RIP MC Conrad: A peerless performer who became one with the music

It wasn’t long before Conrad made his way onto line-ups for many of the best known raves of that era, including Raindance, Dreamscape, Obsession, ESP and many more. Conrad’s hosting skills took him to the big stage alongside pioneers like DJ Trace (who first introduced Conrad to Bukem) and his long-term creative partner LTJ Bukem. Bukem’s incorporation of jazz into what became a more soulful, atmospheric incarnation of d’n’b was complemented perfectly by Conrad’s delivery. A consummate MC, Conrad’s ability to harmonise with the music and give it space to breathe, while injecting his persona and energy into Bukem’s sets, was a marvel to behold. As he noted himself, he would evolve with Bukem’s record box, and almost become one with the music; delivering impeccable vocals, whether it was structured verses or ad-libs that amplified the moment.

In 1994 Conrad joined Bukem and Fabio for a residency at their Speed night, held at London’s Mars Bar. The residency was pivotal in establishing the atmospheric style of d’n’b, and also helped cement Conrad’s position as a seminal voice in the genre. Conrad worked tirelessly to elevate drum ‘n’ bass, as a label head and an advocate for vocalists’ rights. Initially, he worked with Bukem on the hugely influential Good Looking Records; established in 1991, the imprint helped popularise the atmospheric or “intelligent” drum ‘n’ bass sound with releases from Blame, Blu Mar Ten, Photek, Source Direct, Seba and more.

1998 saw the release of the first ‘Progression Sessions’ mix compilation, a series that became the soundtrack to the lives of countless fans around the world. From post-rave car journeys to home listening, ‘Progression Sessions’ has become iconic. His partnership with Bukem took him on tour all over the world, from Canada to Japan: fabric, Ministry of Sound, Coachella, Space in Ibiza and more; sharing the stage with Carl Cox, Snoop Dogg, Grandmaster Flash and Jeff Mills.

In terms of rights, Conrad has spoken about approaching PRS in an attempt to get royalties for his appearances on longer recordings. His desire to achieve fairness for the treatment and remuneration of MCs, for their work on recorded sets, led to him adopting a far more business-minded approach to his career. Commenting on his own experiences, he has highlighted the glass ceiling that rave MCs can encounter and advocated for MCs to build up their recorded works in order to have a sustainable career.

On that note, over the years, Conrad’s vocals have been the centrepiece of a number of classic drum ‘n’ bass releases. They include Adam F’s ‘F Jam’, featured on his album ‘Colours’, ‘Soul Patrol’ with Total Science, a classic vocal mix of ‘The Western’ by PFM and ‘Golden Girl’ with Makoto, which he co-produced. ‘Golden Girl’ epitomises Conrad’s songwriting, vulnerable and soulful, immediately resonating with listeners, while working in harmony with the rugged beats and bass, while ‘F Jam’ showcases his deft ability to utilise his hip hop flow with a drum ‘n’ bass tempo.

In 2020 Conrad established the first digital-first drum ‘n’ bass label Resonance, under the mission statement of platforming forward-thinking drum ‘n’ bass music. To date the label has seen 13 releases, including ‘Lean Upwards’ from Conrad himself, under his alias Con*Natural.

With over three decades of commitment to his craft, and the music he loves, MC Conrad’s legacy is imbued in the lives he touched, the sets he appeared on and the releases he was part of. Widely loved and a fervent advocate for vocalist’s rights, he was an iconic, pioneering artist who will be sorely missed by the d’n’b community, and electronic music as a whole.

Marcus Barnes is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Mixmag, follow him on Twitter