TNT BIOGRAPHY
As a producer, DJ, remixer, label boss and industry entrepreneur, TNT has been a mainstay of the UK music scene for over a decade. From acclaimed underground anthems to credible pop hits, this East Londoner has provided the beats, rhymes and melodies that have undoubtedly helped forge the internationally renowned British urban & dance music scene that we have today.
The seeds of TNT's eclectic output were planted during his formative years whilst growing up. By the time the young Gifford Noel was 16, he was DJing and producing - as DJ Trend - within the groundbreaking drum & bass scene. Establishing his reputation on leading pirate radio stations such as Rinse and Kool FM, DJ Trend could also be heard behind the decks at the biggest raves of the day including 'Jungle Fever' and 'Heat'.
By 1997, TNT cracked the drum & bass scene as a producer of note, creating the instant classic '2 Degrees' and featuring on the inaugural 'World of Drum & Bass' album, alongside Shy FX.
From the drum & bass scene, TNT then branched out seamlessly to another exciting electronic arena: UK garage. At the start of the new millennium, TNT launched his own label, Left Records, and quickly established a catalogue of classic club tunes, such as the highly influential 'Transmission' (which many UK garage producers subsequently emulated) and the Ayia Napa favourite, 'Nissi'.
Left Records releases were consistently featured on the top selling major label compilations of the day, such as 'Pure Garage Platinum' and 'Bass Breaks and Beats', and TNT began producing for up and coming artists from the scene, including Wiley, Gemma Fox and Roll Deep. One such production: 'Rush The DJ' which featured drum & bass's Dynamite MC, remains one of the club scene's biggest anthems - despite never having had an official release.
TNT had proved to be a producer of calibre, whether cutting floor-filling beats or weaving soulful vocals - and in 2001 he brought the two effortlessly together for the Go Beat / Polydor single 'Easy Lovin U' featuring British soul star Terri Walker.
The following year, TNT crossed over to the mainstream with a collaboration with songwriter Brian Higgins (who had penned Cher's 'Believe') on the production of the Sugababes' top ten single 'Angels With Dirty Faces', taken from their two-times platinum-selling album.
TNT became the go-to remixer for crossover acts such as Daniel Bedingfield and The Streets, whilst never losing sight of the underground roots from which he came. As testament to this, TNT created the pioneering grime & hip hop mixtape series 'Heat In The Street' which has featured artists from J2K and Lethal B, to Kano and Shola Ama.
From drum & bass to UK garage, grime, hip hop, R&B/pop and beyond, TNT has become more than simply a producer/DJ, but rather a respected and recognisable brand, that is still taking him - and his music - right across the entertainment world.
Philippa Reed.
