Title: Electro-1 (Side A) Mixed by: Herbie (Mastermind) Laidley Year: 1983 Label: StreetSounds Media Source: Recorded straight from 12-inch record to enhanced digital.
A1:The Packman – “I’m The Packman” (6:35) Produced by Bobby Robinson
A2:Newcleus – “Jam On Revenge” (The Wikki-Wikki Song) (7:49) Produced by Joe Webb
A3:West Street Mob – “Break Dancin’ – Electric Boogie” (5:02) Produced by Joey Robinson Jr. & Lealand Robinson
A4:C-Bank- “Get Wet” (7:52) Produced by John Robie
StreetSounds Electro-1 (Side B)…
Title: Electro-1 (Side B) Mixed by: Herbie (Mastermind) Laidley Year: 1983 Label: StreetSounds Media Source: Recorded straight from 12-inch record to enhanced digital.
I have decided to record digitally my entire StreetSoundsElectro compilation series.
I will record every single StreetSounds vinyl of mine into Protools, with as much digital restorations as possible and widened stereo-field. I do believe that I make the best vinyl-rips than most music collectors and bloggers out there. My 30+ years experience in pro-audio says so!
As I’ve stated in my previous StreetSounds article over a year ago, Electro since the early 80′s was electric funk and hip-hop music, mainly for break-dancing, bee-bopping, and body-popping. In my opinion, the word electro today has been hijacked in the form of 4/4 dance music and not anywhere near its true roots.
THEREFORE, STAY TUNED FOR DAILY POSTING OF EACH ELECTRO MIX.
Streetsounds History…
Streetsounds was part of the UK Streetwave stable of labels created by Morgan Khan. A Hong Kong-born Indian who grew up in London, Khan had worked in the UK record industry since the mid 1970′s, working for such names as PRT Distribution (a division of Pye Records) and R&B Records, for whom at the time Imagination were the up and coming stars of the day.
Khan founded the independent Streetwave record label during 1981 to specialise in releasing Electro and Hi-NRG releases. Within a year of creation, Streetwave began the StreetSounds series of albums; compilations created from some of the hottest 12″ imports of the day. These releases made available a selection of the most contemporary dance floor hits within the financial reach of those wanting to hear the freshest sounds. In the early 80′s a 12″ single was priced around £2 and you would pay over £4 for an import 12″. The Streetsounds series offered usually 8 to 12 full-length 12″ mixes for under a fiver. Understandably, the Streetsounds series was met with considerable enthusiasm and, some might say, mighty relief.
This series would run for over 6 years and contain over 50 albums. By far the most coveted of the Streetsounds releases were the Electro series. These albums introduced the UK to the developing hip-hop scene from America – a stroke of genius that brought electro and early hip hop from the underground to the UK high street and, one could argue, helped in the creation of the UK’s hip hop scene.
The Electro series ran for a total of 27 albums (and one box set) from 1982 to 1988. The albums were initially labeled StreetSounds Electro with the title morphing into StreetSounds Hip Hop after release 12 in 1986.
All of the albums were competently mixed by a series of the best remixers of the day – predominately from the UK. A large proportion of the mixes on the early releases were completed by a London-based hip-hop sound system from the early 80s. Headed by “Herbie The Mastermind” (aka Herbie Laidley) the team also featured Kiss FM radio DJ’s Dave VJ and Max LX who were also members of UK electro outfit Hard Rock Soul Movement, responsible for the massive “Double Def Fresh” release.
My digital recording process & audio quality of vinyl records are top-notch …
click each image above to enlarge
Old video: recording session ripping vinyls Electro-6, 7, and 9…
Electro back then was electric funk and hiphop music, mainly for break-dancing, bee-bopping, and body-popping. In my opinion, the word ‘Electro’ today has been hijacked in the form of 4/4 dance music and not anywhere near its true roots.
I am providing you with four Electro albums for download. I recorded them directly from vinyl into Protools (Electro-6, 7 & 9 in particular), digitally restored as much as possible, and widened the stereo field, among other quick fixes. Go ahead an compare my mastered versions to the same ones you find elsewhere — mine sound the best.
Streetsounds History…
Streetsounds was part of the UK Streetwave stable of labels created by Morgan Khan. A Hong Kong-born Indian who grew up in London, Khan had worked in the UK record industry since the mid 1970′s, working for such names as PRT Distribution (a division of Pye Records) and R&B Records, for whom at the time Imagination were the up and coming stars of the day.
Khan founded the independent Streetwave record label during 1981 to specialise in releasing Electro and Hi-NRG releases. Within a year of creation, Streetwave began the Streetsounds series of albums; compilations created from some of the hottest 12″ imports of the day. These releases made available a selection of the most contemporary dance floor hits within the financial reach of those wanting to hear the freshest sounds. In the early 80′s a 12″ single was priced around £2 and you would pay over £4 for an import 12″. The Streetsounds series offered usually 8 to 12 full-length 12″ mixes for under a fiver. Understandably, the Streetsounds series was met with considerable enthusiasm and, some might say, mighty relief.
