It took a long time for the media spotlight to move it's glare from the Urban Scene in London, but with Un-Cut they simply didn't have a choice. Jenna G, 2D and Darren aka Un-Cut had produced a soulful jazzy drum & bass smash called "Midnight" which shifted 12,000 copies on the underground alone prompting major label Warners to sign them instantly. With an album ready to go and follow up single in the shape of "Falling" these guys are at the spearhead of the Urban Manchester Renaissance.

Q: The Manc audience will know you from back in the day at Dry Bar with Subliminal Darkness. How did you hook up with 2D and Darren for Un-Cut?
A: I learnt everything from there and just went off on my own singing round Manchester and hooked up with Darren and 2D. I knew Darren from just hanging around with Marcus Intallex (Ed: Major drum & bass player for those who don't know) and we just spent a couple of months messing about and getting to know each and we just started writing songs, yer know what I mean.

I think it's good coming out of Manchester because someone needs to get out there and represent. It's mad because we've been in the studio all last and the beginning of last year and we don't know what's going on. I can tell you drum & bass wise that Sonic & Silver, Marc XTC and Zappo and then on the hip hop side the Microdisiacs. They're the hottest things right now, but they're all doing off their own backs which is exactly what we did before we got picked up my a major.
 

Q: It must have been mad when "Midnight"  shifted 10,000 copies on the underground?
A: It's 12,000 now. We didn't expect it do that well on the underground, we liked it and that was the main thing. It was mad when we got the gold disc from the distributors and we were really appreciative of people getting into it because I've been MC-ing and singing for like 7 years now.

Q: In the middle of getting Un-Cut together you starred in the lead role of BBC2's Strumpet with Christopher Eccleston. Is there anything you can't do?
A: We were all working in the studio and making our own music, but we weren't getting any money then so we were all going off and doing our separate things. That was just an opportunity that presented itself to me that was a lot of money and a lot of fun to do as well. Chris Ecclestone was fabulous and really put me at ease and taught me a lot of stuff because it was the first film i'd done, especially with Danny Boyle as the director because he's not a mess about director.
 

Q: The album broadens the horizons a little so people expecting 12 different versions of "Midnight" are going to surprised at how eclectic it is. What can we expect from the album and have you chosen the next single yet?
A: We finished the album in February and were just doing the B-Sides for the next single at the moment. It's a big mixture just because we listen to so much, our influences come from everything so it's impossible to sit down and make an album that's a specific sound. We always say it's like a soundtrack to growing up in Britain because it's everything we've ever listened to growing up from rock & roll to Marvin Gaye.

I write about real things so obviously there's going to be real stuff in there and i'm not pop as in a bubblegum pop artist. The things I talk about are real - that is drink, that is drugs, that is sex and that is love but it's all done in the best possible taste.

The next single is going to "Falling" and that's going to be out June 16th. It's a R&B Hip-Hop track with that real sunshine city feel to it and it's a nice cute love tune.