Discussion
President Merkin said:
There is a South bank show (remember that?) documentary you can find on Youtube on Morgan Khan, the founder of Streetsounds, fronted by, of all people, Hugh Laurie & at one point, he climbs into the bath with him for an interview. It is in places, surreal.
I vaguely remember that!If you’re not already aware, there is also a Street Sounds online station (app based), which I only found out about from the FB Street Sounds group. They don’t play much Electro, it’s more about the tunes that influenced the artists.
I diodn't know about that, one to check out. Another part of it I think gets overlooked is the whole look & feel of the scene. Obvs in America, it was heavily influenced around grafitti & the street movement as well as brands like Stussy etc. but here, lots of it was down to Graham Needham the graphic designer who did all (I think) of the Street sounds artwork,
https://www.intj.co.uk/analogous/audio/electro/str...
https://www.intj.co.uk/analogous/audio/electro/str...
1983. I remember we were bored 14 year olds, hanging about in an underpass one Sunday evening. There was nothing that really interested us enough to stay in, and listen to the Top 40 countdown, so we just went out.
Billy Joel - Uptown Girl for instance. No thanks.
Then a mate turned up with a huge ghetto blaster, and said listen to this lads, pressed play, and Electro 1, side one ‘Packman’ belted out.
Our jaws just dropped. What the hell was this?? It was a moment I’ll never forget.
Awesome!
News would come through maybe 6 months later that Electro 2 and so on was being released. We couldn’t wait to our hands on them, and they usually arrived on tapes that had been tape to taped to tape to taped (if you were there you’ll know), so the quality would be a bit crap, but it added to the mystique and the excitement.
It was a magical time, that’s for sure!
Billy Joel - Uptown Girl for instance. No thanks.
Then a mate turned up with a huge ghetto blaster, and said listen to this lads, pressed play, and Electro 1, side one ‘Packman’ belted out.
Our jaws just dropped. What the hell was this?? It was a moment I’ll never forget.
Awesome!
News would come through maybe 6 months later that Electro 2 and so on was being released. We couldn’t wait to our hands on them, and they usually arrived on tapes that had been tape to taped to tape to taped (if you were there you’ll know), so the quality would be a bit crap, but it added to the mystique and the excitement.
It was a magical time, that’s for sure!
When I think of those times, it's all Phil Collins, Queen, Wham, David Bowie, U2 etc. in my head. Nothing against any of those but I still think we were onto something way cooler, I suspect anyone into stuff below the mainstream radar thinks that way.
15 year old me's first ever gig was Run DMC doing a matinee show at the Electric Ballroom. I think I told my mum I was off playing football & four of us legged it to Camden. I can still remember that show in vivid detail.
15 year old me's first ever gig was Run DMC doing a matinee show at the Electric Ballroom. I think I told my mum I was off playing football & four of us legged it to Camden. I can still remember that show in vivid detail.
I can’t believe this hasn’t been mentioned yet.
https://youtu.be/jhapFllXWzI?si=f_S7svxI-CdByKn9
https://youtu.be/jhapFllXWzI?si=f_S7svxI-CdByKn9
Edited by Notch 8 on Sunday 21st April 11:44
Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff