Genod Droog

Infobox musical artist
Name = Genod Droog


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Origin = Porthmadog/Pontypridd, Wales flagicon|Wales
Genre = Hip hop, Indie, pop
Years_active = 2005 – present
Associated_acts = Pep Le Pew, Kentucky AFC, Lladron, Y Soffas, Y Llongau, Invisible ninja storm, Diwygiad
Label = Slacyr Records

Current_members = Dylan Roberts
Ed Holden
Betsan Evans
Gethin Evans
Carwyn Jones
Aneirin Karadog

Past_members = Berwyn Jones
Gareth Roberts
John Farrow
Gwyneth Glyn
Heledd Evans

Genod Droog are a hip-hop, indie, pop band from Wales, which was formed in 2005 by Carwyn Jones, Gethin Evans, Dylan Roberts, Aneirin Karadog and Ed Holden.

History 2005 - present

Genod Droog was born as a result of the desire of Ed Holden and Dylan Roberts to start performing live after Pep Le Pew, a successful hip-hop Welsh language band, which split up in the winter of 2004.

Dylan Roberts, Gethin Evans and Carwyn Jones attended Ysgol Eifion Wyn and Ysgol Eifionydd and have been friends from an early age. Carwyn Jones was a DJ, DJing under the name DJ Kermit and DJ Kim De Bills to which he still now referred to within the band. Gethin Evans has played drums for a few groups the most successful would be Kentucky AFC until their split in 2007. Ed Holden is a DJ, rapper, producer and beat boxer and knew Dylan through Coleg Menai in Bangor and have had several side projects since they met in 1999, most notable Invisible Ninja Storm, Y Soffas and Pep Le Pew. Aneirin Karadog found Ed Holden through freestyle battles in Eisteddfod and subsequently joined the band having been in bands with Ed such ad the Syn-D-Cut and Y Diwygiad (The Reformation)

Dylan Roberts or Dyl Mei, as he is known, is a producer from Porthmadog and has been awarded several BBC Radio Cymru C2 awards for best producers for albums such as "Baccta Crackin" by Texas Radio Band and 'Un tro yn y gorllewin' by Pep Le Pew. He also has recorded music from many other bands during his time at Blaen-y-Cae studio, Garndolbenmaen. Between the five of them they decided that there was a place within the Welsh music scene to make a band that was entertaining as well as musically original.

Their first gig was with Drymbago and MC Saizmundo at the Railway Club in Bangor and have since been gigging all over Wales with the a few exceptions of gigs in England. Most notable gig outside of Wales was in the Barfly, London as part of the first BBC Electric Proms festivals, where the band worked with Gill Edwards and Ensemble Cymru on two songs.

An early recording of Breuddwyd Oer featuring Gwyneth Glyn on vocals appeared on Dan y Cownter 2 compilation in 2006.¹

They have gone on to win best live and most popular band awards by the BBC Cymru C2 Rock and Pop (RAP) awards and are regarded as one of the best live bands in the Welsh language scene, because of their use of balloons, streamers and party atmosphere they produce during their live performances. Their biggest audience gig to date is a headlining the Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau in 2007, held annually at Dolgellau.

The band were nominated as best live Welsh language act with Euros Childs, Sibrydion and Radio Luxembourg at the 2007 Pop Factory Awards, held at the Coal Exchange, Cardiff.

The Album 'Ni oedd y Genod Droog' was released on August the 4th 2008. The album was released, with a limted edition run that came with red filtered glasses, which enabled the buyer to see hidden pictures on the cover. 'Ni oedd y Genod Droog' was launched on the 19th of September 2008 at Porthmadog. Before the launch the band announced their intention to split after their performance at Huw Stephens's Sŵn Festival on November 16th, 2008.

Band name

*'Genod' means 'girls' in Welsh.
*'Droog' is a corruption of the Welsh word "drwg" meaning bad, but could also be seen as an allusion to Nadsat as well.

Awards

* 2006 Nominated 'Best live Welsh band' at the Pop Factory Awards
* 2007 Nominated 'Best live Welsh band' at the Pop Factory Awards
* 2007 BBC Radio Cymru Gwobrau RAP / BBC Cymru RAP Awards - Best live band
* 2007 BBC Radio Cymru Gwobrau RAP / BBC Cymru RAP Awards - Most popular band voted by the listeners

Discography

* 2006 — Dan y Cownter 2 — Welsh language board compilation
* 2008 - Ni Oedd y Genod Droog - Slacyr Records

Links

* [http://www.last.fm/music/Genod+Droog Last.fm artist page, free music]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/genod_droog BBC Genod Droog mini site]
* [http://www.slacyr.co.uk Slacyr] (Record label)
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OckWKBaMj4 Band video - Dal ni lawr]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/music/pages/genoddroog.shtml Band profile on BBC Wales website]

References

* [http://www.hecklerspray.com/cd-review-various-dan-y-cownter-2/20066017.php Breuddwyd Oer Review]