'Imagine the world leaders on pills' - The Streets

The old skool driven monotone tales from Mike Skinner 'The Streets' are bound to become the quintessential soundtrack to life as it is on the streets of England today. Having given the urban sound movement a new face, Mike simply tells it like it is. Chart topping songs 'Weak become heroes' 'Same old thing' and 'Has it come to this' are testament to everything from the trainer shop, the bus stop, life in the clubs, the dealers and the criminal injustice system.

By age nine Mike already knew he wanted to make records, his passion for fiddling on keyboards began at age 5, and by the time he was 15, he had made his own vocal booth. Consisting of an Amiga and craftily constructed from a cupboard and old mattress, he called it 'Rap Central.' 'It was a good, dead sound. Everyone would came to put down their tracks.' says Mike and thanks to open minded parents they didn't complain too much about the incessant thump upstairs or the barrage of Brummie MCs coming through the front door.

Many are already claiming that Mike's tales of working class England are paving a new future for garage. Leaving behind the bold and glamorous stories associated with clubs and beachside vacations and instead taking a more honest street level approach. Says Mike, 'My music is about the garage scene away from London. Mostly, garage is a club thing, a raving thing. For me, when I was in Brum, just after travelling, it was an in-car and at-home thing. We had clubs, yeah, but not the glamour thing of London; we didn't do the Spanish holiday thing either. For me, so many people are too close to the scene and nobody's taken garage in a radically different direction.'

At a time when MCing has become the way for today's youth, Mike is seen as somewhat a true modern day lyricist, his work consists of tales and anecdotes to which you can relate, it will make you smirk, make you laugh…it will make you feel normal. 'Stand on the corner watch the show, cos life moves slow'; we walks the tight rope of street cred.'

You're not likely to hear 'The Streets' at peak time on dance floors, but for those quieter and more reflective moments…you're bound to find a few words that fit the pictures of your life.

Click here to stream tracks from the album

Check out 2 video clips from the album below:

The Weak Become Heroes
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Push Things Forward
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