Instance vx
Alex Garcia-Curbelo, better known as Instance aka VX is a UK rapper, event promoter And Co-owner of infamous Leeds Hip hop label Crackhouse Recordings. He is a member of hip-hop groups The All Stars and Northern Hostility.
Biography
Born in Hackney, London in 1 April 1983, Instance spent his early childhood in Stratford and Bow before moving with his mother to a council estate in Burnley, the post industrial northern town which had the most effect on his lyrical style and subject matter. His father is the classical harpist Ricardo Curbelo. After leaving school Instance moved to Leeds. At 18 instance was offered the opportunity to host the main Drum n Bass section of the infamous Ko Pha Ngan Full Moon Party.
His solo career progressed further when he continued to perform at numerous drum n bass events and large house parties around the Hyde Park district of Leeds. His debut track feature was in 2006 on the underground hit ‘Kansas 2 LA’ with fellow rapper PCP. In 2007 he signed a 2 album record deal with Crackhouse Recordings. His debut release came on 30 March 2008 with the full length solo album Demographic. This resulted in the long time association with Subterrania Studios and hip-hop producer Mike D.
The Demographic features the track ‘LS6’, was a major underground anthem on the Leeds party circuit. Demographic was well received by critics and praised for its eclectic mix of hip-hop, grime and dubstep genres. Instance established an underground following despite the album only selling around 2000 hard copies. This commercial failure was blamed on difficulties to secure a major distribution deal. In late 2008, Instance acquired a 50% share of Leeds hip-hop label Crackhouse Recordings.
Following the steady rise in the hip-hop scene, a handful of guest appearances followed such as with Northern Hostility on the Bad Language Mixtape. In 2008, Crackhouse and Subterrania studios unveiled Vol.1 Collision Course Mixtape which featured No-Change, PCP, Ill Phil and El-D. This release further enhanced Crackhouse Recording’s status as a prolific and highly visible Yorkshire hip-hop label. Around this time Instance began promoting nights in Leeds. Events such as Crack Daniels and Crack2the Future were popular and became known for their provocative and distinctive artwork and branding. During this time Instance announced new signings to the Crackhouse line-up such as El-D, No-Change and hip-hop ska band China Shop-Bull. In September 2008 Instance performed at Moorfest, Leeds Carling Festival and the Outlook festival, Croatia.
Following Collision Course, Instance featured heavily on a second Crackhouse / Subterrania mixtape on Vol.2 Heavy Rotation released in June 2009. Songs such as Sticka Dynamite with fellow label artist No-Change were well received and have been heavily remixed by numerous producers. Heavy Rotation is considered the Crackhouse’s most commercial release to date. In November 2009 Crackhouse co-owners PCP and Instance announced the launch of www.crackhouseglobal.com which sells and distributes UK hip-hop via the web. Leeds hip-hop group Defenders of Style released their debut mixtape ‘Thoughts of the Nameless’ through crackhouseglobal. Also distributed are Sheffield/Ghanaian group State of Mynde. On March 26, 2010, Instance performed live with fellow label artists to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Crackhouse at The Elbow Room, Leeds.
Instance is currently recording his second solo album The Superegular, scheduled for a 2011 release. Producers contributing to the project are Mike D, Organised Mess, Kelakovski, and Jack Danz of Defenders of Style. Instance is an accomplished graphic designer and has designed a range of projects for other artists. In January 2010 he graduated with a Masters Degree in International Development and Planning from the University of Sheffield and currently lives in London, England. Amongst numerous live performances Instance has supported acts such as Andy C, EOW champion Jack Flash, Goldie, Rusko, Foreign Beggars, Jehst, and Gift of Gab.
Discography
Albums
- Demographic (2008, Crackhouse Recordings)
- ''[[The Superegular (2011, Crackhouse Recordings)
Features, Mixtapes and EPs
- Northern Hostility - Bad Language mixtape (2008, Northern Hostility)
- [[Vol.1 Collision Course (Crackhouse/Subterrania) (2008, Crackhouse Recordings)
- On the Radar 4 (2009, Certified Banger)
- State of Mynde - State of Mynde (2009)
- Sticka Dynamite ft. No Change Single (2010, Crackhouse Recordings)
- [[Vol.2 Heavy Rotation (Crackhouse/Subterrania) (2009, Crackhouse Recordings)
- [[Fly EP (Crackhouse/Subterrania) (2010, Crackhouse Recordings)