Herbal Mafia presents
General Levy
Friday 25th April, 9pm til 3am.
Tickets are £15 (+ b/f) in advance (more on the door) and are available from See Tickets.

18+ ID may be required.

Calling all junglist massive, this one’s for you!

Possibly the most famous jungle / drum’n’bass MC in the world is making his way to The Crescent for a very special and intimate appearance. Shows like this don’t happen often and this is guaranteed to be a legendary event! General Levy is a true veteran of the UK urban music scene, cited as one of the 25 UK MCs “who changed the game” and still one of the most in demand MC’s in the country. We’re very lucky to be hosting him here for the first and possibly only time in York!

It’s also a very special celebration for one of the OG crew; Moxx (one half of Yorkshire Tea Party) will be turning 40 and what better way to celebrate than with one of the biggest names in the game! Support from residents and special guests, all will be revealed on our socials:
@herbalmafiauk / www.facebook.com/herbalmafia

General Levy bio:

Levy grew up in the vibrant Harlesden and Wembley area for most of his early years, surrounded by different West Indian, European, Asian and African influences. The community was heavily influenced by reggae music and black culture and from an early age, cultivating a love and respect for rebel music. He was also inspired by his big brother Winston Irie who had a vast record collection of music from ska to rock steady, calypso to soul, hip hop and reggae that gave Levy a steady diet of music through his adolescent years.

At the age of twelve Levy started writing lyrics and by fourteen he formed a sound system along with his friends called Third Dimension. It was the first of many sounds Levy would join, he went on to various sound systems in the north west London area but it was TipperTone Sound that really boosted General Levy onto the UK scene. He went on to build a reputation as a creative and talented MC in the area and after a few years on the circuit he was soon approached to do some studio recordings. Levy then went on to work with one of the biggest independent reggae labels Fashion Records who alongside their in-house producer Gussie P unleashed a string of underground dancehall bangers.

He released his first album for Gussie P, ‘Double Trouble’ in 1992 in collaboration with Jamaican superstar Capleton which confirmed Levy’s arrival on the international reggae circuit. He went on to work with various UK labels such as Justice Records (owned by hip-hop DJ Tim Westwood). His second album ‘Wickeder General’ was voted best reggae album for 1992. The album track ‘Heat’ was voted best single and he was voted best reggae DJ/MC by the British reggae industry in which he was presented with three gold awards in one night at the London Hippodrome by Frank Bruno.

Levy was also voted best UK singer the following year at a The Black Music Awards which confirmed Levy as the UK’s premiere MC. He and Fashion Records and were approached by London Records to re-release the award winning album ‘Wickeder General’ repackaged with bonus tracks and re-titled ‘Wickedness Increase’, one of the tracks, a cover of ‘Monkeyman’; a Toots and the Maytals classic, was chosen to be released as a single.

In spring 1994, Levy was approached by independent jungle label Renk Records to collaborate with up and coming hot jungle producer M Beat who had already established himself in the underground jungle arena with a string of hits. The collaboration was a success and the track ‘Incredible’ was unleashed June 1994. After causing a massive storm on the underground it went on to be licensed to London Records, then subsequently went on to achieve top ten status in the national mainstream charts, bringing the track worldwide acclaim as one of the biggest jungle tunes on the dance floor. The track features in the film Ali G Indahouse, and was used in a TV advertising campaign by Honda.

General Levy went on to work with various producers such as Sting International, Shaggy, Steelie & Cleevie, Artful Dodger, Jetstar, Ajang, Joe Grind, Top Cat, Stingray, Heartical Records, Rocco Barker of Flesh for Lulu in the band The Space Police. He also featured on the song “Only God Can Judge Me” by R&B singer Mark Morrison; and collaborated with Madness singer Suggs on his 1998 album The Three Pyramids Club.

2018 was a vintage year having a full diary of dates across the UK and around Europe also including his first Australian tour. A collaboration with Dutch uber EDM producer Fedde Le Grand, produced the track ‘Flex’ achieving over a million spotify plays within 2 weeks. He also worked with Jamaican dancehall legend Spragga Benz; Joe Ariwa; and the mighty Chase & Status, who requested that he join them for dates on their RTN II Jungle UK tour.

Levy remains a Lionheart artist riding through the ups and downs of the music business and still maintaining focus, a love and joy for the business and people; and just like a fine wine getting even better with time and bringing the fire to any place he performs at!

Herbal Mafia presents
General Levy
Friday 25th April, 9pm til 3am.
Tickets are £15 (+ b/f) in advance (more on the door) and are available from See Tickets.