Marxman were a four-piece Marxist hip-hop group with two MCs"Marxman: Woman and Child", ''Lime Lizard'', May 1993, p. 24-5 formed in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1989. Their lyrics expounded

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

and an end to economic and social injustice. They are one of only a few groups that combine hip-hop with traditional Irish compositions.

History

The band was formed by college friends Stephen Brown (Phrase D) and (MC) Hollis Michael Byrne, who also enlisted the help of Byrne's childhood friend from Ireland, Oisin Lunny, son of Irish traditional musician

Dónal Lunny Dónal Lunny (born 10 March 1947) is an Irish folk musician and producer. He plays left-handed guitar and bouzouki, as well as keyboards and bodhrán. As a founding member of popular bands Planxty, The Bothy Band, Moving Hearts, Coolfin, Mozai ...

. The band were completed by scratch mixer DJ K One. Together they developed an overt political message in a scene dominated by Gangsta rap, inspired by Hip-Hop, Motown

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and traditional Irish music. Their debut 1992 single "Sad Affair" which borrowed lyrics from the

Irish rebel song In the music of Ireland, Irish rebel songs refer to folk songs which are primarily about the various rebellions against English (and later British) Crown rule. Songs about prior rebellions are a popular topic of choice among musicians which supp ...

"Irish Ways and Irish Laws" was banned by the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Subject Matter

domestic violence

colonisation of Ireland

wage slavery Wage slavery or slave wages refers to a person's dependence on wages (or a salary) for their livelihood, especially when wages are low, treatment and conditions are poor, and there are few chances of upward mobility. The term is often us ...

Legacy

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

the group themselves played down such comparisons. Their politics were at the fore and breaking down musical boundaries was paramount. The band was very well respected live and it was onstage that the power of their music really came across. Despite working with a number of high-profile musicians, collaborating with James McNally of

the Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse" ...

and having Sinéad O'Connor as guest vocalist on the single "Ship Ahoy," the band was very much a rap group; their track "Drifting" was produced in New York by hip-hop legend

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...

Gang Starr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2 ...

. The band also worked with SD50,

Dante Ross Dante Ross (born October 11, 1967) is an American music industry executive, artists and repertoire representative, and record producer. He was named one of the top-25 greatest A&R representatives in hip hop by ''Complex'' magazine. Ross has been ...

's production team, and Mike Mangini and Shane Faber (

Brand Nubian Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees ( Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and formerly three DJs (DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere, and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, '' One for All' ...

Digable Planets Digable Planets () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987. The trio is composed of rappers Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, Mariana "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira, and Craig "Doodlebug" Irving. The group is notable for their contributions to the subgenre ...

and many more) were producers on ''Time Capsule.'' Marxman also supported U2 and Depeche Mode on their respective Zoo TV and Devotional tours. Marxman toured extensively around Europe and the US and played many events and fundraisers for the various causes they believed in. A percentage of their single "All About Eve" was donated to

Victim Support Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime. Activities ;Support for victims of crime: Trained volunteers and employees offer free and ...

charities; they played a sold-out gig at London's The Jazz Cafe in support of that single and cause. They are considered to have been forerunners of the

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tem ...

genre, alongside bands such as

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was releas ...

and Portishead, and contributed to the establishment of the "

Bristol sound The Bristol underground scene was a cultural movement in Bristol beginning in the early 1980s. The scene was born out of a lack of mainstream clubs catering for the emergence of hip hop music, with street and underground parties a mainstay. Cre ...

Discography

References

External links