MJ Cole

Matthew James Firth Coleman grew up in London and was classically trained on oboe and piano from a young age. He earned scholarships to both the Royal College of Music Junior Department and the City of London School, foundations that would inform his later approach to arrangement and harmonic detail.

After studying at City University, Cole moved into studio work and began as a tape operator and engineer, a period that exposed him to breakbeat and drum and bass production techniques. That technical grounding helped him translate classical sensibilities into electronic contexts when he discovered the emerging garage scene in the late 1990s.

Cole's breakthrough came with the single "Sincere", originally released in 1998. The track combined warm strings, soulful vocals and syncopated two-step rhythms, and its success led to wider attention and a re-release that reached the UK singles chart.

In 2000 he released the album Sincere on Talkin' Loud, a record that consolidated his early work and earned industry recognition including a Mercury Prize nomination and multiple award nods. The album showcased both club-ready tracks and more melodic compositions, establishing Cole as a producer with an unusually broad palette for electronic music at the time.

Across the 2000s and 2010s MJ Cole expanded into production and remix work for a wide range of artists, from vocalists to MCs, and contributed notable productions for contemporary British acts. He has released on his own Prolific imprint and later 892 Recordings, and his credits include both remixes and original productions for established names across genres.

Cole also built out a studio complex in London, creating a practical hub for his production work and for developing new artists. He maintained a steady output of singles, EPs and DJ performances, balancing club-focused releases with more composed, song-based projects and occasional orchestral reinterpretations of garage classics.

Highlights of Cole's discography include the Sincere album and singles such as "Crazy Love" and later releases that demonstrate his evolving sound. He has periodically returned to the themes of melodic arrangement and live instrumentation while continuing to engage with contemporary club trends.

His influence is visible in later generations of UK producers who blend musicality with bass-driven rhythms. Cole remains active as a DJ and curator, and his projects often bridge the gap between classic UK garage and modern electronic approaches.

https://www.instagram.com/mjcole

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MJ_Cole

https://open.spotify.com/artist/49GY4uPAwdlk5lSGtfKWYl

https://m.soundcloud.com/mj-cole