Taking His Time

The UK singer, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, producer and hit machine Timothy “Labrinth” McKenzie is returning to Australia for Stereosonic 2013, but he has a hidden agenda. He's “on the hunt” for vintage gear. “I'm looking for synths!” jokes McKenzie, a self-described “geek”. “I'm looking for [the] ARP 2600. If anyone has one of these synths, or sees one of these synths, they need to find me, just wherever they can – just find me and give this thing. I'll pay for it!”

McKenzie first toured with Parklife behind 2012's audacious debut, Electronic Earth, including the Australian multi-platinum dubstep banger Earthquake (featuring Tinie Tempah). At Stereosonic McKenzie, the sole 'urban' billing, will perform with his huge band. “I think we're gonna have some fun, man.” Genial, laidback and jokey, the Brit says “man” a lot.

McKenzie, now 24, grew up one of nine in the London suburb of Hackney. He started as a beatmaker, lacing Master Shortie's Dead End early on. McKenzie's major break came with Tinie's drum 'n' bass-fuelled Pass Out, elevated by his uncredited vocals – it topped the UK charts. McKenzie contributed heavily to Tinie's Disc-Overy, masterminding the successive hits Frisky and the Ellie Goulding-chorused Wonderman. But, surprisingly, he signed as a solo artist to Simon Cowell's Syco Music – known for its talent show stars (Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, One Direction), not 'street' acts. Indeed, Cowell recognised that 'Lab' had his own X factor. McKenzie, similarly business-minded, even secured an imprint, Odd Child Recordings. 

For Electronic Earth McKenzie mashed up grime, bass music, electro, hip hop, R&B, funk and Coldplay-mode rock, but gave it a future-pop sheen. Its biggest hit would be a sugar-sweet duet with Emeli Sandé – Beneath Your Beautiful. “Simon is quite hands-off in terms of letting me do what I need to do,” McKenzie maintains. “But I think it's just a relationship that will grow. This was new for me, as well as it was new for Syco to be with an artist like myself. So it's going really well personally for me, 'cause their idea is very much kinda like, Let Lab go in his direction and we'll help facilitate what he needs to do – and that for me was a perfect situation to be in. I saw Simon the other day at a show I was doing and we had a good chat. He just said he's massively proud and he was like, You made Syco cool – which was quite funny! He's just very happy to see the work that we've done and how it's gone in terms of me growing my name in the industry. It was just really positive feedback.” Along the way, like Tinie, the dapper McKenzie has become a fashion icon. “I don't know how it happened,” he demurs.

Since Electronic Earth, McKenzie has co-produced Plan B's Playing With Fire for the cred iLL Manors and a minor song on Rihanna's Unapologetic. The producer is a global commodity. Once UK rappers and R&B singers flew to the US to collaborate with its urban hitmakers, cultural cringe rampant at home. Today everyone is after a UK sound. “There's something in the air in the UK at the moment,” McKenzie agrees.

McKenzie, who lately issued the free digital EP, ATOMIC!, has begun the follow-up to Electronic Earth. “I'm writing some very, very cool stuff at the moment and I'm in the midst of turning it into something gargantuan.” However, he's unsure when it'll be complete. “I'm looking at maybe the end of the year or just the beginning of next year, but I don't wanna disappoint anyone.” Artists can be notoriously optimistic about timeframes. McKenzie's homie, Tinie was talking about his second album back in 2010 – Demonstration is now finally slated for a November release. “Oh shit, yeah!,” McKenzie erupts. “I'm looking forward to it... He's in full flow now – he's ready to kick off.” McKenzie is again involved in Demonstration. “I've done two records with Tinie, which are very cool records, so hopefully people can hear them and enjoy them soon.”