Born in Wales, accomplished producer, studio and engineer and remixer Rhys Adams aka Yesking first cut his teeth in the studio as assistant engineer at Nottingham’s Square Dance Studios in the early ‘90s. Putting his studio expertise to good use, during his time in Nottingham, Adams produced 3 disco / house EPs under the ‘Bright Lights’ moniker in collaboration with Neon Productions and Crazy P’s Chris Todd with whom he shared a flat at the time.
Moving to Birmingham in the late ‘90s Adams took up residence as in-house studio don and remixer at Different Drummer studios, home to the Different Drummer and Leftfoot record labels, where he worked with the likes of Kruder & Dorfmeister, Horace Andy and of course Different Drummer’s own Rockers Hifi. Enjoying a similar backdrop of cultural references to the much talked about mid 90s ‘Bristol Sound’, a rich heritage of soundsystem culture underpinned much of Different Drummer’s output, an influence which shines through in the Yesking sound. Going on to apply his studio skills to the task of engineering dancefloor activity, Adams went on to join Rockers Hifi’s Different Drummer Soundystem dubbing out the act’s popular live shows at venues across the globe.
Spotted by Grand Central’s Mark Rae in the early ‘00s, Adams moved to London to work on a series of albums and remixes for Grand Central artists and Rae’s solo projects including his ‘Into The Depths’ LP. In 2004 a trip to Jamaica to work on Wall of Sound’s Two Culture Clash LP exposed the duo to the further dose of Reggae influence that would plant the seeds of the Yesking sound. Indeed it was the “Yes King!” greeting of the local artists that kicked off many a recording session on the island that gave the project its name.
Yesking’s 2008 debut LP ‘Rock This World’ released on Rae’s newly formed Yes King Records was a successful fusion of Reggae, Hip Hop, Dancehall and Soul featuring the talents of UK Ragga veteran Sweetie Irie, Dancehall powerhouse Kenny Knotts, and Reggae legend Dawn Penn. Universally well received, the album saw tracks synched to advertising, movies and video games and took a popular live show to the road with tours covering the UK, New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
Following Rae’s move to LA, Adams has continued to produce music under the Yesking moniker alongside personal projects which include producing and mixing for the likes of Warrior One, The Soothsayers, Serocee, Tomb Crew and Roll Deep’s J2K, remixes for the likes of Bob Marley, Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse, Recloose and The Nextmen and a successful career recording and composing music for film and television.
The result of a two year period of recording with an all star cast or featured artists is Yesking’s second studio album ‘Re-Record Not Fade Away’, a project recorded entirely in the intimate surroundings of Adams’ East London home studio. With large areas of the house converted into a studio control room and a live room for vocals, guitar bass and brass, recording was a personal affair and the synergy between featured artists and producer reflects that intimacy. An accomplished album full of variety and depth, ‘Re-Record Not Fade Away’ is nothing short of perfect as the first step in Adams’ new relationship with the BBE stable and we’re proud to have him on board.
