.” – Kerrang!

“As devastating as you could hope for” - Mixmag

“The Prodigy are back to their best.” **** - The Daily Telegraph

“The Prodigy are back! And boy is it a welcome return.” - IDJ

Essential is responsible for the sales, retail marketing and distribution of the number one album 'Invaders Must Die' across the UK & Eire.

Released on 23rd February 2009, 'Invaders Must Die' shot to the top of the charts all over the world, collecting critical acclaim and selling over 95,000 copies in it's first week of release in the UK as well as serving as a timely reminder to everyone that the world was a pretty boring place without The Prodigy.

As the band prepare to run riot in venues and at festivals across the UK, Essential are well prepared to meet the demand of anyone not yet swept up by the return of one of the UK's most important bands, The Prodigy.

 

Bashy

After the phenomenal success of two monumental singles and three scorching mix tapes, including the legendary Chupa Chups & Ur Mum mix tapes, Bashy; possibly one of the most gifted talents this island has to offer, is poised to release his full length debut album.

A legend in the grime scene from the age of 16 due to his work with crews including East Connection & Pay As You Go Cartel and artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Kano & Wiley. Bashy soon decided that his future lay in his solo work and after graduating from the BRIT School Of Performing Arts, he set about paving the way for his solo career.

In 2004 he released the 'Ur Mum Volume One' mix tape which was met with critical acclaim due it's vivid and startlingly accurate depictions of everyday life. In 2006, after a brief stint as a postman and as a bus driver, he released the 'Chupa Chups' mix tape which was a critical and commercial success selling in excess of 5000 copies in the first few months of sale.

In 2007 Bashy's career skyrocketed when he released the single 'Black Boys' which focused on the positive role models available to black inner city youths instead of the negative influences that received nearly all the media attention. A furor about the track soon came to light as many regarded the single to be racist, however this only led to more support for the track as many championed it in a multicultural stand against racism. Due to the positive movement surrounding the single Bashy was asked to perform alongside Damon Albarn at 2007's Love Music, Hate Racism Rally in Victoria Park.

2008 saw Bashy's involvement in the film AdULTHOOD, the sequel to smash hit KiDULTHOOD, as he submitted the title track 'KiDULTHOOD To AdULTHOOD' after catching the attention of the film's director Noel Clarke. The track has proven to be incredibly successful as it entered the singles chart and has received over 1.2 million plays on youtube.

Now in 2009, with Essential's help, Bashy is due to release his debut album 'Catch Me If You Can' which features collaborations with such names as N-Dubz, Jamelia & Toddla T and includes the current single 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?' which is currently riding high in the 1Xtra play lists. 2009 looks to be the year that Bashy's hard work pays off, and Essential can't wait to see what the future brings for one of the UK's brightest talents.

Catch him if you can - We doubt anyone will!

Spinal Tap

"If we're going to do a World tour on only one night, at least it's this world"
Nigel Tufnel

"This show will be dedicated to all of our drummers who have passed on, either to their reward or to middle management at Sainbury's."
David St. Hubbins

"One night is not enough, and it's way too much!"
Derek Smalls

Spinal Tap, the "Loudest Rock Band In The World" featuring Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls have returned!

2009 marks the 25th anniversary of 'This Is Spinal Tap' and in celebration Spinal tap have announced not only a one off 'One Night Only World Tour' at London's Wembley Arena but have also confirmed a new studio album entitled 'Back From The Dead' featuring reworking's of classic Tap tracks and comes packed additional material including a DVD of Spinal Tap giving a track by track rundown of 'Back From The Dead'.

Essential is responsible for manufacturing & distributing the album as well as aiding in the promotion of 'Back From The Dead' and is honored to be working with the rock royalty that is Spinal Tap.

Davinche


DaVinChe. For most, no introduction is needed. The 23 year-old has been a premier producer on the UK grime scene since his late teens and 2009 marks the release of his long-awaited debut studio album which includes his debut single ‘Rider’ which is due for release on May 24th.

Born and raised in South-East London, Davinche is a self-taught producer synonymous with the grime scene; playing an integral part of the work done by its pioneers such as Wiley, JME, Kano, Jammer and Skepta.

‘Eyes on You’, ‘Take You Away’ feat. Sadie Ama, ‘Gotta Man’ with Doctor, ‘I’ll Ride’ feat. Estelle and Bashy and Kano’s ‘Ps & Qs’ are just a few of the tracks that have put Davinche on the top of the UK music makers list having been tipped for success by Wire Magazine, RWD Magazine and MTV Base. Essential is helping to orchestrate the release of his debut single 'Rider' and are extremely excited to be working with one of the UK's premier talents.

 

Easy Star All Stars

Essential have a proud tradition of working with Easy Star Records and their flagship act, Easy Star All-Stars having released the band's critically acclaimed albums 'Dub Side Of The Moon' & 'Radiodread', reggae reworking's of Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side Of The Moon' & Radiohead's 'Ok Computer'.

Essential is delighted to be working with Easy Star again in order to release one of the most ambitious reggae projects of recent memory 'Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band', a complete reggae re-working of The Beatles seminal 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', featuring such stars as Steel Pulse, Matisyahu, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Luciano, U Roy, Bunny Rugs (Third World), Ranking Roger (English Beat), Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Max Romeo and The Mighty Diamonds.

Essential has worked closely with Easy Star in order to ensure that 'Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band' is distributed across the UK & Europe and has helped Easy Star find media partners in order to help promote the album's release.

 

Mindless Self Indulgence

"If the gods have any sense at all, this record ('IF') should drag the co-ed cacophony from their staunchly defended stronghold as arena underdogs and kick them squarely to the top of the bill." - Rock Sound

"... compulsive, frantic, pop-killing bursts of oddly compelling beaten to a pulp melodies..." - Kerrang!

"New [MSI] album, 'If', is an electro-punk headfuck that's as colourful and inventive as it is a provocative soundclash... an antidote to a world that takes itself too seriously" - Metal Hammer

Signed to The End Records Mindless Self Indulgence are undoubtedly the internet's favorite band, their myspace page boasts over 18 million views, their Youtube channel has over 20,000 subscribers and the band's message board has over 57,000 active members.

After being a band for 10 years, 2008 was the year that Mindless Self Indulgence exploded into the mainstream rock consciousness as they completed 2 sold out UK tours which included sell out shows at London's Astoria & Roundhouse, a main stage spot at the Reading & Leeds festivals 2008, graced the covers of Kerrang! and Rock Sound magazine, received a nomination for 'Best Album' at the Kerrang! Awards 2008 as well as playing a special show for Kerrang! Radio and playing a very special show as part of the Kerrang! 'Week Of Rock' celebrations leading up to the Kerrang! Awards 2008, all helping the band sell over 10,000 copies of their latest album 'If'.

To mark the end of the band's most successful year to date and to bring in 2009, they were chosen to headline the Kerrang! Relentless Energy Drink Tour 2009, a 15 date tour taking in the width and breadth of the UK culminating in a date at London's infamous Brixton Academy.

Essential oversaw the UK & European release of 'If', distributing the album across Europe and ensuring that 'If' was racked in HMV stores up and down the country. Working closely with The Noise Cartel, the band received massive press coverage which included the covers of Kerrang! & Rock Sound magazine and several multiple page features in both magazines. Essential was also able to assemble a street team to flyer the album's details, not only at the band's shows but at shows by similar artists.

 

Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves


"There are singers who sing and there are singers whose sheer power of expression can knock you off your feet. Eli 'Paperboy' Reed falls firmly into the latter category ... [he] threatens to be one of the defining voices of the year" - Mojo Magazine

"A voice to rival the greats" - Word

There was an audible buzz around a certain band at SXSW 2008. They had a horn section tighter than James Brown's, a rhythm section that could hold a rock solid groove and a guitar player like no other. But the voices speaking in hushed tones and whispers were only talking about one man...the front man. He could work a crowd into a frenzy and have them eating out of the palm of his hand, he could lead a band like a seasoned pro and more importantly he could definitely sing.

That man was 24 year old Bostonian Eli "Paperboy" Reed.

Following on from a very successful SXSW which saw the band perform to packed out crowds, the band's label Q Division chose to work with Essential Music & Marketing in order to help bring the band and their album 'Roll With You' to Europe.

Working closely with In House Press, Rapture PR & Station To Station, Essential has been able to successfully introduce Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves to a European audience. The band have featured in numerous 'Ones To Watch' features and have been championed by the likes of Q, Word & Mojo, who invited the band to play at the Mojo Club this summer.

Mainland Europe has proven to be a key territory for the band as there has been phenomenal demand for them, most notably in France which has seen the band play numerous sold out shows. Essential has worked with PIAS France in order to ensure that the buzz around the band continues to grow and that 'Roll With You' is widely available.

Since then the band's profile has continued to grow as they played sold out shows all over world include dates supporting Duffy on her sold out US tour, seen their album be racked in HMV stores up and down the UK and most recently they were invited to play on Later With Jools Holland, an honor for any band. 2008 looks like only the start for Eli "Paperboy" Reed and Essential is proud to continue working with him into 2009 and beyond.

