Biography
Stereo MCs first LP - ?33 45 78? - was a benchmark not just for UK rap but the entire burgeoning movement, turning on as it did legends like Jungle Brothers to their then roughly-hewn and DIY style (The JBs would arrive for a star turn on second LP ?Supernatural?). When ?Connected? crash landed the charts in 1992 it was clear that their gift for uniting the underground and the masses with hooky singles and energy-rammed live shows had been recognised by the record buying public. In just a handful of couplets Rob could bare his soul, affecting equally your head and your feet, and a million-selling album brought with it Brits awards and world tours. As the mania of the 90s settled, the recording of the follow up album ?Deep Down and Dirty? got under way, a record which proved just how much the Stereo MCs still had to say.With an unbridled optimism once more proliferating their music, the album title speaks volumes for the band?s rejuvenated mindset as they approached the recording of ?Paradise?, and the resulting 12 tracks of sparkling funk will galvanise ardent fans and those coming anew to their sound. Released on their own label Graffiti Records, the opportunity to return to their roots is clearly having a cathartic effect on the band. The limited 12? release of album opener ?Warhead? in May was designed to reignite the buzz of having records out there not just for music buyers but also themselves, and the overwhelmingly positive response from such a diverse array of headz as Laurent Garnier, Richard X, Trevor Jackson and Rob Da Bank was reflected in its much sought-after status. The second track on that 12? - ?First Love? - saw Rob duetting with himself at +8 via a spot of clever technical wizardry in one of the most soulful and reflective tracks they have ever committed to record. Alongside ?The Fear? which features the vocal talents of Stephanie Mckay, these moments of contemplation sit in wonderfully marked contrast to the bouncing horns and funk which shimmer out of tracks like ?Sun?, ?Don?t Know? and the first single proper ?Paradise? set for release on August 8th . ?Prime Time? and ?Set It Off? are set to be future live classics, overflowing with the Stereo?s loose-limbed strut that manages to infuse every one of the 12 tracks.
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