This series would run for over 6 years and contain over 50 albums. By far the most coveted of the Streetsounds releases were the Electro series. These albums introduced the UK to the developing hip-hop scene from America – a stroke of genius that brought electro and early hip hop from the underground to the UK high street and, one could argue, helped in the creation of the UK’s hip hop scene.
The Electro series ran for a total of 27 albums (and one box set) from 1982 to 1988. The albums were initially labeled “Streetsounds Electro” with the title morphing into “Streetsounds Hip Hop” after release 12 in 1986.
All of the albums were competently mixed by a series of the best remixers of the day – predominately from the UK. A large proportion of the mixes on the early releases were completed by a London-based hip-hop sound system from the early 80s. Headed by “Herbie The Mastermind” (aka Herbie Laidley) the team also featured Kiss FM radio DJ’s Dave VJ and Max LX who were also members of UK electro outfit Hard Rock Soul Movement, responsible for the massive “Double Def Fresh” release.
While the norm for most tracks go anywhere between 3:30 to 6:00 minutes in length, I prefer 15:00 minutes or longer, like the four seasons. Give me 4 long tracks to fill the hour, and I’ll be one very happy Iraqi. I love tracks that take me on long journeys through various movements. One of my all-time favorite synth-pop groups is PROPAGANDA from germany … who sound like twisted ABBA + Industrial + TechnoPop + Darkness. My favorite Proganda track is P:Machinery. I’ve taken two 12-inch vinyl versions of that track and conjoined them together as one … the way I want to listen to P:Machinery by:
Digitizing them into Protools; Spending two long months cleaning them up; Getting rid of every single scratch/pop/click; Restoring deteriorated sounds through various RE-SYNTHESIS processes and techniques; Splicing the tracks to separate clips; Re-arranging and layering clips to my taste; Throwing in my own synth-stabs, chops and other minor subtleties; Adding & automating series of chained top-notch effects throughout the mix, utilizing parameters some of you could not even pronounce ... thus resulting with more dynamic and reverberated DEPTH to the mix; Fattening the bottom-end; Widening overall stereo perception; and Mixing, engineering and mastering my version of P:Machinery the way I think it's supposed to be heard.
To my taste, P:Machinery sounds better than 'sick' ... more like master piece of shit which blasts sonically across the stereo-field ... not one element standing still but constantly moving all over the place.
Although he produced only a handful of tracks of renown and disappeared into obscurity almost as quickly as he had emerged from it, Manny ( Man ) Parrish is nonetheless one of the most important and influential figures in American electronic dance music. Helping to lay the foundation of electro, hip-hop, freestyle, and techno, as well as the dozens of subgenres to splinter off from those, Parrish introduced the aesthetic of European electronic pop to the American club scene by combining the plugged-in disco-funk of Giorgio Moroder and the man-machine music of Kraftwerk with the beefed-up rhythms and cut’n'mix approach of nascent hip-hop. As a result, tracks like “Hip-Hop Be Bop (Don’t Stop)” and “Boogie Down Bronx” were period-defining works that provided the basic genetic material for everyone from Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys to Autechre and Andrea Parker — and they remain undisputed classics of early hip-hop and electro to this day.
Man Parrish Boogie Down Bronx (dub version) PLAY TRACK
What made Trevor Horn’s productions stand out was his unique and genius production techniques and the heavy use of state-of-the-art pro-audio gear, which made him become the torch-bearer for the kind of technology-led pop music which was hip and incredibly disciplined. Trevor Horn’s 12-inch remixes were uniquely long (anywhere from 8 to 13 minutes in duration) and told stories which took the listeners through long instrumental journeys at the begenning of tracks until the climax is reached (around the 5/6 or 7 minute mark). After the climax, the original or alternate full vocal version of the track takes over from that point on to the end, lasting additional 3.5 to 5 minutes in length.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood Relax (12 inch Sex Mix) PLAY TRACK
Trevor Horn is the guy who produced and performed “Video Killed The Radio Star” world-wide smash-hit track. I did some major digging and discovered some fascinating, forgotten facts and hidden gem tracks from The Buggles. In 1980, the Buggles’ duo Geoffrey Downes (keyboards) and Trevor Horn (vocals) — who were coming off an international success with their new-wave album The Age of Plastic – to help out on a new YES album. Downes suddenly left Buggles when Trevor learned that YES’ keyboardist Rick Wakeman was leaving the band, and therefore snatched him as well as lead-vocalist Jon Anderson to work on the next Buggles album Adventures In Modern Recording. The Buggle’s second album was completed in 1981 but was never released or charted. The album was a gem masterpiece.
