Stereo MC's are a British hip hop/electronic dance group which formed in Clapham, London, in 1985.[1] They had an international Top 20 hit with their single "Connected". After releasing eight albums for Island Records, K7, Graffiti Recordings, and Pias, they formed the label Connected[2] with Terranova to release their own material and that of other artists within the house/techno/electronic medium.

Stereo MC's 2005 in Berlin
Vocalist Rob Birch and disc jockey (DJ)/producer Nick Hallam founded their Gee Street recording studio and record label with money they were given to leave their London flat[1] and, dispensing with using a backing band, travelled to early gigs on public transport.[3]

As Birch & Hallam they recorded two synth-pop singles in 1983: 'What You Say' and 'Pray For Me', both released on the A&M label.[4]

When Gee Street attracted the attention of 4th & Broadway, they recorded the debut Stereo MCs' album, 33-45-78 (1989), on a shoestring budget with DJ Cesare, drummer Owen If and backing vocalist Cath Coffey.[1] In 1990, "Elevate My Mind" by the Stereos was the first British hip hop single to reach the United States R&B record chart.[3] Having supported the Happy Mondays on a US tour, in the emerging UK alternative dance scene, it took an alliance with the Jungle Brothers to ensure chart success for Supernatural (1990).[1] Remix work for U2 and Queen Latifah followed.[3]

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.[3] 1992's mainstream breakthrough Connected, a UK Albums Chart #2, contained the hit singles "Connected", "Step It Up", "Creation", and "Ground Level", and won them BRIT Awards for Best Group and Best Album.[1] Hallam and Birch then created the music-publishing firm Spirit Songs, which signed Finley Quaye.[3]

However, the follow-up to Connected did not appear for almost a decade. Further remix duties for Madonna ("Frozen") and the Jungle Brothers ("Jungle Brother") in 1998 kept the Stereo MCs' name in the limelight.[3] Madonna went on to use the "Frozen" remix on her 2001 Drowned World Tour.[citation needed]

In 2000, they released a Disc Jockey mix for Studio !K7's DJ-Kicks series and remixed another song for Madonna ("Music"). The following year saw the release of Deep Down & Dirty, followed by a tour including slots opening for the recently re-united Jane's Addiction.

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 supported Madness at the O2 Arena in London

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