Valiant Emcee

Drum-n-bass narration... Valiant Emcee is a drum-n-bass MC based in Toronto, Canada, whose involvement in the genre goes back two decades. After discovering house and techno in 1994, he quickly discovered drum-n-bass through a combination of cd and cassette releases: Goldie’s “Timeless”, LTJ Bukem’s “Logical Progression”, Metalheadz “Platinum Breakz”, and the now-legendary Dieselboy mixtape, “Witness the Strength”. After throwing several events in Buffalo, NY in 1997 and 1998, including the city’s first all drum-n-bass warehouse party, “Enter the Dragon”, Valiant and his business partner decided promoting was not the realm for them, and they each decided to explore other ventures. After making friends with Underground FM DJ’s Cable, The Concept, Dan Ratel, and Stevie Washington, Valiant began experimenting with MC-ing on the radio in 1998. Through the radio show and some local events, he worked to develop his skills to fit his vision of what he felt a drum-n-bass MC should sound like. He found sonic inspiration in such dnb vocalists as Conrad, DRS, Dynamite, Dub 2, and hip hop legend Chuck D. In 1999, Valiant hosted North America’s first all deep drum-n-bass event, Submerge, which featured the first appearance of Seba on the continent, as well as Atlantiq, aka Method One and Kaos. In 2001, after having held host duties at multiple events in Upstate New York and Southern Ontario, he became resident MC for Return, a seminal Buffalo drum-n-bass weekly that brought in headliners that the city had never seen, in one of the most intimate, vibe-filled rooms in the city. Soon after, he became the resident MC for Factory at OPM Lounge, which became a regular tour stop for some of the biggest acts in the world. This led to being featured annually at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. Regionally, Valiant was known to partner regularly with Cable (Good Looking Records, Telluric Records) and later, Toronto’s Mr. Brown (Soul in Motion, The Prophecy FM), with whom he still regularly collaborates. His versatile style is what allowed him to be chosen to perform regionally and around the country for a diverse array of artists, including Dara, Dieselboy, AK1200, Goldie, Grooverider, Craze, Roc Raida, John B, DJ Rap, Nookie, Darren Jay, Seba, Kenny Ken, Blame, Aphrodite, Evol Intent, Cable, Blame, Ed Rush, Optical, Marcus Visionary, DJ SS, Ewun (Kill the Noise), and many more, all of whom collectively represent the entire spectrum of drum-n-bass and breakbeat culture. But after relocating to Las Vegas in 2007, he decided to step back from music, focusing on his career. Upon 2014’s arrival, a great number of changes occurred to Valiant’s life, including a move back to the Great Lakes area, and a refocus on his career and artistic endeavors. In 2015, Valiant officially came out of drum-n-bass retirement, playing dates around Upstate New York and in Toronto. In addition to reestablishing his working relationship with Mr. Brown and linking up with Dieselboy for a number of his tour dates, he’s been chosen to host sets by Ed Rush and Optical, Makoto, Aphrodite, Pish Posh, Drumsound and Bassline Smith, DJ SS, Tantrum Desire, Mob Tactics, Nu:Tone, and Hybrid Minds among others. After several well-received mixes, he released his debut EP on Toronto imprint Dutty Bass Audio in July ’18. Completely produced by celebrated beatsmith Will Miles, it showcases Valiant’s stylistic diversity over a variety of DnB moods. This released was mastered by UK jungle guru DJ Hybrid, who signed Valiant to an album deal on his label Audio Addict Records, which will see release in 2020, and already has such producers as Section, Conrad Subs, Cyberposix, and Future Tactics, and vocalists such as Armanni Reig, Kemst, Diligent Fingers, Zee, and Anastasia signed on. “The Ronin” EP is now getting the remix treatment, with reworks by DJ Hybrid, Conrad Subs, Diligent Fingers, and KC, among others, to see release at the end of 2019. Valiant is also collaborating on a batch of tunes with Conrad Subs, who featured Valiant on the title track to his EP on Dutty Bass Audio, “Update Funk”. Together, they released a mix on LiquidDnBftw called “In Session”, showcasing both Valiant’s lyrics and Conrad’s own tunes. He has established a merch deal with Canadian clothier DnB Refined, which released his metal-influenced design aesthetic to the streets. In 2019, Valiant started a show, The Vocal with Valiant Emcee, a podcast that also airs on the legendary Kool London, which features DnB vocal tunes and interviews with vocalists such as DRS, Degs, Cleveland Watkiss, Coppa, TRAC, Collette Warren, Inja, Emcee Tell, Konny Kon, MC Conrad, Dynamite MC, Armanni Reign, and more. That summer, he joined the historic Toronto radio show “The Prophecy” as one of its hosts, and took part in MC Bellyman’s acclaimed “Car Barz” series, partnering up with TRAC, Armanni Reign, Dre, Astro, Woes, Josiah Scribes, and Zezo for a coast-to-coast, international edition, which is racking up huge numbers on Bellyman’s Youtube and social media. 2020 sees Valiant releasing “The Ronin EP Reworked”, a full length packed with remixes and reworks of his debut EP, with production would courtesy of Sikka, DJ Hybrid, Motiv, Conrad Subs, and more. He’s also releasing an EP with Toronto’s Cyber Posix on the mighty Fokuz Recordings, featuring appearances by TRAC, Anastasia, and Josiah Scribes. Lots more developments are in the pipeline, so stay tuned for more developments.