Once in a while, a band comes along that doesn’t just ignore the rulebook, but rewrites it. Since forming in the late 90s, Kosheen have proved that success doesn’t have to come on someone else’s terms.

Fusing the darkly intimate electronica of Markee Ledge and Darren Decoder with the plaintive, potent vocals of singer Sian Evans, Kosheen create songs where the sounds tell the story as much as the lyrics while the boundaries of genres are blurred and challenged. As a trio, the band combine their respective loves of rock, hip-hop, drum & bass and folk and still create songs with a heart.

The world first took notice in 2000 with the release of their compelling, anthemic track Hide U which reached number six in the UK, while Catch hit number 15 and Hungry reached number 13. Their debut album Resist was released in 2001 and went on to reach number 8 in the UK and made the top 30 in Australia, The Netherlands, Belgium and Greece. It has since sold half a million copies worldwide.

While on tour, Kosheen turned their attention to their second album. Enthused by the incredible reception they had received live, they began writing songs with that in mind, tracks they knew would sound great on stage. The resulting record, Kokopelli, came out in 2003 and is a hypnotic, intimate collection of songs from the soul. It became Kosheen’s highest UK charting LP, going in at number six and helped earn them their second Brit Award nomination.

After Kokopelli went Gold in the UK, Kosheen left BMG in the midst of the Sony BMG merger, signed to Universal Germany (UDD), and returned to the studio, with a new drive and vision and worked on their third album, Damage (2007). Sonically referencing both the electronica of Resist and the creativity and darkness of Kokopelli with Damage, Kosheen created their most beautiful record to date.

Kosheen eventually released their fourth studio album Independence in 2012 after it was delayed while Darren and Markee pursued other projects and having to create Kosheen Records so they could be more in charge of their own destiny.

But while five years is a long time in dance music, they’ve kept their finger on the pulse to ensure that their return combines all the elements that made them such a success in the first place with a vibe that is utterly contemporary.

After such a long gap the band built up a backlog of music and their fifth studio album, Independence, was released at the end of 2013. Independence represents the band breaking free from some behind the scenes stuff, simply moving on and it reflects this upbeat energy.

Since Kosheen have now taken a break from recording, Markee Ledge has continued writing new material and collaborating with other producers and vocalists. Markee Ledge’s new album ‘Elevate’ was initiated from these sessions.

I knew I had a bunch of very powerful songs in the bag and I was really digging the real deep sound coming from London and Rinse FM,” he explains. “I wanted to reach out to the producers I was feeling and make fresh music and recapture that vibe we had on ‘Resist’ - a real current sound but with soulful, powerful songs.”

Featuring a selection of guest writers/singers including Alys Be, Susie Ledge, and Jodie Elms, Markee’s solo album also features guest producers like Seven, Leon Switch, dubspeeka and Rinse FM’s DJ Youngsta, whose fresh take on underground music has added inspiration to the project.

Markee’s ‘Elevate’ album continues the Kosheen vibe with big vocal fronted tracks, however he’s placed a greater emphasis on cutting edge, instrumental productions to satisfy the current UK underground music scene’s desire for deeper sounds.

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