Stereo MCs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stereo MCs | ||
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 Stereo MCs in concert, August 2006
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | London, England | |
| Genre(s) | Electronica Acid jazz Trip hop House |
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| Years active | 1985 – Present | |
| Label(s) | 4th & Broadway | |
| Website | http://stereomcs.com/ | |
Stereo MCs are an English hip hop group.
Contents |
[edit] Members
- "The Head" - born Nick Hallam on 11 June 1960, in Nottingham, England.
- "Rob B" - born Robert Charles Birch, on 11 June 1961, in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, England.
[edit] Biography
Vocalist Rob Birch, and DJ/producer Nick Hallam, founded their Gee Street studio and label, with money they were given to leave their London flat and, instead of using a backing band, travelled to early gigs on buses, with bags of tapes.
When Gee Street caught the eye of 4th And Broadway, they recorded the debut Stereo MCs album 33-45-78 (1989) on a shoestring budget with DJ Cesare, drummer Owen If and backing singer Cath Coffey. In 1990, "Elevate My Mind" by the Stereos was the first British hip hop single to reach the US R&B chart. At home, the emergent indie dance scene (they supported Happy Mondays in the USA), and a hook-up with the Jungle Brothers, ensured ultimate hipness for Supernatural (1990), and remixes for the likes of U2, PM Dawn, Queen Latifah, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Monie Love and Electronic. They are still highly sought after producers, with most of their remixes being done under the name Ultimatum.
For their live shows, they assembled a live band including singers Andrea Bedassie and Verona Davis, and were one of the (then) few hip hop outfits to play rock festivals. These acclaimed live shows paved the way for 1992's breakthrough Connected, a UK Singles Chart No.2 which spawned the smashes "Connected", "Step It Up", "Creation" and "Ground Level", and won them Brit Awards for Best Group and Best Album. When Hallam and Birch set up music publisher Spirit Songs (which signed Finley Quaye), the Stereos confirmed their rock star status by taking an eternity to record Connected's follow-up. A spokesperson told Q magazine in 1997, "They are very keen not to repeat themselves".
But remixes for Madonna ("Frozen"), and the Jungle Brothers ("Jungle Brother") in 1998, confirmed that the Stereos were at least still alive.
In 2000, they released a DJ mix for Studio !K7's DJ-Kicks series and remixed another song for Madonna , ("Music").
2001 saw the release of Deep Down & Dirty, followed by a tour, including slots opening for the recently re-united Jane's Addiction. Paradise was released in 2005.
[edit] Trivia
Both Hallam and Birch were born on the same date (11 June), but Nick Hallam is the elder, by exactly one year.
The song "Sofisticated," from Deep Down & Dirty, has been used in a series of commercials for Pizza Hut. In some commercials, the original keyboard piano theme is kept, through the other instrumentation is different, presumably newly written by other musicians for the ads.
[edit] Discography
- 33-45-78 (1989)
- The Stereo MCs [EP] (1990)
- Supernatural (1990)
- Connected (1992)
- DJ-Kicks: Stereo MCs (mixed by the Stereo MCs) (2000)
- Deep Down And Dirty (2001)
- Retroactive (2003) (best-of compilation)
- Paradise (2005)
[edit] Self-titled EP
Stereo MCs also released a self-titled EP in 1990. It was written, produced and composed by themselves, and was released on Island Records. The songs would later appear on their first full-length album.
[edit] Tracklisting
- What Is Soul? (samples Ben E. King's "What Is Soul?", David Byrne and Brian Eno's "Regiment" and Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime")
- On 33 (samples George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Deep Purple's "And The Address")
- Bring It On
- Neighbourhood
- Gee Street (samples Rose Royce's "6 O'Clock DJ")
[edit] Audio sample
- The Stereo MCs - Connected excerpt (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from Connected
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
[edit] External links
- stereomcs.com - Official site (requires flash)
- britishhiphop.co.uk - The original UK Hip Hop History
- BBC: Stereo MCs biography
