Stereo MC's
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1985 in Clapham, London, England |
| Founder | Rob Birch, Nick Hallam |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Hip-hop and electronic dance music albums and singles |
Number of employees | 4 (members) |
| Website | www |
Stereo MC's is a British group specializing in hip-hop and electronic dance, originating from Clapham, London, in 1985. They gained worldwide recognition with their top 20 single "Connected" and also secured a spot in the UK top 20 with "Step It Up". Across their career, they have released eight albums through various labels such as Island Records, !K7, Graffiti Recordings, and PIAS. Together with the band Terranova, they established the Connected label to distribute their own material as well as house, techno, and electronic music from other artists.
Career
In 1985, Rob Birch (vocalist and songwriter) and Nick Hallam (DJ and producer) co-established the Gee Street recording studio and label alongside Jon Baker and DJ Richie Rich, supported partly by an investment of £14,000 from a property developer. Gee Street attracted the attention of 4th & Broadway, which facilitated Stereo MC's debut album 33-45-78 (1989), created on a limited budget with DJ Cesare’s production. Drummer Owen If and backing vocalist Cath Coffey joined the lineup for the Supernatural release. In 1990, their track "Elevate My Mind" became the first British hip hop single to enter the US Billboard Hot R&B chart. Touring the US as support for Happy Mondays and working alongside the Jungle Brothers contributed to the commercial success of Supernatural. Additionally, they earned remix credits for artists such as U2 and Queen Latifah.
Their live performances included vocalists Andrea Bedassie and Verona Davis, distinguishing them as one of the few hip hop groups appearing at rock festivals during that era. The 1992 album Connected, which peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, featured hit singles like "Connected" and "Step It Up". This success led to winning two Brit Awards in 1994 for Best Group and Best Album. Subsequently, Birch and Hallam founded Spirit Songs, a music publishing company that signed artist Finley Quaye.
After Connected, new studio albums were postponed for almost ten years; however, remix projects for performers including Madonna ("Frozen"), Tricky, and the Jungle Brothers maintained their visibility. Madonna incorporated their remix of "Frozen" into her 2001 Drowned World Tour setlist.
In 2000, Stereo MC's produced a DJ mix for Studio !K7’s DJ-Kicks series and provided a remix for Madonna's "Music". Their sixth album, Double Bubble, was released in July 2008, followed by Emperor's Nightingale in August 2011. They also opened for Madness at London's O2 Arena in December 2008.
Drummer Owen If died on 10 July 2022 at age 63.
Members
- Nick Hallam – born 11 June 1960 in Nottingham, England.
- 'Rob B' – Robert Charles Birch, born 11 June 1961 in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, England.
- 'Owen If' – Ian Frederick Rossiter, born 20 March 1959 in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales; died 10 July 2022 in Newport, Wales.
- Cath Coffey – Catherine Muthomi Coffey, born circa 1965 in Eldoret, Kenya.
Studio albums
| Album Title | Details | Highest chart positions |
Certification | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | 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 |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Compilation albums
- Retroactive (2002)
- Live at the BBC (2008)
Other albums
- DJ-Kicks: Stereo MC's (2000) (Remix collection)
Singles
| Release Year | Single Title | Highest chart positions | Associated Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | AUT | BEL (FL) | FRA | NED | NZ | SWE | SWI | US | |||
| 1988 | "Move It" (feat. DJ Cesare) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "What is Soul?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33-45-78 | |
| 1989 | "On 33" | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Lyrical Machine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| 1990 | "Elevate My Mind" | 74 | 154 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | Supernatural |
| 1991 | "Lost in Music" | 46 | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | |
| "I'm a Believer" (Europe-exclusive) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | |||
| "115"|–|"–"|–|"98"|–|"–""97""|"–" | ||||||||||||
| –|"–"|–|"–"|–|"–"|–|"–"|– | ||||||||||||
| –|"–"|–|"–"|–|"–"|–|"–"|– | ||||||||||||
| align=left rowspan=3|'Paradise' | ||||||||||||
| - | ||||||||||||
| - | ||||||||||||
| align=left|'Double Bubble' | ||||||||||||
| "———————
-|align=left|'Emperor's Nightingale' | ||||||||||||
See also
- Chronology of Billboard chart-topping dance tracks
- Artists achieving number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart