In Australia’s mainstream music business, the MC Shureshock moniker is a familiar one.
Within the country’s thriving dance music scene, Shureshock’s reputation is legendary. The performer (real name Cameron James Brown) is a heavyweight of the dance culture, a triple-threat comprising talent, versatility and durability. Shureshock has crashed the national sales charts and entertained 100s of thousands of fans at home and abroad.
It’s no surprise that the plaudits have come hard and fast over a stellar career, during which time Shureshock has joined forces with many of the globe’s finest DJs, from Carl Cox to Goldie. And this year is proving to be another frenetic one for the artist, who is striding towards the next phase of his recording career with a new label DubRave Records and a thumping new club night.
Originally from Brisbane, Shureshock honed his mic talents on the city’s vibrant rave circuit in the early part of the 1990s, initially performing under the nickname MC NO3. His skills matured and evolved. By decade’s end, the artist was tuning into the emerging underground breakbeat sound stemming from the U.K., a fresh style which fused hip-hop party jams and electro synth lines with rumbling basslines. It proved the perfect platform to suit the performer’s vocal range, who by this stage had emerged as Shureshock. The emcee spread his creative wings to form Zephyr Timbre, a local five-piece outfit that quickly built a national reputation with its blend of tight rhythms, sultry vocals and party-rocking percussion.
Darlings of the Triple J national radio network, Zephyr Timbre secured spots on the Big Day Out line-up and supported Jamiroquai on the U.K. outfit’s 2002 Australian tour, a trek which saw Shureshock perform in the prestigious Sydney Opera House and on the stage of Melbourne’s imposing Rod Laver Arena. Breakbeat would re-assert itself as Shureshock’s central musical focus. At the turn of the decade, the vocalist met with Kid Kenobi (Jesse Desenberg) who later was voted Australia’s No. 1 DJ in the Technics InTheMix Top 50 for three straight years. By the middle of the 2000s, MC Shureshock and Kid Kenobi were recognized as Australia’s premier MC-DJ tandems, having completed sell-out tours of the U.K., U.S., Canada,Brazil, China, Switzerland, New Zealand and Singapore. Closer to home, the Shureshock-Kenobi collaboration has been a regular fixture on the Australian festivals circuit, playing the Big Day Out, Park Life, Field Day, Good Vibrations and many more. It’s an enduring partnership which in 2010 celebrated 10 years in the game.
Shureshock has taken his vocal skills to the studio and into the charts on a raft of Ministry of Sound compilations, including the popular “Clubber’s Guide to Breaks” series and the “Kid Kenobi Sessions” and, more recently, mc’ing on the first-release compilation via Kid Kenobi’s new label Klub Kids. Shureshock holds the remarkable honour of being the only MC to lend vocals to a globally-released Ministry of Sound Australia compilation.
Now based in Sydney, Shureshock is very much an in-demand vocalist and performer in the international dance music community. The likes of Fatboy Slim, Stanton Warriors, Krafty Kuts, Goldie, Andy C, Freq Nasty, The Crystal Method, Sub Focus, and DJ Q-Bert have all worked with Shureshock, as have Australian artists Bexta, DJ El Hornet from Pendulum, Greg Packer, Q45, Will Styles, The Humpday Project, James Taylor and The Vinyl Slingers.
With a debut solo album in the works, Shureshock spent much of 2010 locked away in the recording studio with partner Will Styles. One of the fruits of those efforts was the solo single “You’re the One” on his DubRave record label. And there’s a string of collaborative tracks on the slate, including remixes with Will Styles, The Humpday Project, Greg Packer and DJ Mark Walton.
Shureshock’s first solo E.P “The Shureshock Project” sees him team with Danny Rhodes and Greg Packer to deliver a drum ‘n’ bass series of EPs, Was released on Interphase from July 2010 and a re release on DubRave to follow in 2011. Shureshock’s vocals will also feature in “Silicon Soul,” a new single from Kid Kenobi’s 2010 solo EP, while a venture with Japan-based producer and DJ Jaxx Da Fishworks will yield the track “Fat Tiger,” released in 2010 through Sushi Records and due late 2011 in Australia and New Zealand on DubRave Records. And Shureshock will guest on Aussie DJ/producer Cutloose’s debut album “Raspoww,” released through San Francisco-based D-Fault Records.
“I’m really focusing on building a body of work,” explains Shureshock. “It’s all about creating music which reflects my passions, as opposed to reverse-engineering tracks for clubland. And I’m doing it all with the producers and musicians that I really respect. There’s a lot of love inside the camp, and the results I’m getting are pretty exciting.”
