by Marisa BrownTrained on classical and jazz guitar, TM Juke (born Alex Cowan) picked up the sampler as a teenager, partially as a way to annoy his father (who had been insisting that his son take formal music lessons since Alex was seven), and partially because of his love of hip-hop. At 23 he released his first full-length album, 2003's Maps from the Wilderness, on Tru Thoughts. After remixing songs for countless other artists, in 2005 he teamed up with British singer Alice Russell to co-write and produce her debut, My Favourite Letters. The following year Forward came out, a joint release on Ubiquity and Tru Thoughts, and featured the same jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop-flavored organic electronica that had been found on his first record.