MC Geezer

This week we reached out to deaf rap artist x sign rapper, MC Geezer. We asked him more about the music that he produces and also wanted to learn more about Deaf Rave, an event which brings together the deaf community.

1. Hi, thank you for being part of the Signature blog, first, could you please tell our readers a bit more about yourself?

Hi, my name is Matthew Taylor, my stage name is MC Geezer, those who wonder where I got my name from, I am from south east London and have always had a cockney accent and being the jack the lad in school, I was definitely known as a London geezer. This is where my name originated from. I have been MCing for about 20 years but from the age of 18 I started to MC in BSL and from this date I have released 2 Eps. The first one is called The Yin and Yang of Deafhood, which is a Hip Hop style of music. My second EP is called WYS?? (What You Say??) which is a UK style music in the style of Bassline House. You can check it out on Spotify and other music platforms. Ultimately, I love making music and signing MC for def people, so they can see my story through BSL.

2. Can you please expand on where your passion for music came from?

This is a good one. My mother was also hard of hearing like me, deaf oral. I grew up listening to 60’s classics and watching musicals such as the Sound of Music and Summer Holiday. When I was 13, I got my first deck so started playing drum n bass, dance, and hip-hop music. By 15, I went through a small phase of listening to heavy metal and rock but that was only for a small amount of time. By 16, I was back in to drum n bass, so that was how I became an MC and not a full time DJ, even though I still DJ as a hobby.

3. How did you get into producing Bass music?

I have been passionate about bass music since being a teenager, so it has always been in my soul to do this, but I didn’t know how to pursue this until Deaf Rave provided the first music production work with Midi Music Company in 2013. This is when I learned to produce music. My first step was to learn the basic of hip-hop beats which has a slow temp of 86-110BPM. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really feeling this, and I wanted to make deaf people feel more of an impact, so I started to make music with a faster tempo of 128-175BPM. The more beats per minute works well alongside a heavy kick drum and a very deep bass that people can feel when it drops on the track. I partner this with catchy, yet simple lyrics to get the crowd moving and jumping.

4. How has being deaf influenced the music that you produce?

As a deaf music producer, I want to make music that deaf people can relate to and feel the bass of. The sound being louder does not always help as deaf people mostly feel the music which is why I wanted to create music where the bass was heavy in order for deaf individuals to dance. I want to create a rhythm that has a bass, that deaf people can enjoy.

5. Can you tell us a bit more about Deaf Rave and where this idea originate from?

Troi Lee the founder of Deaf Rave started his journey in 2003 when he did a house party for some deaf friends. At this party he realised that there are no events/parties for deaf people. With this in mind, he hosted the first Deaf Rave in an attempt to bring the deaf community together. He also wanted to ensure that that a deaf DJ had the chance to play in a club and perform sign song or sign rap on stage. This has now been going on for 20 years. I joined Deaf Rave in 2004.

I attended a mainstream school, so I had the best of both worlds, but I didn’t really get involved much in the deaf community. I only went to deaf youth club but would then interact with my hearing friends. I also have a deaf cousin, who knew Troi very well. My cousin knew that Troi was looking for deaf people who were into music. My cousin introduced me to Troi, and he suggested I began rapping in BSL, it has been 20 years since I began, and I have only gone from strength to strength.

6. During your music and producing career, what has been your highlight?

There is so many to choose from, but I have three top ones that I would share with you all:

1. Glastonbury- I have performed there three times which is the number one festival in the UK. Being able to perform there was simply amazing.
2. My second favourite highlight was when I was in Indonesia. Deaf Rave collaborated with British Council and DaDa Fest.
3. Finally, I did my first DJ workshop with Deaf Rave in Asia. I also created a song with number one producer and crew PonYourTone. We created a track called ‘We are One’.

7. If you could give your younger self advice, what would tell yourself?

I would tell myself to never give up and always keep trying even when it doesn’t go your way. You have to keep on going.

8. Finally, do you have any future aspirations regarding your music for Deaf Rave?

In regard to my own future, I would love to teach deaf children how to make and produce music. I want to highlight to all the deaf artists out there that we can do it. I want deaf individuals to realise that making music is not a barrier for us. I have also planned to make EP3 at some point as I hope to carry on with the story that I started. Overall, I would like to inform people to keep their eyes peeled for future music.

In terms of Deaf Rave, we still have so many journeys to go on.

Here at Signature, we would like to thank MC Geezer for taking time out of his music production to share his passion with us. It has been great to learn more about the importance of music for deaf people and the ways music can be made more accessible. We look forward to experiencing more music produced by MC Geezer in the future.