Shureshock hasn’t taken his finger off the pulse. In 2010, the artist was first on the scene with Dub Step, a new movement which is evolving into a global phenomenon.
Shureshock launched Record label DubRave Records in conjunction with DubRave events, and landed a residency at Chinese Laundry, recognized as the No. 1 club in New South Wales. Off the back of the Big Day Out, Shureshock toured DubRave nationally as “The DubRave Soundsystem” with MC Hayley Boa and Will Styles. It was the first Dub Step event to have a national tour. The regular events have proven a growing success, drawing on stage the likes of South Rakkas Crew, Shock One, DJ MK (Dizzie Rascal’s DJ), The Haters , Doorly and Nu Tone. The largest night proved to be the launch party for “The Shureshock Project part 2″ at Chinese Laundry, where the bill was comprised entirely of home-grown talent. Also in 2010, “You’re the One” enjoyed a release on DubRave Records with its clip rotated on Rage and the track enjoying spins on Triple J. “You’re the One” featured on Kid Kenobi’s mix on the One Loves “Dub Step Invasion ” Mix CD, a chart-topper on the New Zealand dance album iTunes chart and a No. 3 hit on the Australian iTunes dance albums chart. “You’re the One” was one of three Shureshock tracks to appear on the CD, the others being “Safe Sound” and “Silicone Soul.” The latter would also appear on Kid Kenobi’s first solo , “The Adventures of Kid Kenobi”. Shureshock and Kid Kenobi celebrated their 10-year anniversary in style.
The duo hit the road for a 30-date trans-Tasman tour in 2010, culminating with the duo performing to more than 100,000 fans across the six Australian 2011 Big Day Out dates.
To commemorate their feat of longevity, Shureshock and Kid Kenobi have released “TEN,” their debut album of original recordings. “TEN” went on to top the Juno Download Dub sales chart.
The album’s lead single, “Safe Sound” was written as an ode to Shureshock’s newly arrived daughter India. After enjoying strong support on Triple J, the single entered the top 20 of ARIA club chart and was included on the “Dubstep Invasion” set.
Tracks from Shureshock and DubRave will feature on Ministry Of Sound’s first Dub Step CD, mixed by Will Styles and slated for release in mid-2011.
which went to number one for months and went in front of justin berbers comp on the aria chart … not bad for bass music. Shureshock features on “Do It Right Now,” lifted from British producer Pimpsoul’s debut album through Bombstrikes from mid-April 2011. Aimed at BBC Radio 1, “Do It Right Now” will be issued on vinyl, CD and digital formats .. it went top 50 on beat port.
A pair of Shureshock tracks will appear on a new Fretless album, produced by the highly-respected Australian DJ Mark Walton. Set for release in mid-2011, the album will initially be available in Germany and Denmark as a triple-vinyl pack …it went well in the top 50 in beatport . Shureshock released on skrilex’s label OWSLA on Nick Thayers ep … released at top 10 on beatport .
Recently Shureshock has rocked the aria charts and beatport charts with Spenda C with “Blazin” on Klub Kids on kid Kenobi’s label in 2013 …going top 20. Lead single on Speekaz Kikk on Audiofreq’s album AUDICEPTION late 2013.
Now in 2014 “RIZE UP” lead single with longtime partner in crime Kid Kenobi heads his debut E.P “Bass Shock “ on the mighty Klub Kids label .
In a nod to his versatility, Shureshock has jumped off the stage and in front of the camera for www.unseentv.com.au, hosting spots and interviewing artists behind the scenes at the DMC Championships and at various Australian dance music fests.
Away from the spotlight’s glare, Shureshock devotes much of his time to community endeavours. During 2010, Shureshock played a mentoring role for the teenage youth music projects through Sydney’s Milson Point Community Centre. And later in the year, he imparted his know-how to the next generation when the “MC Shureshock” Personal Tutoring program launched through The Ableton Live School.
Shureshock’s busy itinerary has taken the star to indigenous communities in Far North Queensland, where he contributed to a project that aims to preserve ancient languages and dialects threatened with extinction through the use of music and dance.
“That has been part of my vision for twelve years,” notes Shureshock. “As much as it is for helping other people, exploring that side has enabled me to relate with a dance-floor of different cultures and worlds, people I hadn’t met and wouldn’t have had the chance to meet.”
www.mcshureshock.com