Trenton and Free Radical, set the dance floor alight with the global sound of today’s Africa.
“Free Radical deliver honest beats, diverse influences, including hip-hop and electro; distinctive and edgy evoking a sense of the unique”.
Keith Bain, African Music Writer
“Recommended as a spirit-lifter”
Rolling Stone South Africa
With his feet in African soil, Trenton Birch looks at music globally, coupling a distinctive sound with conscious lyrics powered by reggae-infused Afro-beat band Free Radical. Free Radical reflects today’s connected global culture: Today Trenton lives in Cape Town a sophisticated urban heart in the middle of one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Global culture, global connections fed from Africa’s hub.
Birch believes there’s a revolution afoot. A tidal wave of changing attitudes; around the way people think about their world, their responsibility towards each other, the planet, and the type of music that’s being churned out.
The band member’s global travels included a long stint for Trenton immersed in London’s hip-hop scene. Before setting off for the UK, Birch was prominent on the local music scene as part of electro-rock band Anti-Gravity which opened South African performances by The Prodigy and Faithless. Birch operates across the culture, having promoted Johnny Clegg live, headed up the African hip-hop website Afrolution and ran the record label Black Mango Music (Goldfish), and is behind breathesunshine.org a foundation raising funds to build schools. Birch and his band mates are stoking awareness, activating listeners. They’re not “radicals” in a purely political sense, but poet’s with something to say, with songs about war, about social justice, and love; and they sing the praises of heroes like Mandela, offering thoughts on making the world a better place.
Their debut album, “Giant Step” produced by Dean James (Nitin Sawhney, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly) and Craigie Dodds (Sugarbabes, Gorillaz, Leona Lewis, Erica Badu), is mixed by Gripper (Faithless, Dido, Hempolics), and includes vocals by the inimitable Maxi Jazz of Faithless. The album also features South Africa hip-hop MC Ben Sharpa and Senegalese hip-hoper Sister Fa as guests. These collaborations reveal the respect the band has internationally amongst scene setters.
“Trenton and Free Radical’s Giant Step is pop music the way pioneers like Marley, Dylan and the Clash imagined it… there’s gold in their music.”
Mahala Magazine
Currently Trenton is working on the follow up album which will be released in spring next year. The release will contain songs produced by multi-platinum awarded producer Craigie Dodds and the team Pomez di Loreno & Andre Tholba. The recordings will be done in the UK, Germany and South Africa.
