This selection is the third C60 mixtape of some of the freshest sounds from the spring and summer of 1984. A time of B-Boys and B-Girls, Fresh MCs, Graffiti artists, Body Poppers, DJs cutting and scratching on the wheels of steel, Streetsounds Electro compilations, 808 and DMX Drum machines, when Hip hop was the culture and Electro was the music.
The music marketed as ‘Electro’ in the UK from 1983 was a blend of early rap, synth pop, funk, R’n’B instrumentals, and experiments with turntables, drum machines, sequencers and synthesisers. Electro was sold as the soundtrack for the Hip Hop activities of breakdancing, body popping, graffiti art, scratch dj-ing and MC-ing.
By 1986 most Electro producers had moved on to work in the growing rap, house, techno and pop industries, leaving behind a few years of space-themed funk tracks, B-boy throw downs, inner-city chronicles and electronic gimmicks; drenched in vocoder, rough raps and loud drum machines. Glorious, disposable music, shared on import 12-inch vinyl and cassette tape, that evaded chart exposure and could only be heard on the dance floor or through the sporadic emissions of pirate radio station tower block transmitters.
So, pause buttons at the ready, dust down your tracksuit, lay down some Lino, crank up the Boombox and let’s dance.
TRACKLISTING
Electro Tapes Theme by Shax Down Crew
Techno City by Cybotron
Mechanism by Jonzun Crew
Hard Rock by Herbie Hancock
Request Line (vocal) by Rock Master Scott And The Dynamic Three
See The Light / Feel The Heat (Dub Version) by Air Force 1
Three People (Nude Below The Waist) (Super Scratch Mix) by Tyrants In Therapy
Get It Off (Dub) by Trans Lux
Come On, Come On (Don’t Say Maybe) by NYC Peech Boys
Lipservice by Beatmaster
Sensoria by Cabaret Voltaire
Slack (Funhouse Mix) by Slack
When Love Surges (Dub) by Jules Shear
Radio Activity Syndrome (Club Version) by Arcade Gang Feat. Rich Cason
We Come To Rock (We Dub To Scratch Mix) by Imperial Brothers
Future Beat by DJ Flash, Future MCs
Jam on it by Newcleus
Release Yourself (Dub) by Aleem ft. Leroy Burgess
Don’t want you to be by Rama
I Cry (Night After Night) by The Egyptian Lover
All tracks have been edited for this mix.
First broadcast on Radio Reverb, 97.2FM and DAB, Brighton, UK on 7th March 2021.
The Groove Electro Charts referred to in this series can be found at the excellent website: www.mikeallencapitalradio.com