Tom Fisher aka Tempa has been quietly building himself a reputation as the one of the most exciting new producers in the east of England. He broke onto the UK Hip-Hop scene in 2004 as a guest producer on the debut LP by Suffolk hopefuls Vinyl Dialect (Bad Magic). Also Tempa is a grime MC from Birmingham, working with artist such as Dapz, Trilla and the Stay Fresh camp, features frequently on Donttourthat. His production skills drew the attention of the London based Son Records and he was asked to collaborate with their latest signing DPF. The resulting tracks on the EP ‘Still Flossin’ garnered universal praise from the likes of Hip-Hop Connection and Undercover Magazine, being described as “Nothing short of exceptional”. In 2006 Tempa struck up a relationship with Norwich based label 2600 Recordings when they podcasted Vol. 1 of his mix tape series. The collection of remixes and unreleased beats was well received, with Huw Stephens giving several of the tracks airplay on Radio 1. Capitalising on the success of his mix, he was asked to contribute tracks for 2600 Recordings debut compilation ‘Home Entertainment’. Hailed as “Some of the best underground instrumental hip-hop in the UK”, the compilation displayed a new and more mature side to Tempa’s production, with the solo track ‘Wonderland’ and the Mr Laws collaboration ‘Bracelet Toothpick’ proving to be album highlights. After the success of the ‘Still Flossin’ EP, Tempa’s skills were called on again for DPF’s debut LP ‘It’ll Never Catch On’ (Son Records). Continuing to work along side Mr Laws, the production was described as “Out of this world” by Hip-Hop Connection and drew praise for straying away from the usual soul and funk sample sources. The ‘Time to Run’ EP (2600 Recordings), Tempa’s debut solo release, expands on the themes of his previous work and demonstrates his ability to stand on his own two feet as a solo artist. Currently working on new material both independently and as part of the group Mancini and The Creepers, Tempa is looking to build on the exposure already given to him by the likes of Giles Peterson (Radio 1), Ras Kwame (1Xtra) and Huw Stephens (Radio 1). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.