M.J. Cole is Matt Coleman (born 1973), a UK house, garage, and 2step producer and remixer. In his youth, Cole learned to play the oboe and piano, and attended the Royal College of Music. He also played piano on the BBC's Young Musician Of The Year. He later discovered computers and turntables, and ended up working as a sound engineer. M.J. Cole is regarded as one of the innovators of the 2Step or UK Garage sound, popular during the late 1990's. However, his roots lie in Drum & Bass, the format in which he created many of his early records. He moved towards a 2Step sound and experimented with various pseudonyms, such as Mat-Lock, eventually settling on M.J. His first solo album was the Mercury Music Award nominated 'Sincere' (2000), and he followed up this with the less successful 'Cut to the Chase' (2003). In 2002 he selected tracks for a compilation album for the Back to Mine series, which focuses on tracks suited to post-club relaxation.