Mr Joseph

Mr Joseph is a London drum and bass producer whose soulful liquid records grew out of family soundsystems and the work of running his own night. Before buying decks, he helped relatives set up their systems and played records to warm up parties.

After university, he wanted to DJ but struggled to get bookings. A post on the Drum&BassArena forum brought together a small group willing to start something themselves. Fizzy Wednesday began in 2005 at a bar in Great Portland Street, gradually building an audience before moving to King’s Cross.

The night led into production and his Fizzy Beats label, while booking Bryan Gee helped establish a relationship with Liquid V. Inner Haze brought his sample-based approach into an album, with vocals from T.R.A.C. and Kate White alongside instrumental tracks. He also used the project to experiment with synthesis and different rhythmic ideas.

Liquid is the best-known part of his work, but he has described making and playing jump-up and deeper technical music too. The range comes from the same record collection rather than a need to settle on one style. Whether chopping samples or building new sounds, his own description of the process is about finding the small piece of music that makes a track worth finishing.