Hospital Records is extremely proud to present ‘Smile & Wave’, the second studio album from drum & bass’ friendliest MC, Inja. With the biggest smile on his face, the lyricist, vocalist, poet, artist and storyteller delivers 16 tracks, seamlessly weaved together through Inja’s infectiously feel-good flow and sincere wordsmithery. The entire album was produced by Whiney, further cementing their relationship as one of the most untestable dance music pairings. Also featuring Charlotte Haining, Eva Lazarus, DRS, Fox, Cleveland Watkiss, Singing Fats, and DJ Marky.
Album title track ‘Smile & Wave’ is the musical embodiment of Inja’s playful demeanour. Known for being the world’s smiliest artist, Inja wrote and recorded this feel-good bouncer alongside his daughter who is “pretty much the first person to hear anything” he’s up to musically. Expect a rude bassline and infectious wordplay.
Teaming up with superstar singer-songwriter Charlotte Haining, ‘Reach Out’ sees two of the most distinct voices in dance music come together over a bittersweet wobbler written about times when you feel “so out of place, out of reach” in the words of Inja. Having worked alongside an impressive array of electronic artists including Hybrid Minds, Sub Focus, My Nu Leng and Friction, Charlotte’s delicately powerful hooks are the perfect counterpart to Inja’s heartfelt flows.
Luscious pads and dubbed out pianos and guitars set the scene on ‘Baby Angel’ featuring the worldwide wave-maker Eva Lazarus who returns to Hospital Records for the first time since featuring on Etherwood’s ‘Light My Way Home’ back in 2015. Having worked alongside staple figures including Mungo’s Hi-Fi, Zed Bias and Gentlemen’s Dub Club, Eva infuses her reggae, hip-hop and jungle flavours alongside Inja’s humbling storytellings.
Inja’s “personal favourite to perform live as it smashes every and any system”, ‘Explode’, is a 140BPM anthem featuring flows that will ignite any room and a killer instrumental that will have you bobbing no questions asked. Proving himself to be a versatile and skillful microphone controller, Inja’s ability to shell down any tempo is ever more apparent on this upfront banger.
Three legendary MCs unite on ‘Hands, Lights, Flames, Phones’ where Inja joins forces with two of Manchester’s very finest - DRS and Fox. Sharp lyricism is rife as the triple threat of three titan wordsmiths link up, seeing energetic bars bouncing off each other over a cold-cut drum & bass roller. This is a combination not to be tested.
Inja has established himself as a pinnacle figure within the realms of drum & bass. Loved for his ability to express his thoughts into honest, relatable lyrics in ‘She Just Wanna Dance’, a spoken word piece for Amnesty International that was a viral online hit in 2017, and more recently switching it up to ‘We Just Wanna Dance’ during the UK lockdown, expressing his desire to be reconnected with ravers again. Then picked up by BBC News and Sky News.
On top of being the MC of choice for drum & bass powerhouse group Kings Of The Rollers, Inja is no stranger to tearing things up on the airwaves with support from the likes of DJ Target, Rene LaVice and Danny Byrd on BBC Radio 1 over the years. Since his debut ‘Blank Pages’ album on Hospital Records in 2018, Inja has flourished as a multi-talented MC, vocalist, singer and songwriter with a series of singles including the Beatport Drum & Bass chart-topper ‘Game Face (Stay Alert)’ alongside Whiney, as well as the infamous ‘Lumberjackin’’ on Serum’s Souped Up.
“To all the supporters that enjoy anything I’m a part of, I would never have had the opportunities to see as much of the world as I have without you. My gratitude has no bounds and I’d love to share a smile with you all one day.” - Inja