The Buggles I Am A Camera (12 inch version) PLAY TRACK
The Hype Machine is stoked to be partnering with The Great Escape Festival again this year. The festival is a great opportunity to check out dozens of the emerging bands and artists you may already have discovered here on the Hype Machine. In fact, we asked a bunch of our favorite UK-based blogs to highlight their […]
If it’s mid-April, we may have finally gotten enough sleep to tell you about our massive party at SXSW. Hype Machine’s Hype Hotel, presented by Taco Bell, returned to Austin for another 5 days and nights of the best music being covered on music blogs. Aquarium Drunkard, Gorilla vs. Bear, Stereogum, I Guess I’m Floating, YVYNYL, Yours Truly and PORTALS joine […]
We had such a blast at Hype Hotel last year, that we just had to outdo ourselves this time! Hype Hotel 2013 will be in a larger space, so all the great things about the event will be even greater. Hype Hotel, presented by Taco Bell in support of its Feed The Beat program, is eight […]
While Hype Machine is all about breaking you out of the genres you are comfortable with, we do know that the desire for the guilty pleasures of familiarity exist. That’s why we’ve made the genre view available on the site some time ago. It uses Last.fm tags for each of the blogged tracks, and organizes […]
Most of the time, Hype Machine focuses on what’s exciting in the moment. The most blogged artists of the day, the tracks getting the most attention from our members—everything on the site sorted in reverse-chronological order. Things move quickly, and this is the only way to stay on top. Recently, though, we’ve been thinking more […]
2012 is almost over and I just wanted to say thanks for finding new music with us this year. We spend all of our time building things for music seekers, and it is thrilling to see you use and respond to what we’ve made. It’s our seventh year (an eternity on the Internet), and we […]
Click here to vote The top tracks and most-blogged artists of 2012 have been revealed, and now we want to hear from you—which albums will you remember the year by? We’ve partnered with Tumblr to create GIFs of 75 releases that music bloggers have been talking about this year. Visit the Zeitgeist Tumblr and like or reblog to vote for […]
Zeitgeist 2012 is LIVE! We have some good stuff for you this year, as always: Top 50 Artists: We looked at all the blog data we collected this year to generate the Top 50 Artists chart. Then, we reached out to 50 amazing visual artists to make this beautiful chart. Check out the art, hear […]
We’ve been listening to your feedback over the past many months as we’ve been working on the new version of our iPhone app. Today it’s out. Rewritten and redesigned from scratch, faster and more visual than ever, we are very proud to share it with you. It seems that some of you already like it. […]
We’re giving away 2 passes to the CMJ 2012 Music Marathon so you can check out even more artists than the ones playing our parties. How to win? Use our Friend Finder to connect with your friends on the Hype Machine, and leave a comment with your username to enter. We’ll notify winners on Monday, […]
Has anyone made a football-themed boogie mix? I don't have enough songs for a solid mix yet but maybe with help from readers we can put one together. Here is one quality track recorded by five members of the San Diego Chargers in 1981. To me there are two strong tracks on their LP with lyrics that could be about romance or football. If you are down to […]
The Earls are a Doo Wop band from The Bronx, New York. They still play, and their blue eyed soul is still popular on the oldies circuit. Sometimes its overlooked that past decades also had their revival movements, and I suppose The Earls rode a wave of Doo Wop nostalgia in the late nineteen seventies, re-forming and putting out a few releases that included […]
Here is an obscure g-funk gem from Little Rock, AR from an unknown year, presumably early eighties. This track has a classic mellow slower kick-clap groove. Hang on for one of the greatest breakdowns ever with soaring Junie Morrison style synth whine. Big thank you to Eddy Funkster for hooking me up with this rare 45.Future - Girl […]
This was a weird score to make in backwoods Northern California, a rare'ish UK boogie 12" that I would have thought would have been limited to those lucky enough to come across it in an East London charity shop or hanging up on a record store wall in plastic, priced in euros somewhere, but who am I to argue with divine providence, I'll take i […]
Mash up splooge all erray place. Posted by :: ◯ ⃝ ⃝ ◯ ⃝ ⃝ ⃝ G. Poplopavich Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on Tumblr Digg this! Share this on Reddit Share this on Technorati Stumble upon … Continue reading → […]
Something a touch darker from the likes of these dudesons. The tune is very appropriately tagged “Garage Sex” on good ol Soundcloud. One word of advice though, on garage sex. Flash your phone on every 10 to 15 seconds as … Continue reading → […]
EZ, TSP Visit Us on SoundCloud Follow Schitz you Twi†Z!! √ Hear† Us on HYPE!! √ Like Us Facebook √ School of Remix √√√ buy an essay online Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on Tumblr Digg this! … Continue reading → […]
Great new remix of Andrew Clarke from Toronto’s Cyclist, as featured in my own mix of favourites for this month. Nice long build breaking off into a big ol soul session. Available now on SoulDeep. ___________________________________ Get @ Nick Bike … Continue reading → […]
Nick Bike
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From: Elliot
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Just wanted to second a couple of other comments on your site and say that yours is by far one of the best music resources I've found. A similar but now sadly defunct site called Retro Wonderland came a close second! Keep up the good work. All the best."
And all the best to you too, Elliot, for your lovely feedback you've emailed me :)
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And thank you, Yaron, for your lovely feedback.
Kindest regards,
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Disclaimer
Mp3's on this site are for sampling and promotional purposes only and will only. Most of the mp3 tracks on this blog/site are remixes, extended and limited versions which are deleted, no longer available for purchase and would not be heard otherwise. However, please support these artists. If you are one of these artists and would like your music removed from this site, please notify me, and I will endeavor to remove them as soon as possible.
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