Even prior to Dayes reaching his teenage years, United Vibrations played gigs in areas of South London -- such as Peckham and Camberwell -- that would later become synonymous with the burgeoning jazz scene swooped upon by the U.K. press and beyond. In 2009, they set out their stall with the single "Ra!"; as its name suggests, the song was inspired by their spiritual jazz idol, Sun Ra. This eventually formed part of their 2011 debut album, Galaxies Not Ghettos, and further evidence of their influences could be found on the 2012 EP We Never Die. The release included tributes to both John Coltrane and Gil Scott-Heron and featured an appearance on the lead track by grime MC Conrad Kira.

In 2015, Dayes and Williams formed Yussef Kamaal and collaborated on funk-inspired sessions with Shabaka Hutchings, released as the Black Focus LP the following year. The record was soon certified silver, which led to an invite to play at South by Southwest in 2017; however, the performance was canceled when a travel ban prevented Dayes from entering the U.S. After the duo split, his career hit a slower pace, but over the next couple of years, he released a handful of tracks in collaboration with artists such as Alfa Mist, Charlie Stacey, and Rocco Palladino. When Dayes crossed paths with Misch at a session for the Loyle Carner single "Angel," the pair stayed on in the studio to jam. Unbeknownst to them at the time, these tracks would form the initial recordings for 2020's What Kinda Music, Dayes' first charting album.

Bio by: James Wilkinson

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