People Under the Stairs
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People Under the Stairs
| For The Record... |
| Members include Thes One and Double K. Duo formed in Los Angeles, CA, 1996; released The Next Step, 1998; signed to Om Records, 1999; played more than 200 live shows, 1999-2001; released Question in the Form of an Answer, 2000; toured with popular hip-hop group De La Soul; released OST (Original Soundtrack), 2002. Addresses: Record company—Om Records, 245 Van Ness Ave., Ste. 303, San Francisco, CA 94103. Website—People Under The Stairs Official Website: http://www.peopleunderthestairs.net. |
Hip-hop duo
While hip-hop stars like Sean "P. Diddy" Combs spent the late 1990s building lucrative hip-hop empires, some hip-hop purists went underground. The duo People Under The Stairs did just that—literally. They recorded three critically notable releases, The Next Step, Question in the Form of an Answer, and OST (Original Soundtrack) in a basement bedroom. Moved by their mutual love for and intense knowledge of hip-hop music, they build their characteristic jazzy beats and soulful rhythms from thousands of obscure samples. The two maintain a respected, though low-profile, identity in the underground hip-hop community.
The two members of People Under The Stairs, rappers and deejays Thes One and Double K, met in a Los Angeles record store in 1996. Although the two competing deejays first eyed each other warily, they soon started talking and realized how much they had in common, including a shared passion for vinyl records. "Vinyl is without doubt a wife" to the duo, critic James Poletti commented online at dotmusic, "or maybe more like a harem." Between them, they have more than 15,000 records, which fit into about 100 crates. They store them in various rooms in their respective homes—Double K keeps some of the overflow in his mother’s garage. They so love their record collection that they have thanked their crates on their album liner notes. Both are inspired by their hometown: Los Angeles culture is the most profound influence on the music they make, Thes One said in the interview with Poletti at dotmusic. Thes One also cited as an influence the hip-hop music that came out of the early-to-mid-1990s, including that of groups like D.I.T.C., Beatnuts, Pete Rock, Fellowship, Pharcyde, and Souls of Mischief. "Hip-hop taught me how to love old records and it taught me how to appreciate old music," Thes One said in an interview located online at Spinemagazine. He wryly noted that the fertile period of hip-hop came to an end when enterprising hip-hoppers such as P. Diddy discovered the wealth to be had by churning out hiphop hits.
Also known by their fans as "the P" and "PUTS," the duo is clear that they did not get their moniker from the 1991 Wes Craven horror film of the same name, which neither of them has seen. Rather, they say the name conjures up an appropriate image of them, both figuratively and literally: the former because they are part of an underground music scene and the latter because they do all of their recording downstairs in Thes One’s bedroom. The two are devotedly low-tech, as evidenced by their humble recording studio and their refusal to use such synthetic means as keyboards and synthesizers in their work. Instead, they keep it simple with two turntables, a mixing board, and an eight-track recording system. "It’s professional underground," Double K is quoted as saying in their Om Records biography online. "No matter what we use, we’re never more than a step away from two turntables and a microphone. It’s homemade funk." Although they share all responsibilities on their records, Double K does most of the rapping, and Thes One handles most of the producing. Their lyrics are notoriously humorous and easygoing.
As hip-hoppers went the way of major record labels, expensive cars, and rich lifestyles, however, under-ground hip-hop acts were galvanized into "keeping it real." Motivated in part by that notion, Thes One and Double K began making and recording music together. They hit it off so well, and recorded so prolifically, that it did not take long for them to stack up 12, 60-minute master tapes of material. They had created a dozen hours of music, but they hadn’t a clue what they would do with it. The next step for the pair was to release a full-length album, aptly titled The Next Step, in 1998. They selected material they had recorded over the two previous years, and the result was a critically acclaimed debut effort, which they produced and released themselves. They even pawned some of their recording equipment to bankroll the album’s release.
People Under The Stairs received record contract offers from several record companies based on the underground success of The Next Step. They considered none until San Francisco-based underground music label Om Records offered them a completely hands-off deal. Unlike the other companies’ offers, which promised to devolve into a nightmare of creative control and marketing battles, Om suggested the duo simply keep making music as they had been. "Om basically told us to keep doing what we do," Thes One is quoted as saying at the Om Records website, "and when everything was how we liked it, hand it to them and they’ll
release it. Their complete trust in us made for an [irresistible] offer." People Under The Stairs signed the contract at the end of the summer of 1999.
