Llwybr Llaethog
Encyclopedia
Llwybr Llaethog are an experimental Welsh language
band that effectively mix such varied musical genres as rap
, dub
, reggae
, hip hop
, and punk
in their music.
Founded in the north Walian town of Blaenau Ffestiniog
, Wales
in 1985 by John Griffiths and Kevs Ford, the two teens had spent the seventies growing up in the town's decaying industrial surroundings. The two were heavily influenced by reggae and the punk scenes that were sweeping the UK
. After several abortive attempts to start bands, the turning point came in 1984 when John Griffiths was on vacation in New York City
and was impressed by a group of youths he saw at a nightclub breakdancing, and the sounds of DJ Red Alert
.
After returning to Wales
, Griffiths fixed on the idea of marrying hip hop and far left politics with his native Welsh language. Llwybr Llaethog's debut release was an EP for the Welsh record label Anhrefn Records
in 1986, entitled Dull Di Drais, which combined Llwybr Llaethog's leftist political messages with what would become the band's trademark sound of turntable scratching, audio sampling
, hip-hop, and cut-and-paste production. The band were also heavily promoted by British radio DJ
John Peel
.
The band remains quite popular in their homeland and have garnered a cult following throughout Great Britain
and as far afield as the USA, Canada
, and Australia
.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
band that effectively mix such varied musical genres as rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
in their music.
Founded in the north Walian town of Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd, behind Caernarfon & Porthmadog. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1985 by John Griffiths and Kevs Ford, the two teens had spent the seventies growing up in the town's decaying industrial surroundings. The two were heavily influenced by reggae and the punk scenes that were sweeping the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. After several abortive attempts to start bands, the turning point came in 1984 when John Griffiths was on vacation in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was impressed by a group of youths he saw at a nightclub breakdancing, and the sounds of DJ Red Alert
DJ Red Alert
DJ Red Alert is a disc jockey on 98.7 Kiss-FM, N.Y.C., and has been recognized as a hip hop pioneer...
.
After returning to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Griffiths fixed on the idea of marrying hip hop and far left politics with his native Welsh language. Llwybr Llaethog's debut release was an EP for the Welsh record label Anhrefn Records
Anhrefn Records
Recordiau Anhrefn was a record label established in 1983 by Rhys Mwyn.Based in the small mid-Wales village of Llanfair Caereinion, before Rhys and his brother Sion Sebon moved to Bangor, North Wales, the record label was initially an outlet for their own band Yr Anhrefn but soon went on to release...
in 1986, entitled Dull Di Drais, which combined Llwybr Llaethog's leftist political messages with what would become the band's trademark sound of turntable scratching, audio sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, hip-hop, and cut-and-paste production. The band were also heavily promoted by British radio DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
.
The band remains quite popular in their homeland and have garnered a cult following throughout Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and as far afield as the USA, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Singles
- Dull Di-Drais 7" - Anhrefn RecordsAnhrefn RecordsRecordiau Anhrefn was a record label established in 1983 by Rhys Mwyn.Based in the small mid-Wales village of Llanfair Caereinion, before Rhys and his brother Sion Sebon moved to Bangor, North Wales, the record label was initially an outlet for their own band Yr Anhrefn but soon went on to release...
(1986) - Tour De France 7" - Anhrefn RecordsAnhrefn RecordsRecordiau Anhrefn was a record label established in 1983 by Rhys Mwyn.Based in the small mid-Wales village of Llanfair Caereinion, before Rhys and his brother Sion Sebon moved to Bangor, North Wales, the record label was initially an outlet for their own band Yr Anhrefn but soon went on to release...
(1987) - Pam? 12" - Pinpoint Records (1988)
- Ni Fydd Y Chwyldro... 7" - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(1992) - Soccer MC 12" - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(1996) - Mera Desh 7" - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(1997) - LlanrwstLlanrwstLlanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....
(a version of Y CyrffY CyrffY Cyrff were a popular Welsh language indie band in the 1980s. They came from Llanrwst, Conwy, and their line-up included Mark Roberts , Barry Cawley , Paul Jones and Dylan Hughes . Dylan left to join Welsh punks Yr Anhrefn and Mark Kendall took Dylan's place...
's song "Cymru, Lloegr a LlanrwstLlanrwstLlanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....
") - Fitamin UnFitamin UnFitamin Un is an underground electronic and hip-hop record label started by Steffan Cravos in 1995. It is currently based in Llandwrog, Wales, and features bands interested in Breaks, Electronic, Electronica, hip hop and Rap.-Artists:* Tystion* Pep Le Pew...
(2001)
Albums
- Da! - Side Effects (1988)
- Be? - Pinpoint Records (1990)
- LL.LL v T.G. MC DRE - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(1991) - Mewn Dyb (In Dub) - ROIRROIRROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format...
(1991) - Mad - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(1996) - Drilacila-(Croeso'99) - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(1999) - Hip Dub Reggae Hop - AnkstAnkstAnkst was a Welsh independent record label formed in 1988 at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth by Alun Llwyd, Gruffudd Jones and Emyr Glyn Williams...
(2000) - Stwff - Neud Nid Deud (2001)
- Anomie-Ville - CraiCraiCrai is a hamlet in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys, south Wales. It gives its name to the community within which are the hamlet of Felin-Crai and a large number of dispersed farms around the valley of the Afon Crai. The river is dammed 2km / 1.5mi southwest of the village...
(2002) - Mega Tidy - Rasal (2005)
- Chwaneg - Neud Nid Deud (2009)