Biography
"Its been difficult to make music and just ignore all the bullshit that was going on. The real paradise is losing yourself in the music, rolling with it so when you hit that vibe you just keep going, and the problems just fade away."
Rob B, the indomitable front man behind arguably the biggest selling hip hop group the UK has produced to date, is a man ready to let the music do the talking once again. Headline slots at Glastonbury selflessly donated to The Orb, Brit Awards (x2), Mercury Music Prize shortlists and world tours all these are of little relevance to the Stereo MCs today, in 2005, on the cusp of releasing their opus to freedom 'Paradise' on their brand new Graffiti Recordings imprint.
Their journey to this point may be history to the band, but with their fifth studio album now finished, its clearly not to be ignored. Rob Birch and Nick Hallam met in Nottingham in the mid-80s before relocating to London, forming the first incarnation of Stereo MCs and producing debut album '33 45 78' a labour of love that involved hand-making drum loops in the most rudimentary of studios and crafting the blueprint for their sound. It was undoubtedly a raw record, but utterly original, drawing the attention of the likes of the Jungle Brothers who would soon feature in a star turn on the second album 'Supernatural', released in 1990.
By creating a very British take on a very American discipline, influenced as it was by the rising tide of acid house as much as Public Enemy and the early rap pioneers, Stereo MCs had created what no British group had managed before credible Hip Hop from London able to appeal to the masses. Touring their most successful album to date, 1992s No.2-reaching 'Connected', with the likes of U2 and Happy Mondays cemented their position as musical icons of the 90s, and with live shows, celebrated mix albums and increasingly high DJ profiles, it was not until 2001 that the band's fourth LP 'Deep Down and Dirty' was released amidst a whirl of expectation.
Now, from the studio base affectionately referred to as their 'front room' (also coincidentally slap bang on Brixton's frontline, just to give you a less congenial feel), Nick and Rob have conjured yet another beautiful step in their continuing evolution as a band. Retaining their trademark throbbing bass bounce and injecting a healthy dose of soul, its unmistakably a Stereo MCs album but their liberation from the major label shackles has dusted the whole affair in a laid back optimism that was perhaps notable by its absence on their last album Deep Down and Dirty.
"When that record came out in 2001 the whole feeling was very defensive, like any minute the door was going to swing open and ten people were waiting to pounce on us. The expectation was great, and it was hard not to be influenced by it. We were braced and tight, and didn't find ourselves in a position to enjoy what we were doing."
If there's one thing that is certain about the Stereo MCs, they are a band very much influenced by their surroundings, in need of being comfortable within them and in control of them both on an immediate and wider scale. Uprooted for the immediate aftermath of 'Connected', travelling the world and as a result losing their old studio (rudimentary though it was), when it became time to record again, the familiarity and comfort that came with recording on their own turf could not be recreated no matter how much money the label was prepared to spend trying. To the other extreme entirely, with the world we live in becoming a tightening coil of aggression and narrow mindedness, Rob sees this manifested on, and percolating down to, the Brixton streets he walks. It's a feeling of hopelessness he expresses through album opener 'Warhead'.
With its intro taken from a blues track "Black Music For White People", the track was written in the days following Bush Junior's re-election as President. "These people with vast amounts of power radiate a warhead mentality. Of course it will permeate through society and appear in microcosm in your back yard, and unless someone steps in then our kids will just follow that influence regardless. It brings you to your knees, man, and you've just gotta try and keep your head above it all."
It would be easy to take that as following on where the last album left off, but the intention is exactly the opposite. This record is all about challenging people's preconceptions of the Stereo MCs, and the fact that they really don't sound like any other band before or since their 1989 debut '33 45 78' is counting in their favour. Warhead is an opening statement with an attitude that they are keen to convey, but its not dark by any means. It is touching on a certain catchiness without becoming pop. It has an intent and walks a line which feels right for the band.
Thus with the regimented sounds of much of today's pop, R'n'B and rock music, there is a fervent belief that 'Paradise' can once again link the imaginations of a huge cross-section of fans in the same way as 'Connected'. Sure there are modern hip hop records they admire and play in their increasingly diverse DJ sets the 'front room' lays testament to a never ending enthusiasm for beats of all persuasion from Jay-Z to Two Lone Swordsmen but they have avoided what is expected of them, sidestepped the pigeonholes. They just needed the backing of people who shared their vision.
So it began that the idea of putting out the new album on their own label was the solution they had so long sought. With autonomy in the decision process the enjoyment flowed back in and can be felt all over tracks like 'Sun' and 'Float On', where sparkling keys vie with crisp beats and the warmest horns to mesmerising effect. Making music in an environment where they feel comfortable has had a hugely cathartic effect on the band as well as the music bringing Rob and Nick closer again, bringing the soul back to their sound, and making you realise why, after more than 15 years as the Stereo MCs, they are happy just being exactly who they are. Bemused by fame and what it entails but utterly hungry to be heard and to continue making music is that dichotomy from which Rob and Nick suffer. If suffer is the right word
"Today it seems to be all about picking up people and then dropping them back to square one when they have had their moment. There's no nurturing. We were lucky in a way that we were able to tour and develop naturally with no expectations Chris Blackwell was in it because he loved music and wanted to build something genuine."
'Paradise' is the Stereo MCs return to their roots of sorts. Crucially for the band they have rediscovered a place where their enthusiasm can have free reign and organised chaos can bear the fruits of a fifth album that was as enjoyable to create as it is to hear. With a new cast of collaborators helping to extend their circle of influences once more and further diversifying their sound, this is truly the sound of a band both doing it the old fashioned way, and yet progressing greatly as a result.