Question in the Form of an Answer is "occasionally brilliant," Onion A.V. Club critic Nathan Rabin wrote in his online review. Rabin noted the album’s "blissful, gorgeously produced highlights" that include the songs "Zignaflyinblow" and "Youth Explosion." All Music Guide critic Nick Pfeiffer wrote that Question was a "very solid hip-hop album from top to bottom," citing the duo’s beats, which he described as "very on point," and their "creative" rhymes. Both critics agreed that, though the majority of the album’s 22 tracks are notable, the too-long LP could have been edited down, putting more emphasis on the strongest songs. Regardless, dotmusic critic Poletti cited the strength of the duo’s production style as "informed more by their love of dusty records than the urge to bite the latest beats on the block," and declared the album "one of the year’s best hip-hop releases."
The average People Under The Stairs album can contain thousands of samples of other artists’ work. Thes One and Double K are reluctant to name their sources; not all of the samples have been cleared with the original record labels, despite the duo’s efforts. "The publishing companies and the record companies that own this stuff have made it impossible for us to clear it properly," Thes One said in the dotmusic interview. He went on to add that he would be happy to pay the artists directly for their work, but that legal red tape and record company policy often ensure that the artists themselves never see any of that money. As a result, People Under The Stairs face a greater creative challenge. In order to keep themselves out of trouble, they must dig deep to create their beats and use very obscure samples that aren’t easily recognized. Thes One used one sample from a record he found from Peru.
Between releasing Question in the Form of an Answer and touring the United States and Europe to support it, People Under The Stairs found time to release a some-what obscure compilation album, American Men Vol. 1. Typical of the duo’s style, the album contains "tight, jazzy beats littered with classic samples," wrote critic Brad Mills in an All Music Guide review. Mills noted, though, that the apparent use of keyboards and synthesizers on the release was highly uncharacteristic of the pair. Rappers such as Murs, Scarub, and Sam Spade also appear on the work, which Mills felt was not as inspired as People Under The Stairs’ two solo ef-forts. They released their third solo album, OST (Original Soundtrack), on Om in 2002. OST is a "tumultuous and ultimately enjoyable experience," critic Mosi Reeves wrote in a review that appeared in Urb magazine. People Under The Stairs "give fans their uncensored and unedited thoughts, emotions, and aspirations, proving that just because two young hip-hoppers crafting joints in a bedroom studio are content to please no one but themselves and their friends doesn’t mean the rest of the world shouldn’t listen."
Selected discography
The Next Step, PUTS, 1998.
Question in the Form of an Answer, Om, 2000.
American Men Vol. 1, PUTS, 2001.
OST (Original Soundtrack), Om, 2002.
Sources
Periodicals
Entertainment Weekly, June 16, 2000, p. 90.
Music Week, May 25, 2002, p. 26.
Online
"People Under The Stairs," All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (July 2, 2002).
"People Under The Stairs," dotmusic, http://www.dotmusic.com/interviews/May2002/interviews25002.asp (July 2, 2002).
"People Under The Stairs," Om Records, http://www.omrecords.com/artist_bios/puts.html (July 2, 2002).
"People Under The Stairs," RollingStone.com, http://www.rollingstone.com (July 2, 2002).
"People Under The Stairs," Spinemagazine, http://www.spinemagazine.com/music/interviews/puts.html (July 2, 2002). "People Under The Stairs," Urb, http://www.urb.com (July 12, 2002).
"People Under The Stairs: Question in the Form of an Answer" The Onion A.V. Club, http://www.theonionavclub.com/reviews/music/music_p/peopleunderthestairs01.html (July 2, 2002).
Additional information was provided by Om Records publicity materials, 2002.
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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People Under the Stairs
- Genres: Rap
Biography
The underground hip-hop outfit People Under the Stairs was formed by Mike Turner (Double K) and Chris Portugal (Thes One), who met on the fringe of L.A.'s late-'90s hip-hop underground. The duo, devoted to jazzy samples, danceable beats, intricate rhyming skills, and laid-back humor, debuted in 1998 with the acclaimed The Next Step and followed it up in 2000 with Question in the Form of an Answer. Gathering heavy praise and touring with De La Soul, the group took their road experiences and brought it to the studio to record their next album. The final results appeared in the summer of 2002 under the name O.S.T. Busy with individual side projects, the next People Under the Stairs album, Stepfather, didn't come out for another four years. ~ Steve Huey, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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People Under the Stairs
This article is about the band. For the film, see The People Under the Stairs.
| People Under the Stairs | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Website | pl70.net |
| Members | |
| Thes One Double K |
|
People Under the Stairs is a hip hop group from Los Angeles, California formed in 1997 by Thes One and Double K. The group has released eight critically acclaimed full-length albums and performed on every continent except Antarctica. It is estimated that the group has performed well over 1,000 sold out shows at more than 400 venues worldwide. Some of their more recognizable songs include "San Francisco Knights," "Montego Slay," "Los Angeles Daze," and "Acid Raindrops." Much of the group's lyrics relate to life in their hometown of Los Angeles.
