Stereo MCs

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Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs in concert, August 2006
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Electronica Acid jazz Trip hop House
Years active	1985 – Present
Labels	4th & Broadway Gee Street Records Island Records
Website	Official website

Stereo MCs are an English alternative hip-hop/acid jazz group which formed in 1985. They are best known worldwide for their 1992 single "Connected".

Members

• "The Head" - born Nick Hallam, 11 June 1960, Nottingham, England.
• "Rob B" - born Robert Charles Birch, 11 June 1961, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, England.
• "Owen If" - born Ian Frederick Rossiter, 20 March 1959, Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales.

Biography

Vocalist Rob Birch, and DJ/producer Nick Hallam, founded their Gee Street recording studio and record 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 U.S. R&B chart. At home, the emergent indie dance scene (they supported Happy Mondays in the U.S.), 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 few hip hop outfits to play rock music festivals at the time. These acclaimed live shows paved the way for 1992's breakthrough Connected, a UK Albums 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.

Their most recent album, Double Bubble, was released in July, 2008.

In December 2008 they supported Madness at the O2 Arena in London.

Stereo MCs at the Orange Music Experience Festival, Haifa, 2005-06-29

Song Appearances in the Media

• 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, though the other instrumentation is different, presumably newly written by other musicians for the ads.
• The song "Connected" was used on the soundtrack for the American film, Hackers.
• The song "Connected" is also used as the main title theme for the USA Network Show, "Burn Notice".
• The song "Connected" was also used on the Carphone Warehouse adverts in the 90s.
• The song "Connected" was used as the trailer theme for the movie Blow.
• The song "We Belong In This World Together" was used in a Target television advertisement in 2008.
• The Song "Wake Up" Appeared in the Shopping sound track and on the Compilation of film soundtrack songs Trackspotting.
• The song "We Belong In This World Together" was used in a Telus television advertisement in 2009.

Discography

Albums

• 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 album)
• Paradise (2005)
• Live at the BBC (2008)
• Double Bubble (Stereo MCs album) (2008)

Singles

• "What Is Soul?" (1988)
• "Lyrical Machine" (1989)
• "Elevate My Mind" (1991) #39 US^[1]
• "Lost in Music" (1991)
• "Connected" (1992) #18 UK, #20 US, #5 US Modern Rock
• "Step It Up" (1992) #12 UK, #58 US, #16 US Modern Rock
• "Ground Level" (1993) #19 UK
• "Creation" (1993) #19 UK
• "Deep Down And Dirty" (2001) #17 UK
• "Warhead" (2005)
• "Paradise" (2005)
• "Black Gold" (2008)

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.

Tracklisting

1. "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")
2. "On 33" (samples George Clinton's "Atomic Dog" and Deep Purple's "And The Address")
3. "Bring It On"
4. "Neighbourhood"
5. "Gee Street" (samples Rose Royce's "6 O'Clock DJ")

Audio sample

	The Stereo MCs - Connected excerpt An excerpt from Connected
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

External links

• stereomcs.com - Official site (requires flash)
• britishhiphop.co.uk - The original UK Hip Hop History
• BBC: Stereo MCs biography
• Stereo Mc's Mixtape for The New Worck
• Stereo Mc's Interview Themselves