Nu-Birth

Nu-Birth

Nu-Birth was a highly influential electronic music act comprised of Danny Harrison and Julian Jonah. Both producers were pivotal figures in the rise and evolution of UK Garage and subsequent electronic music scenes, working under a variety of aliases throughout their careers.

Danny Harrison

Danny Harrison, a producer from South London, first gained recognition alongside Danny Matlock under the alias Nush, achieving notable success with the track "U Girls." He later explored various monikers, significantly contributing to the UK Garage movement alongside Julian Jonah. Their work under the names "187 Lockdown" and "Gant" is particularly celebrated.

Following the UK Garage era, Harrison ventured into a Disco-House project called Stella Browne. He has also found considerable success with Arthur Smith as the duo Moto Blanco.

Julian Jonah

Julian Jonah's musical journey was shaped by influences spanning disco, funk, soul, jazz, and the nascent Chicago House scene of the 1980s. He made a significant mark on the UK club scene with his early single "Jealousy And Lies" on Cooltempo Records, widely regarded as one of the first definitive UK House records. This was followed by a series of club hits.

A multi-instrumentalist and programmer, Jonah utilized his early success to sign with Bump'N'Hustle Records for a UK Soul album project. Under the guise of Watergates, with vocalist Janette Sewell, he released the album 'The Scandal,' showcasing his songwriting prowess.

By the early 1990s, Jonah continued his solo club success with various aliases, including Tyanda (releasing "I Get A Rush" on Blunted / Island Records) and East 57th Street (with "Saturday" on AM:PM records). It was during this period, while working with Island's Blunted imprint, that he connected with Danny Harrison.

Collaboration and Nu-Birth

Danny Harrison's distinctive South London sound had already made waves in the clubs, with his Nush alias and the nationally charting single "U Girls" (Blunted / Island Records) released in 1994. This collaboration between Harrison and Jonah led to the formation of Nu-Birth.

Their debut release as Nu-Birth, "Anytime," arrived in 1996 and marked the launch of their own record label, Nu Jak Records. The label was established to showcase and experiment with their evolving styles. Nu Jak Records released two further singles that quickly garnered significant attention, leading to all three Nu Jak releases being licensed and re-issued by major labels, subsequently charting nationally.

"Anytime" became a club anthem and was re-released by XL Records on two separate occasions, charting nationally in both 1997 and 1998.

Further Projects and Evolution

Under the moniker Gant, the duo achieved two club hits: "Sound Bwoy Burial" and "All Night Long" (Positiva). However, it was their project 187 Lockdown that truly cemented their reputation.

Muzik magazine described 187 Lockdown's debut single "Gunman" as "the sound of a subculture exploding." The track gained significant traction in Ibiza and was signed to East West in September 1997, reaching the Top 20. Like "Anytime," "Gunman" achieved national chart success twice and was nominated for the inaugural Ivor Novello Award for Best Dance Song. The track remains widely used in media, notably featuring in Ali G segments on television.

187 Lockdown followed up with four more hits and a critically acclaimed debut album, which included the Top 10 single "Kung Fu" and "The Don."

At the turn of the millennium, Julian and Danny continued their prolific output under new aliases such as DYNK, Bass City Rollaz, and ReFlex, further energizing the UK Garage scene. DYNK and Bass City Rollaz achieved underground success with tracks featured on numerous compilation CDs and provided numerous 2-Step mixes for artists like Another Level, George Morel, Lisa Stansfield, and Donnell Jones. ReFlex, meanwhile, had a chart hit with "Put Your Hands Up" (Gusto Records).

In 2001, their main project was Stella Browne, a disco-house act that aimed to return to classic club song structures, blending soulful vocals with strong basslines and catchy choruses. Two singles released under Stella Browne for Perfecto Records kept them on the national charts: "Every Woman Needs Love" (which charted at 21 in Music Week's Top Dance Tracks of 2000) and "Never Knew Love" (charting at 48 in Music Week's Top Dance Tracks of 2001).

More upbeat house tracks were released under the alias Mareeko, including the underground anthem "More" (Cream Records). Julian Jonah also continued to focus on songwriting, contributing lyrics to Discotex's chart hit "I Can Cast A Spell."

In 2001, the duo reinvented themselves as M-Factor, achieving significant success with the groundbreaking track "Mother" (Serious/Mercury records), followed by "Come Together" for EMI's Credence records. Julian has also released solo singles, including "You're No Good For Me" on Litmus Recs / Unique as Roxy St, with further M-Factor and other projects anticipated.