 

Steve Earle

"a stirring Steve Earle classic." - Guardian Unlimited

Steve Earle has shown himself to be a prolific talent since his first album 'Guitar Town' in 1986, since them he's been on a turbulent journey battling drug addiction, serving time in jail for drug and firearm offences, becoming an author, actor, playwright, an outspoken political activist, DJ and producer, he also set up his own label whilst still finding time to create a significant body of work which has won him several Grammy awards and 13 Grammy nominations as well as widespread recognition as one of the finest songwriters and performers walking the earth.

Steve's first album since signing to New West Records is 'Washington Square Serenade', his first since relocating to New York and his love note to his new home. Essential is delighted to have worked with such a respected musician on such a critically acclaimed album.

Working with Richard Wootton Publicity, massive amounts of publicity was secured to promote the album including multi page features in Mojo, Uncut, Q, The Independent On Sunday, Word Magazine, The Times and The Daily Telegraph and reviews across numerous publications including The Sun, Rock 'n' Reel, and Record Collector. The record was also championed by BBC Radio 2 as interviews, acoustic performances and spot plays from the record were secured on high profile shows including Jonathan Ross, Bob Harris, Mike Harding, Johnnie Walker, Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie, Alex Lester, and Simon Mayo.

Steve was also invited to perform on Later With Jools Holland alongside Duffy, We Are Scientists and MGMT, where he performed with a DJ and was interviewed by Jools Holland.

Essential is proud to have worked with a talent such as Earle and is looking forward to 2009, which judging by his past output will more than likely see another new release.

 

David Byrne & Brian Eno

"This record was born as a dinner conversation. While dining in New York with David and some other friends, I mentioned that I had accumulated a lot of music, which, despite my intentions, I had never formed into songs. David volunteered to give them a try. By and large, we stuck to our separate territories: I worked on the instrumentals, and he generally focused on the lyrics and vocals. This arrangement seemed to work well.
Upon starting this project, we quickly realized we were making something like electronic gospel, music in which singing becomes the central event, but whose sonic landscapes are atypical of such vocal-centered tracks.
I want music to be inviting, to offer the listener a place inside it. I think David responded to this with sensitivity and skill, and his natural edginess made those familiar progressions sound new to me once again."
Brian Eno

"With their new album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, the pair rejoin the rock conversation as if they'd never left." - Rolling Stone

Being approached to release 'Everything That Happens Will Happen Today', the first new collaboration album between seminal artists David Byrne & Brian Eno since 1981's 'My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts', will stand as one of the landmarks in Essential's history.

David Byrne & Brian Eno vowed not to include any record companies in the album's release and never one's to shy away from new technologies David Byrne & Brian Eno released the album digitally some time before it's physical incarnation. Essential was asked to provide the deluxe physical version of the album, which included material not available with the download version, for Europe and we were only too happy to part of such a exciting project.

Using our European contacts we were able to ensure that the album was available across all European territories as well as ensuring that the album's launch was highly publicized across the UK securing reviews in publications such as Q, NME, Mojo, Uncut, Word, Plan B, The Times, The Guardian and numerous others.

It was also well received by radio with BBC 6Music championing the album from an early stage, BBC Radio 2 & Radio 4 also showed strong support for the album along with XFM & the BBC World Service.

 

Ice Cube

"...Cube spits some of his sharpest rhymes in years" - Rolling Stone

One of the most well known and respected rapper's on Earth, Ice Cube, returned in 2008 with 'Raw Footage', the follow up to 2006's 'Laugh Now, Cry Now'. More politically charged than his previous albums 'Raw Footage' sees Ice Cube taking shots at corrupt government practices, senseless violence and the it's effects on innocent bystanders and the media's portrayal of rapper's such as himself:

“Last year the talk about rap was so distorted,” Ice Cube says. “You had Don Imus blaming the fact that gangsta rappers say, ‘Nappy headed hoes,’ so he thought it was cool to say it, like he listens to gangsta rap. It was bull. The Virginia Tech killing, it came on the heels of that, so somehow gangsta rap was the cause of that. It just kind of snowballed into all these different kind of things.”

Essential was extremely proud to have been given the chance to work with such an icon of modern culture and immediately began work with experienced press company Duff PR (who have previously worked with artists such as the Spice Girls, Tool, Velvet Revolver, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Outkast and many more) who was able to secure a cover feature in legendary hip-hop magazine Hip Hop Connection as well as coverage in specialist magazines such as Flipside, Front, Knave and more traditional music publications including Mojo, Uncut & Q.