For fourteen years, DJ Format and rapper Abdominal have been entertaining crowds from Toronto to the UK. Now the hip-hop stars are back at it in 2017 with their new album Still Hungry.
Together, they have toured the UK more than twenty times to sold-out crowds. They have rocked stages such as Glastonbury Festival, Boomtown Festival and the iconic Jazz Café and Brixton Academy venues in London.
They have also brought their high-energy shows to Australia and across Europe several times over the past fifteen years.
Format and Abs have contributed to each other’s albums, with Abs providing slick verses on Format’s debut album Music for the Mature B-Boy (Genuine), and Format producing tracks on Abdominal’s debut release Escape from the Pigeon Hole (DoRight Music). In 2003 they provided support for Jurassic 5's European tour, and then continued touring together as headliners based on how hype crowds became when they took the stage.
DJ Format, aka Matt Ford, won over hip-hop heads in 2003 with his slow-burning hit album Music for the Mature B-Boy, featuring the standout track We Know Something You Don’t Know starring the vocals of Chali 2na and Akil of Jurassic 5.
Format’s sets are known for their boundary-crossing selection of funk, soul, rock and hip-hop. With three albums under his belt, Format has shown his range as a DJ and producer. His latest release, Kool & the Gangstarr Generation, shuttled Format back to his b-boy roots by releasing a self-produced instrumental 45. The response was electric: the record sold out within a week.
Abdominal, aka Andy Bernstein, has been involved in Toronto’s music scene for nearly 25 years, performing at the Harbourfront Center for the Arts, Manifesto Festival, the SOCAN Awards, Pop Montreal Showcase, the Cavalcade of Lights and many other high profile events.
His releases include Escape From the Pigeon Hole and Sitting Music (Pinwheel Music). Abs’ debut release showcased his playful lyrics and impressive breath control, and the track “Pedal Pusher” won SOCAN’s 2007 Echo Prize for best oevrall Canadian song of the year. Sitting Music featured a more mature rapper, collaborating with a trio of live musicians.
Like any memorable hip-hop team, DJ Format & Abdominal have found success by working off each other’s strengths and giving the global hip-hop community a unique and funky sound destined to be a fixture in every rap lover’s collection.
