Hint is musician Jonathan James, hailing from Sussex in the UK. His music has been released on independent record labels and his catalogue includes work which has found favour amongst DJs and fans from various underground music scenes.

Early career

Hint's first releases were on the Deep Water label - an imprint based in Leicester in the UK. Shortly after the first promos of his debut EP ''Beau Selector'' were circulated amongst DJs, Hint was invited to record a Peel Session at the BBC's

Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1 ...

, which was broadcast in May 2002. Hint subsequently signed to

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

-based label Hombre Recordings and began work on his debut album '' Portakabin Fever''. The album was so called because it was written and recorded in a mobile home by James using an

Akai Akai ( ja, 赤井, ) is a Hong Kong manufacturer of consumer electronics. It was founded as Akai Electric Company Ltd in Tokyo, Japan, in 1946. Grande Holdings in Hong Kong purchased the Akai brand, and now distributes various electronic produ ...

MPC, guitar, bass and keyboards. The songs were then mixed with engineer 7-Stu-7 at State of Art - the

-based studio owned by

Geoff Barrow Geoffrey Paul Barrow (born 9 December 1971) is an English music producer, composer, and DJ. He is a member of the bands Portishead, Beak and supergroup Quakers, and has scored several films. Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the s ...

of Portishead. Once the album was complete, including cover art and a comic booklet by graphic artist Will Barras, it was released worldwide on 22 April 2003 by Hombre Recordings in association with another, larger independent record label - Ninja Tune. Several of the songs from ''Portakabin Fever'' have appeared on television, including uses as incidental music in shows such as

Top Gear Top Gear may refer to: * "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission Television * ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme * ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...

, C.S.I. Miami and

Location, Location, Location ''Location, Location, Location'' is a British reality property programme that has aired on Channel 4 since 17 May 2000 and is presented by Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer. The show follows Allsopp and Spencer as they try to find the perfect ...

and uses in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

for brands such as

Britvic Britvic plc is a British producer of soft drinks based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. It produces soft drinks under its own name, and several other brands. Hist ...

J2O J2O is a still soft drink made from fruit juices. It is manufactured by Britvic and sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Its launch in 1998 was led by Sheraz Dar who joined Britvic in 1994, and was aimed at providing an alternative solutio ...

and Whittaker's Chocolate. To support the release of the album, Hint toured Europe as a DJ with

Hexstatic Hexstatic are an English electronic music duo, consisting of Stuart Warren Hill and Robin Brunson, that specializes in creating "quirky audio visual electro." Formed in 1997 after Hill and Brunson met while producing visuals at the Channel 5 ...

and Pest. At 2003's Big Chill music festival Hint was joined on stage by Bonobo on bass and

Minotaur Shock Minotaur Shock is the stage name of David Edwards, a Bristol-based electronica musician. His 2005 album ''Maritime (album), Maritime'' was his first album released through 4AD Records, having previously released work via Manchester based Melod ...

on drums, the trio performing under the banner "The Hint Touring Band". Both artists also contributed remixes to Hint's track "Count Your Blessings". From 2004 until 2008 Hint was also a member of the Futureboogie collective, DJing as a resident at their Seen club nights in Bristol and London and regularly contributing to their

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

shows.

Recent career

After Hombre Recordings ceased operation, Hint signed to Brighton label

Tru Thoughts Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas. Since the acclaimed first album release of Bonobo's debut ''Animal Magic'', the label has put out over 200 LPs, across genres from e ...

. Drawing on his love of Drum and Bass, House and Hip Hop, Hint's releases for the label took a more energetic, bass-heavy direction. The release in 2008 of Hint's second album ''Driven From Distraction'' saw him collaborate for the first time in the studio with vocalists and other musicians, including (on the song "Muddled Morning") a 15-year-old MC called Rizzle, who later went on to find success in the group

Rizzle Kicks Rizzle Kicks are a British hip hop duo from Brighton, England, consisting of Jordan "Rizzle" Stephens (born 25 January 1992) and Harley "Sylvester" Alexander-Sule (born 1991). Their debut album, ''Stereo Typical'', was released in 2011. As o ...

. "Snake Patrol" also features a recording of actor Gavin Stenhouse playing guitar. Hint has continued to explore a more dancefloor-focused direction with remixes for label mates Belleruche, Flevans, Hot 8 Brass Band and Maddslinky and released his third album, ''Daily Intake'', in 2012.

Discography

Albums

* '' Portakabin Fever'' - 22 April 2003 * '' Driven From Distraction'' - 28 July 2008 * '' Daily Intake'' - 19 March 2012

EPs and singles

* ''The Beau Selectah'' EP - 2002 * ''Count Your Blessings'' single - 7 September 2002 * ''You Little Trooper'' single - 18 November 2002 * ''Quite Spectacular'' single - 17 February 2003 * ''Count Your Blessings (Remixes)'' single - 15 September 2003 * ''The Tremmuh'' EP - 12 December 2005 * ''At The Dance'' EP - 12 December 2007 * ''Driven From Distraction'' EP - 21 July 2008 * ''CMONSTEP / One Woman Army Remixes'' EP - 26 May 2009 * ''Laboratory Series No.1: Beryllium'' EP - 30 August 2010 * ''Crash and Burn / Aliens Enter'' single - 30 January 2012

Early career

Recent career

Discography

Albums

EPs and singles

References

External links