The Str8 Jackets

The Str8jackets are made up of London based trio Mark Robinson, Dave Longmore and Phil Fearon…

Musically the guys have many different passions but always try to blend their influences from different styles and genres such as House, Garage, Drum & Bass, R&B, Hip Hop, Reggae, Ragga and even Pop. This is something which definitely gives The Str8jackets an edge in this ever changing Music Business.

Whether it’s Song Writing, Production, Remixing, or DJing the guys use their individual strengths as a team to great effect and it is now time for The Str8jackets to be unleashed…

Phil is no stranger to crossover success with a string of Top 10 Chart hits under his belt in the 80’s with his group ‘Galaxy (‘Dancin Tight’ a highlight reaching No 4)’. He is lucky enough to have written & performed with legendary 80’s hit machine Stock, Aitken & Waterman and collaborated with them on UK Top 10 hit ‘I Can Prove It’. He was even co-producer of UK Number 2 hit ‘Heartache’ by Pepsi & Shirley.

In the 90’s he decided to go back to his roots in Dance Music and set up the mighty D&B / Breaks label, ‘Production House’. It was here where artists such as Acen and Baby D were born and had great commercial success. He was instrumental in the success of the number 1 smash ‘Let Me Be Your Fantasy’, and further Top 3 Hits ‘I Need Your Lovin’ and ‘So Pure’ by Baby D.

Dave (aka Leggz) first made his mark working with partner Sam Junior ‘B’ in the highly respected UK Garage production outfit, Ruff N Tumble. Their first single, ’I’ll Give You More’ featuring Taka Boom catapulted the guys onto the forefront of the scene where they remixed artists such as Shola Ama, Sweetie Irie and Ultra Nate to name a few. International DJ bookings followed along with summer residencies in Ayia Napa and Barbados along with regular appearances at superclub Gatecrasher and legendary Midlands club, Progress.

It was while on the road that Dave met and became good friends with London DJ Femi B. They decided to work together on a couple of tracks and became known as Leggz & Femi B. Productions for Peppermint Jam, CR2 and Pacha followed along with remixes for Shakira, Carl Kennedy vs Roachford and Se:Sa, which all received heavy support from Pete Tong amongst others. Further remixes for Mousse T, Supafly and Richard Grey also gained heavy rotation.

Recently his own ‘Leggz’ productions featuring Stephanie & Gary Bardouille have been very well received. ‘La La La’ (out now on Nervous & Discopolis) was championed by Steve Smart on Kiss and entered the Billboard Dance Airplay Chart. It also features on multiple compilations. ‘Come Together’ is the latest release on Born To Dance.

Mark first got into the business running his own Record Store in London. It was here where he met the owner of Pioneering London Pirate Radio station, ‘Girls FM’ and was soon hosting a prime time Saturday night show. He became a regular fixture on the London Club circuit playing at Ministry of Sound, Turnmills, Club UK, The Cross, The Coliseum and legendary Bagleys on a regular basis.

Around this time Mark was asked to set up the UK’s first completely Live Internet Radio Station, Soho Live where he met many of the world’s biggest DJ’s. Amongst the roster were Mousse T and Simon Marlin from infamous German Label, Peppermint Jam who subsequently asked Mark to join the PJ team. 7 Years on Mark is now heading up A&R and UK operations for PJ. Over the years his DJ Career has expanded substantially and globally he has played in some of the most respected clubs on the planet, both as resident for Peppermint Jam’s ‘Hint of Mint’ parties and Touring the World for London based clubbing brand ‘Kinky Malinki’.

Brought together by mutual friends the guys found similarities in their work ethics and passion for making music and of course having people hear it. Working as ‘The Str8jackets’ their first major recognition came from Pete Tong, playing their bootleg remix of the Black Eyed Peas’ ‘Boom Boom Pow’ and wrongly crediting it as a David Guetta Remix! Shortly after this the guys sent their new production ‘Whats it All About?’ to Pete for his thoughts and were blown away when it was played twice on the Essential Selection and featured as a ‘Wonderment’. The track was subsequently signed by Time Records and will be out this Summer.

The guys have been very busy in the studio working on productions and collaborations with the likes of Ini Kamoze, Katherine Ellis, Inaya Day, Dawn Tallman, Tyree Cooper, MC Chickaboo, and Missy Mak to name a few.

So far the guys have notched up a string of remixes for Kim English, Hoxton Whores, Bassmonkeys, Stephanie Cooke, Leggz ft Stephanie, Lucien Foort and SuSu Bobien to name a few, with mixes for Jaykay (Belfast Kiss) and Richie Dan (Call It Fate) out soon.

The Str8jackets DJ sets are always memorable. Playing back to back on 4 decks and 2 mixers Dave & Mark bring their skills together to create something never heard before in every set. Their influences play a big part in the show so expect the unexpected!

Upcoming singles coming soon on Time Records (What’s it All About?), Big In Ibiza (Move & Rock) and Nervous NYC (Salamander).