Based in South London, England, L.V. is a garage/dubstep group known for thir swinging rhythms that meld influences such as dancehall reggae and South African kwaito. The group originally consisted of a trio of producers -- Gervase Gordon, Will Horrocks, and Si Williams -- who began to make music around 2000 while attending university. From 2007 through 2010, L.V. issued just under a dozen 12" releases on well-regarded labels like Hyperdub, Keysound, 2nd Drop, and Hemlock. They debuted with "Globetrotting," a dub reggae track featuring Errol Bellot, and they continued to collaborate with other vocalists while churning out material that drew from Jamaican and African sources. L.V.'s first album, Routes, was released in 2011 on Keysound and featured vocalist/poet Josh Idehen throughout.

For Sebenza, released in 2012 on Hyperdub, they teamed with South African vocalists Okmalumkoolkat (also heard on 2010's "Boomslang") and Spoek Mathambo, along with production/MC duo Ruffest. Following this album, Gordon left the group, leaving L.V. as the duo of Horrocks and Williams (who also started an experimental hip-hop side project called SwamiMillion).

Islands, another full-length collaboration with Idehen, appeared on Keysound in 2014. L.V. signed to Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings in 2015 and released their fourth album, Ancient Mechanisms, which featured contributions from Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan, whom the duo had previously collaborated with in 2012.
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