Ill Manors

Ill Manors (stylised as ill Manors) is a soundtrack album by British musician and rapper Plan B released on 23 July 2012 as the soundtrack to the film of the same name. Several songs were used in the film Ill Manors, although some of the recordings were completed after the release of the film. The record was mainly produced by Al Shux and Plan B and also features collaborations with Labrinth, Kano, Takura Tendayi and John Cooper Clarke. Ill Manors debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and received widespread acclaim by critics. It was also nominated for the Mercury Prize. Background and composition The film Ill Manors was written as a "hip hop musical for the twenty-first century", incorporating elements of both crime drama and music video sequences. Plan B had always intended to narrate the film with a different song for each the six stories, however some songs were written later, such as "Ill Manors". Due to success of The Defamation of Strickland Banks, Plan B toured extensively for two years and post-production of the film and the recording of the album was not completed until 2012. Recording sessions for the album took place at The Sanctuary in London and Edge Recording Studio in Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Speaking about the album in an interview, Drew stated, "You could call it bassline, soul, with a bit of hip hop. The album has the lyrical depth of my first record but the musical composition is light years ahead, as it's informed by everything I've learnt in the last five years – writing, producing and playing with a live band. I feel I'm better than I've ever been." In an NME magazine interview with Drew on 31 March 2012, "I Am the Narrator", the first song heard in the film, was originally given the working title of "Fairydust". "Deepest Shame" was first written as a hip hop song entitled "Michelle" that was used in Drew's 2008 short film Michelle and features beatboxer Faith SFX. The version of "Michelle" that was used in Ill Manors has some elements similar to "Deepest Shame", however for the album release the song was re-written as more of a soul number, although "Michelle" is included on the deluxe edition bonus disc. "Lost My Way" was first performed live on Later... with Jools Holland in May 2012 and Drew claimed that he was still writing the second verse on the way to the TV studio.