Stereo MC's | |
|---|---|
 Stereo MC's inconcert, August 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Clapham, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members | Nick Hallam Rob Birch Cath Coffey Tansay Omar |
| Past members | Owen If |
| Website | Official website |
Stereo MC's are an Englishhip-hop andelectronic dance group that formed inClapham, London, in 1985.[1] They had an internationaltop 20 hit with their single "Connected" and a UK top 20 hit with "Step It Up". After releasing eight albums forIsland Records,!K7, Graffiti Recordings, andPIAS, they formed the label Connected with the bandTerranova to release their own material and that of other artists within the house/techno/electronic genre.[2]
Rob Birch (vocalist/songwriter) and Nick Hallam (DJ/producer) co-founded theGee Street recording studio and record label, in 1985 along withJon Baker and DJ Richie Rich.[3][4] Part of the finance came from Birch and Hallam's joint receipt of £14,000 from a property developer, on condition they vacated their adjacent flats.[3]
When Gee Street attracted the attention of4th & Broadway, they recorded the debut Stereo MCs' studio album,33-45-78 (1989), on a shoestring budget with DJ Cesare.[3] Drummer Owen If and backing vocalistCath Coffey joined the group for theSupernatural LP.[1] In 1990, "Elevate My Mind" was the first British hip hop single to reach the USBillboardR&Bchart.[3][5] Having supported theHappy Mondays on a US tour, in the emerging UKalternative dance scene, it took an alliance with theJungle Brothers to ensure chart success forSupernatural (1990).[1]Remix work forU2 andQueen Latifah followed.[5]
Their live band included singers Andrea Bedassie and Verona Davis,[1] and they were one of the few hip hop outfits to play at rock music festivals at the time.[5] 1992's mainstream breakthroughConnected, a number 2 success in theUK Albums Chart, contained the hit singles "Connected", "Step It Up", "Creation", and "Ground Level", and won them 1994Brit Awards for Best Group and Best Album.[1] Hallam and Birch then created the music-publishing firm Spirit Songs, which signedFinley Quaye.[5]
However, the follow-up toConnected did not appear for almost a decade. Further remix duties forMadonna ("Frozen"),Tricky ("Makes Me Wanna Die" Weekend Mix), and theJungle Brothers ("Jungle Brother") in 1998 kept the Stereo MCs' name in the limelight.[5] Madonna went on to use the "Frozen" remix on her 2001Drowned World Tour.[citation needed]
In 2000, they released a Disc Jockey mix forStudio !K7'sDJ-Kicks series and remixed another song for Madonna ("Music"). The following year saw the release ofDeep Down & Dirty, followed by a tour including slots opening for the recently reunitedJane's Addiction.[citation needed]
Their sixth studio album,Double Bubble, was released in July 2008, followed by their seventh,Emperor's Nightingale, in August 2011. In December 2008, they supportedMadness at theO2 Arena in London.[citation needed]
Drummer Owen If died on 10 July 2022, at the age of 63.[6]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certification | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [7] | AUS [8][9] | AUT | GER | NZ | SWE | SWI | |||
| 33-45-78 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Supernatural |
| — | 132 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Connected |
| 2 | 86 | 12 | 47 | 33 | 17 | 19 |
|
| Deep Down & Dirty |
| 17 | 58 | 2 | 10 | — | 60 | 20 |
|
| Paradise |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Double Bubble |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Emperor's Nightingale |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10][7] | AUS [8] | AUT [11] | BEL (FL) [12] | FRA [13] | NED [14] | NZ [15] | SWE [16] | SWI [17] | US [18] | ||||||||
| 1988 | "Move It"(with DJ Cesare) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Single only | |||||
| "What is Soul?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33-45-78 | ||||||
| 1989 | "On 33" | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Lyrical Machine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Single only | ||||||
| 1990 | "Elevate My Mind" | 74 | 154 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | Supernatural | |||||
| 1991 | "Lost in Music" | 46 | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "I'm a Believer"(Continental Europe only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1992 | "Connected" | 18 | 47 | 5 | 19 | 27 | 54 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 20 | Connected | |||||
| "Step It Up" | 12 | 87 | 12 | 29 | 50 | — | 13 | 8 | — | 58 | |||||||
| 1993 | "Ground Level" | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Creation" | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2001 | "Deep Down & Dirty" | 17 | 115 | — | — | — | 98 | — | — | 97 | — | Deep Down & Dirty | |||||
| "We Belong in This World Together" | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2002 | "Running" | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2005 | "Warhead" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Paradise | |||||
| "Paradise" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Set It Off" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2008 | "Black Gold" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Double Bubble | |||||
| 2011 | "Boy"(featuringJamie Cullum) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Emperor's Nightingale | |||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
