Born as Timothy McKenzie to a large Hackney, East London, family of 10 children, Labrinth grew up soaking in the sounds of American gospel and studied bass, drums and keyboards. As a teenaged producer he crafted award-winning, chart-topping singles for urban English artists like Tinie Tempah, Ms Dynamite and Master Shortie. For his debut album, Electronic Earth, Labrinth sought guidance from multilayered Quincy Jones productions of yore and incorporated acoustic, eclectic and multidimensional elements into his own work. In addition to club bangers like the Auto-Tuned “Last Time” or the various synthed-out versions of “Earthquake”, Labrinth flexes bona fide vocal chops on his rendition of “Express Yourself” and the spare and emotional ballad “Beneath Your Beautiful”, featuring Emeli Sandé.