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Contents
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History
Formation
While both still attending high school in Mid-City Los Angeles, Thes One and Double K met and quickly started working on music together, laying the foundation for what would become People Under The Stairs. Soon after, while Thes One was attending USC, the duo began recording and performed their first live in-store appearance as a group at the now defunct Beat Non Stop record store on Melrose. A few months later, the group made a roadtrip north to the San Francisco Bay Area, which inspired them to write and record San Francisco Knights, one of their most popular songs to date.
The Next Step
The duo continued performing and recording, and in 1998 used Thes One's student loan funds to release their first 12-inch, entitled "The Next Step pt. 2". 250 copies were pressed, until the stamper at the pressing plant broke, and then 200 more copies were made from a different master without the secret bonus track Live At The Fishbucket which on the first-run appears on the b-side. In the late summer of 1998 the group independently released their first album, entitled The Next Step, which Thes One produced and engineered in its entirety.
That same year, just weeks after the 12-inch was released, the shopkeeper of the now-defunct Mr. Bongo record shop purchased a large number of copies of it for his shop. When he played it on an ordinary day in the store, customers rushed the counter and it sold out within 7 minutes. Seeing the demand, the shopkeeper called Chris Smith, owner of Om Records in San Francisco, and urged him to get in contact with People Under The Stairs. Initially, Smith contacted the group regarding a one-song deal for the Om's compilation albums Deep Concentration and Mushroom Jazz, but upon hearing more material offered the group a 4-album deal.
People Under The Stairs signed with Om Records in 1999 and headed off on their first world tour in late summer of the same year, initially as support for the Deep Concentration project but later that year in Europe as a Solo Act with local openers.
Question in the Form of an Answer
Question In The Form Of An Answer was released in June 2000. The lead 12” single, Youth Explosion, sold the full run of 15,000 copies pressed in its first month, and was not repressed in order to promote the second and third singles The Cat and We’ll Be There – each of which went on to sell 15,000 copies. The album was critically acclaimed for its eclectic and diverse range of beats rooted in Jazz and Psychedelic Rock and P.U.T.S. continued with another set of world tours to support the record, this time adding Japan and Australia to their routing.
Following the release of the second album, Thes One began to coordinate strings of successful world tours for PUTS culminating in performances at the UK’s famous Glastonbury Festival in 2001 alongside Kelis and successful shows at the Reading, Leeds and infamous Essential festival in London where the group was joined with Biz Markie, Ice T, Jeru, Masta Ace and De La Soul on the final Sunday of the festival.
"O.S.T."
In between managing tours and performing, Thes One began producing and engineering the third People Under The Stairs album, which would be released in June 2002 as O.S.T. (Original Soundtrack). Critically acclaimed for its broad musical influences and dead on hip hop sound, songs such as Montego Slay and Acid Raindrops quickly became favorites and helped solidify the group's dedicated worldwide fan base, and it remains a fan favorite to this day.
...Or Stay Tuned
Released in August 2003, ...Or Stay Tuned was the group's final release on Om Records. The album was labeled an EP due to contractual issues but was considered by many, including the group, to be a full-length contribution. The group continued to tour the globe, spending 7–8 months of the year on the road at times.
Stepfather
Thes One continued to tour with PUTS through 2005 and began production on the next PUTS album, Stepfather. He inked a deal for the group with local Los Angeles label Basement Records and coordinated the elaborate deluxe packaging with long time friend Joshua Dunn of design team Secret Pizza Party. Stepfather (2006), PUTS fifth full-length release, was met with critical acclaim and presented a more modern and personal direction for the group. Consisting of Thes One’s turn towards left of center rhythm’s and modern soul and disco, it was his most ambitious production yet, though songs like Tuxedo Rap seemed, at first listen, a simple return to hip-hop’s disco rap roots. The group toured the album in the US throughout that year, taking then unknown rock-rap group Gym Class Heroes as opening act with them.
Stepfather debuted on the Billboard charts May 6, 2006 at #32 on the Heatseaker Chart and #35 on the Independent Albums chart.[1]
Fun DMC
Fun DMC is the sixth studio album by People Under the Stairs, released on Gold Dust Media, a division of Studio !K7. Recorded throughout the summer of 2008, the theme of the album is summertime fun in Los Angeles, and the background and intros/outros of most songs on the album have audio recorded across LA that summer. The name of the album is a homage to Run DMC, and in anticipation of the album the group released the mixtape "Funner than Leather", a play on the Run DMC inspired, Rick Rubin directed film Tougher Than Leather.
After touring extensively throughout Australia from 2004–2007, Thes One and Double K wrote the song "The Wiz" about their travels down under. In summer of 2008 the group worked with director Matt Bird to film the video for The Wiz on location in Sydney. The filming of the video involved underwater cameras, cranes, and a helicopter shot that almost killed both members, and is the group's most elaborate music video to date.
