Ewan David Alman
Encyclopedia
Ewan Alman is a British actor and rapper, commonly known by his stage name, Da Brakes, and known for his role as Fraser in the feature film Breathe
.
, west London, Ewan David Alman is a British born actor/rapper best known by his stage name Da Brakes. His name derived from an incident as a child riding a trolley. Brakes was approaching a curb and started pressing what he thought was the brakes but was actually the mechanism to raise and lower the platform. Subsequently he crashed into the curb and badly damaged his shin. The name 'Brakes' stuck and was eventually used as his rap persona.
Brakes first television appearance was on the BBC
MI5 drama Spooks
where he played the younger brother of the lead character Danny. He then went on to appear in various commercials such as Phones 4U
as well as hit television dramas such as William & Mary
and The Bill
.
Brakes began rapping at the age of 14 with school friend Syke who formed one half of the duo 'Strictly 4Bidden'. Syke & Brakes honed their skills freestyling and battling until eventually they were ready to enter their first competition to be staged at The Hackney Empire
. However, Skye was reluctant to enter citing the reason that they were not ready and needed more practice. Brakes however thought otherwise and decided to enter the competition as a solo artist. Brakes went on to win 'Best Under 18 Act' and 'Best Overall Talent'. Strictly 4Bidden soon disbanded and Brakes continued as a solo artist.
Brakes has achieved moderate success with his three releases Business as Usual (2006), Still Unsigned...The Mixtape (2007), and Clean but Still Street (2009). The latter features a collaboration with American rapper Kel Spencer.
In 2009 Da Brakes signed to independent label Brown Moose Records. This relationship came to an end in August 2010 and now Da Brakes continues to record independently
Breathe (film)
Breathe is a 2009 British independent film directed by Nicholas Winter and starring Ricci Harnett, Zara Dawson, Lee Otway and Jing Lusi. The film was shot on location in London and Somerset in 2007, and debuted at the Genesis Cinema in London in 2009...
.
Biography
Born in PaddingtonPaddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
, west London, Ewan David Alman is a British born actor/rapper best known by his stage name Da Brakes. His name derived from an incident as a child riding a trolley. Brakes was approaching a curb and started pressing what he thought was the brakes but was actually the mechanism to raise and lower the platform. Subsequently he crashed into the curb and badly damaged his shin. The name 'Brakes' stuck and was eventually used as his rap persona.
Brakes first television appearance was on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
MI5 drama Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
where he played the younger brother of the lead character Danny. He then went on to appear in various commercials such as Phones 4U
Phones 4U
Phones 4u is a large independent mobile phone retailer in the UK. It is part of the 4u Group based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. Since opening in 1996, it has expanded to over 550 stores throughout the United Kingdom. - Company Background :...
as well as hit television dramas such as William & Mary
William and Mary (TV series)
William and Mary is an ITV Scotland-based romantic comedy drama, starring Martin Clunes as William Shawcross, an undertaker, and Julie Graham as Mary Gilcrest, a midwife. Its title refers to its two principal characters and is a cultural reference to the reign of the English monarchs William and...
and The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
Brakes began rapping at the age of 14 with school friend Syke who formed one half of the duo 'Strictly 4Bidden'. Syke & Brakes honed their skills freestyling and battling until eventually they were ready to enter their first competition to be staged at The Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire
The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
. However, Skye was reluctant to enter citing the reason that they were not ready and needed more practice. Brakes however thought otherwise and decided to enter the competition as a solo artist. Brakes went on to win 'Best Under 18 Act' and 'Best Overall Talent'. Strictly 4Bidden soon disbanded and Brakes continued as a solo artist.
Brakes has achieved moderate success with his three releases Business as Usual (2006), Still Unsigned...The Mixtape (2007), and Clean but Still Street (2009). The latter features a collaboration with American rapper Kel Spencer.
In 2009 Da Brakes signed to independent label Brown Moose Records. This relationship came to an end in August 2010 and now Da Brakes continues to record independently
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Teenage Kicks | Panza | Paul Windmill |
| Breathe Breathe (film) Breathe is a 2009 British independent film directed by Nicholas Winter and starring Ricci Harnett, Zara Dawson, Lee Otway and Jing Lusi. The film was shot on location in London and Somerset in 2007, and debuted at the Genesis Cinema in London in 2009... |
Fraser | Nicholas Winter | |
| Silly Billy | Dave | Mark Jackson | |
| Sweet Mother (short film) | Ayo | Momodou Touray | |
| 2007 | Oovoo OoVoo ooVoo is a proprietary instant messaging client developed by ooVoo LLC for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Android and iOS. It was released in 2007, and is similar to Skype and Apple's Facetime. Calls can be recorded in real-time and twelve-way video chatting is supported... (Internet) |
Beat Up Boy | James Rouse |
| Finding Frank Again | Pool Player | Fire Engine Films | |
| MTV MTV MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs.... (Commercial) |
Jogger | Erica Herbert | |
| Little People (theatre) | Joe Ellis | Crooked Sleeve Theatre Company | |
| Keeler Keeler -Places:*Keeler, California, USA*Keeler Township, Michigan, USA*Keeler, Saskatchewan, Canada*Keeler , on the moon-People with the surname Keeler:*Christine Keeler, a British model and showgirl* Ernest Keeler, an American pioneer race car driver... (theatre) |
Lucky Gordon & Johnny Edgecombe | Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas is an English actor and singer who has had considerable success on stage, screen and in the pop charts.-Biography:Nicholas was born as Paul Oscar Beuselinck in Peterborough, England... |
|
| 2005 | Yesterday's Tomorrow (short film) | David | Duane Wharton |
| 2003 | Loveman (short film) | Deeton Wilmot | Duane Wharton |
| Phones 4U Phones 4U Phones 4u is a large independent mobile phone retailer in the UK. It is part of the 4u Group based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. Since opening in 1996, it has expanded to over 550 stores throughout the United Kingdom. - Company Background :... (commercial) |
Featured Male | Joy Films | |
| The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work... (TV) |
TJ Daley | Sylvie Boden | |
| William and Mary William and Mary (TV series) William and Mary is an ITV Scotland-based romantic comedy drama, starring Martin Clunes as William Shawcross, an undertaker, and Julie Graham as Mary Gilcrest, a midwife. Its title refers to its two principal characters and is a cultural reference to the reign of the English monarchs William and... (TV) |
Vernon Manning | Matthew Evans | |
| 2002 | Sex Bomb (commercial) | Featured Male | Flextech |
| Bold (commercial) | Featured Male | Production International | |
| Regulate (short film) | LJ Brooks | Duane Wharton | |
| The Bill The Bill The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work... (TV) |
Lee Robson | Thames Television Ltd | |
| 2001 | Stolen (short film) | Jerome | Stephen Sloper |
| Spooks Spooks Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a... (TV) |
Bruno | Rob Bailey | |
Albums
- 2001: Brakes Yourself
- 2006: Business As Usual
- 2007: Still Unsigned...The Mixtape
- 2009: Clean But Still Street