Redinho

London-based multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and producer Tom Calvert makes a colorful, intricately arranged form of electronic funk, often incorporating his own talkbox-heavy vocals, under the name Redinho. Associated with trendsetting Glasgow-based label Numbers, Redinho built up a buzz through his live performances and early EPs before releasing full-length debut Redinho in 2014. The producer subsequently teamed up with Himanshu Suri and Riz MC to form hip-hop group Swet Shop Boys; their acclaimed debut, Cashmere, appeared in 2016. Calvert started his music career by performing in local funk and metal bands at a young age. He got into turntablism, and began making scratch-based hip-hop records as Red, starting with 2007's "Seen." Debut full-length Fingerprints was released in 2008, followed by The Nuts in 2010. He also started creating more abstract, bass-heavy material under the name Redinho. After recording a demo beat tape titled Bare Blips, Numbers issued it as Redinho's first EP in 2010. His live shows gained him a fair amount of attention, both for his impressive talk box skills, which would become his trademark, and his LED light displays. Although he was consistent in his live dates between 2011 and 2013, he released only the Edge Off EP and a split 12" with Sibian & Faun in 2011. In 2014, Redinho appeared on rapper 100s on his IVRY release, as well as Rustie's second album, Green Language. Shortly after, Redinho released his debut, a self-titled full-length that featured collaborations with Vula and Brendan Reilly. During the next two years, Redinho remixed tracks by Dorian Concept, Fatima Yamaha, and Breakbot. He also became the producer for hip-hop group Swet Shop Boys, which included rappers Himanshu Suri (formerly of Das Racist) and Riz MC. Their debut album, Cashmere, earned much positive press upon its 2016 release. A follow-up EP titled Sufi La was released in 2017. Later in the year, Calvert released an instrumental beat tape titled Zanbor. In 2018, Redinho released the singles "Mmm Mmm" (featuring Vula) and "Square 1" (featuring Kimbra). ~ James Pearce & Paul Simpson