On October 18, 2009 the Fun DMC debut on the Billboard charts as #6 on the Heatseekers List[2] Following a nationwide tour in support of the album, People Under The Stairs celebrated their 10-year anniversary in December 2008 with a sold out show at Los Angeles’ historical El Rey theatre.
In spring of 2011, the group released an dub version of the album that Thes One had made while mixing the album in 2008, available exclusively on their recently launched website.[3]
In February 2009, People Under The Stairs became one of the only independent American music groups to tour China, selling out shows in both Beijing and Shanghai (in excess of 800 people). PUTS, amongst other shows, was confirmed to play the Coachella Music Festival and Bonaroo Music Festival in 2009. Immediately following their performance at Bonaroo, Spin Magazine declared the group's performance] "The Best...Period"[4]
Carried Away
Released on October 13, 2009, Carried Away was the group's seventh album, a testament to the group's unparalleled longevity and relevance in a quickly changing music industry. As explained by The Onion in their AV club review "Carried Away proves that Thes One and Double K will be pumping out sunny, laid-back party anthems long after the Internet memes grow stale".[5] Carried Away debuted at #5 on the iTunes hip hop charts and was featured by iTunes, who noted: "As usual with PUTS, Carried Away is a self-contained effort with no guest producers or MC cameos, just entertaining rhymes and straightforward beatwork dotted with well-placed samples meant to delight hip-hop purists everywhere."[6] Carried Away debuted on the Billboard charts at #23 on the Heatseeker Charts.[7] Fans who had followed the group for years noted in many submitted reviews that the album was a return to classic PUTS material.[8] Though demand to tour the US following the release of Carried Away was strong, PUTS were determined to break new parts of the world and proceeded to tour Brazil and then the southern cape of Africa following the release of the album.[9]
Highlighter
PUTS announced the name of their upcoming eighth album, "Highlighter", live onstage at the Governor's Ball Music Festival in NYC on June 17, 2011. Released on September 29, 2011, PUTS album #8 also is the first album to be commercially released in the HD-AAC format, and is sold directly to fans via their website PL70.net
Features
Both members features on the track 'Shoot Your Shot' from the 2006 album 'Bang For The Buck' by Ugly Duckling
Discography
Albums
- The Next Step (1998)
- Question in the Form of an Answer (2000)
- O.S.T. (2002)
- ...Or Stay Tuned (2003)
- Stepfather (2006)
- Fun DMC (2008)
- Carried Away (2009)
- Highlighter (2011)
EPs
- Question in the Form of an Answer Instrumentals (2000)
- American Men Vol. 1 (2001)
- Stepfather Instrumentals Part 1 (2007)
- Stepfather Instrumentals Part 2 (2008)
- Other Such Tracks (2003)
Compilations
- The Om Years (Favorites, Rarities & B-Sides) (2008)
Singles
- "The Next Step II" (1998)
- "Youth Explosion" (2000)
- "The Cat" (2000)
- "We'll Be There" (2000) (Hot Rap Singles #36)[10]
- "Jappy Jap" (2002)
- "O.S.T. (Original soundtrack)" (2002)
- "Acid Raindrops" (2002)
- "Yield / Out da Club" (2003)
- "Tuxedo Rap" (2006)
- "Pass The 40" (2006)
- "Step Bacc / The Wiz" (2007)
- "Party Enemy #1 / Critical Condition" (2008)
- "Trippin' at the Disco" (2009)
References
- ^ [1] "Stepfather Billboard Chart History"
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/album/people-under-the-stairs/fun-dmc/1176858 "FUN DMC Billboard Chart History"
- ^ http://pl70.net/products/people-under-the-stairs-fun-dmc-dub-version-lost-album/ "Fun DMC Dub Version Download"
- ^ [2] "The Best and Worst of Bonaroo, Spin Magazine June 12th 2009"
- ^ [3] "The Onion AV club reviews Carried Away"
- ^ iTunes review of "Carried Away"
- ^ [4] "Billboard Chart History for Carried Away"
- ^ [5] "Fan Reviews of Carried Away"
- ^ [6] "Live in Capetown, Africa 2009"
- ^ "Singles". Billboard.com. Nielsen Company. http://billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=334198&model.vnuAlbumId=768320. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
External links
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Mentioned in
Question in the Form of an Answer
(2000 Album by People Under the Stairs)
Giant Panda
(Rap Band, 2000s)
Deep Concentration, Vol. 3
(2000 Album by Various Artists)
Stepfather
(2006 Album by People Under the Stairs)
Mushroom Jazz, Vol. 4
(2002 Album by Mark Farina)
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