Req

Req (Ian Resse) is a pivotal figure in the UK's abstract hip-hop and electronic scene, emerging from Brighton's graffiti culture in the mid-1990s. His sound identity is defined by a radical minimalism that deconstructs boom-bap hip-hop into its most basic components: saturated drums, deep bass, and atmospheric hiss.

Signed to Skint Records during the height of the Big Beat era, Req stood out as a contrarian, eschewing high-energy party music for a somber, lo-fi aesthetic that shared more DNA with the experimental fringes of Warp Records and the 'trip-hop' abstractions of Mo'Wax. His career arc is marked by a consistent devotion to the 'sketchbook' quality of production, where the imperfections of the recording process are elevated to central stylistic features. Critically, he is regarded as a 'producer's producer,' influential for his ability to create profound emotional depth using a very limited sonic palette. His work bridges the gap between the physical act of graffiti writing and the digital act of sampling, treating sound as a medium to be layered, scuffed, and weathered. He remains a cult figure, representing the intersection of hip-hop's rhythmic foundation and IDM's structural curiosity.