Expect a unique twist on funk, hip hop, beats and soul with a little Latin flavour thrown in…

SNAPSHOT

Short bio (hip hop) / Short bio (soul) / DJAY ANA MAY & Agent J bio

*coproducer The Huey Show presents The Hip Hop Mixtape (BBC 6Music / BBC Sounds)

*radio shows: Groovement (Reform Radio), Liber[té] (Radio AlHara), Groovement (Sweet Vibrations Radio)

*DJ slots in 2024: Say She She, Ultramagnetic MCs, Omar (upcoming: Sly5thAve)

*DJ slots in 2023: De La Soul, Hot 8 Brass Band, Jimetta Rose & The Voices Of Creation, AZ, Lowkey, Havoc (Mobb Deep), Arrested Development, DJ Yoda, Official J Dilla event, Huey Morgan + Q&As with Souls Of Mischief and R.A.P. Ferreira.

*DJ slots in 2022: Jay Electronica, Pete Rock, Slum Village, Wiki, KRS-One, Marlowe, Illa J & Harleighblu, Sly5thAve, Huey Morgan and Don Letts, Craig Charles.

*cofounder / In The Loop (community hip hop night)
*music editor / Bonafide magazine (award winning music and culture site)
*contributor / Now Then magazine, ManchesterWire.co.uk
*editor & founder / Groovement.co.uk – new music, interviews
*host / RBMA Prhyme workshop, Eventbrite/Mixcloud MCR music talks, panel UnConvention / Signals festivals
*sleeve notes / Cypress Hill, Mocambo Records
*sleeve art / The Impellers
*recent DJ residencies / Grub, Hold Fast, PLY, The Ivy Manchester, Band On The Wall
*host & DJ / Groovement, Battlestar Mancunia (Reform Radio), Beat Horizon Radio for Soundcrash, Sweet Vibrations Radio

A co-founder of Manchester’s In The Loop crew (a club night which was integral to the explosion of Manc hip hop in recent years), Agent J aka Jamie Groovement – named for his blog and podcast of the same name – has established himself both as a respectful warm up for visiting acts and a regular face at various bar and club spots across the city.

A regular selector on the Manchester scene, in a past life Jamie curated and played at bar sessions for the Fat City family during the final years of the famous record shop. J can be found warming up for hip hop and soul acts across the city and has held down a number of monthly residencies and guest spots. His Chilean heritage meant an early distaste for cumbia and salsa (thanks to elders dragging him to the dancefloor at Latin parties) but he learned to embrace those sounds and is proud of ensuring a tropical flavour combines with soul, hip hop and more beat-oriented sounds of his sets.

Pictured: Agent J (L) and Bedos (R), two co-founders of In The Loop.

He’s shared a stage with: Norman Jay MBE / Amir / Huey Morgan / Craig Charles / Ghostface Killah / DJ Format / Lamb / KING / Renegade Brass Band / Nightmares On Wax / Marlena Shaw / The Excitements / Myron & E / The Souljazz Orchestra / Lee Fields / The Mighty Mocambos / Submotion Orchestra / Blackalicious + main stage with MC Bedos for Beat Horizon festival, Victoria Warehouse accompanying Sampa The Great, Raekwon and Talib Kweli.

And together with In The Loop: El-P / Talib Kweli / Ultramagnetic MCs / Jungle Brothers / Raekwon / RZA / Pharoahe Monch / official J Dilla events

Online

Chilling with Katbrownsugar (Sweet Vibrations Radio) @ The Hip Hop Chip Shop, Manchester. The piece in the background is entitled Manchester Marauders, by Air Adam.

Portrait: Edenamiuki

J regularly pushes new underground music for the Groovement podcast and Reform Radio show, and also hosts the show Liber[té] on Radio AlHara.

J was part of the Battlestar Mancunia crew on Reform Radio and also co-hosted the Gondwana Radio Show with label boss Matthew Halsall, also on Reform. In addition to this, he was a resident on Katbrownsugar’s Sweet Vibrations radio.

Jamie formed part of the team that assembled tracks from over 200 artists for the Manchester With Love compilation, raising thousands of pounds for victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.

In 2023/24, he organised the From Chile To Palestine and From Sheffield To Palestine fundraising compilations, and was part of the team organising From Manchester To Palestine.

J also hosted three episodes of Beat Horizon Radio for London’s Soundcrash, interviewing Marlowe, Homeboy Sandman, Karriem Riggins, Pan Amsterdam and Supa K of Quakers.

Jamie guesting on Matthew Halsall’s Worldwide FM show.

Credit: Dan Moss for Worldwide FM

Writing / Interviews

He’s a frequent touchstone for artists visiting Manchester, and has interviewed everyone from Angie Stone to Sharon Jones and Flying Lotus, Pete Rock and Danny Brown. 2019 saw him become music editor for Bonafide Magazine plus he’s written for Now Then Magazine, Manchester Wire and his own site, Groovement, dedicated to contextualising Manchester within global sounds. Jamie can also be seen as a talking head for the Wu Tang Clan documentary School Of Shaolin (now re-titled Street Smart).

Events

J has spoken about the Manchester scene on panels at Tramlines and Unconvention plus hosted events for Mixcloud and Eventbrite. In 2015 he hosted a Red Bull Music Academy workshop in Manchester with DJ Premier and Royce Da 5’9’’ about the making of the PRhyme album, based around samples of Adrian Younge’s instrumentation. You won’t see that online, but it definitely happened.

Agent J also teaches primary school children on a full time basis.