On Friday, May 9th at 10:30 am, Massari speaks with Rob Birch (Rob B) of globally revered Hip-Hop/Electronic dance pioneers, Stereo MC’s, ahead of their show at New Parish in Oakland on May 15th.
Lock in to hear their conversation, which touches on everything from The Stereo MC’s place in dance music history to the process of music production, radio, their first US tour since 2001, and so much more.
Stereo MC’s are best known for their international Top 20 hit single, ‘Connected,’ which was released in 1992 and was the title track of their album the same year, reaching #2 in the UK Album Chart. The album also contained the hits ‘Step It Up,’ ‘Creation,’ and ‘Ground Level,’ leading to the group winning two Brit Awards for Best Group and Best Album in 1994.
Being childhood friends and neighbors, Rob B and Nick Hallam formed Stereo MC’s in the mid-eighties. Their combined love of early hip-hop, funk, and electronic music inspired the pair to make music.
Rob says, “The summer of 1992 saw us finish our 3rd LP, Connected, which we toured solidly for about 18 months after its release. It was a big success for us and everybody involved and was a beautiful moment in our development. Navigating our way through the aftermath of over-touring fatigue and life catching up with you was challenging, and for a while, the creative spark was hard to find, so we went into recluse mode and built our own studio again so we could get out of the music biz domain.”
Stereo MC’s were in demand for remix work from the likes of U2, Madonna, Tricky, Pressure Drop, David Holmes, Terranova, and Mo’Wax Records, as well as earlier mixes for The Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, and RZA.
They have continued their long relationship with club music, starting the label Connected in 2015, initially to release their own new music while also releasing other artists. They have since become established in the ever-popular Afro-House genre. They have also collaborated with some of the biggest current names in house music via releases with Adam Port, Keinemusik, and Stil Vor Talent and have featured guest spots with Re.You, Anja Schneider, Fred Everything, and many others.
Photo: Julia Khoroshilov
