Mantronix
Encyclopedia
- For the game, see Mantronix (video game)Mantronix (video game)Mantronix is an isometric 3D arcade adventure game released by Probe in for the Sinclair Spectrum.- Plot :The year is 2001 A.D. and four planetary criminals are hiding from the law on the planet Zybor. The bounty hunter robot "Mantronix" has been sent to find and eliminate them.- Gameplay :The...
Mantronix was an influential 1980s hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and electro funk
Electro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
music group founded by DJ Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel), and rapper MC Tee
MC Tee
Touré Embden , known by the stage name MC Tee, is a Haitian-American emcee and co-founder of the 1980s old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix.- Early years :...
(Touré Embden). Mantronix underwent several genre
Music genre
A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...
(and line-up) changes during its 7-year existence (1984–1991), from old school hip hop
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
to electro funk
Electro-hop
Electro hop is the fusion of electro, electroclash, electropop, electronica, or electronic dance music with hip hop. The music usually has dancing in mind, however some forms of the music are electronica...
to house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, but the group is primarily remembered for its original, heavily synthesized
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
blend of old school hip-hop and electro funk.
Early years: 1984–1988
Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel), a JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
, began experimenting with electro music in the early 1980s, inspired by early electro tracks like "Riot in Lagos" (1980) by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Sakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while Takahashi recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the Sadistic Mika Band...
's Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
. In 1984, while working as the in-store DJ for Downtown Records in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Kurtis Mantronik met MC Tee, a Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an-born, Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
-based rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
(and regular record store customer). The duo soon made a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, "Fresh Is The Word," and eventually signed with William Socolov's Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records
Sleeping Bag Records is a defunct New York City-based old school hip hop and dance music independent record label that operated from 1981 to 1992...
.
Mantronix: the Album
Mantronix's debut single, "Fresh Is the Word," was a club hit in 1985, reaching #16 on Billboard Magazine'sBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales
Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...
chart, and was featured on Mantronix: The Album which was released the same year.
Mantronix's efforts on Mantronix: the Album and its effect on early hip hop and electronic music is perhaps best summed up by music critic Omar Willey's observation in 2000:
The influence of Mantronix: The Album is seen among other artists through the sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of "Needle To The Groove" by Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
in the single "Where It's At
Where It's At
"Where It's At" is the first single from Beck's 1996 album, Odelay. Beck wrote the song in 1995. He premiered it at Lollapalooza 1995, in a version very similar to its incarnation on Odelay...
" from the 1996 album, Odelay
Odelay
Odelay is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock artist Beck, originally released on June 18, 1996, by DGC Records.After the mainstream success of "Loser", Odelay featured several hit singles, including "Where It's At", "Devils Haircut", and "The New Pollution"...
("we've got two turntables and a microphone..."), as well as, "Fresh Is The Word" by the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
in the single "Jimmy James
Jimmy James (song)
"Jimmy James" is the first song and third single from Beastie Boys' third album Check Your Head. The song has been described as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix by Beastie Boys member MCA, and contains samples from several Hendrix songs including "Foxy Lady", "Happy Birthday", and "Still Raining, Still...
" from the 1992 album, Check Your Head
Check Your Head
Check Your Head is the third studio album by the Beastie Boys, released on April 21, 1992.Three years elapsed between the release of Paul's Boutique and their recording of this album. Check Your Head was recorded at the G-Son Studios in Atwater Village, California in 1991...
("for all the Blacks, Puerto Ricans, and the White people too...") The Beastie Boys later sampled "Bassline" for the song "3 the Hard Way" on their 2004 album
2004 in music
See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
To the 5 Boroughs
To the 5 Boroughs
To the 5 Boroughs is the sixth studio album by the Beastie Boys. The album was released on June 14, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States. The album debuted #1 on the Billboard 200 with 360,000 copies sold in its first week...
.
Music Madness
Mantronix's second album, Music MadnessMusic Madness
Music Madness is the second album by old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix. Music Madness was the final Mantronix album released on the independent Sleeping Bag Records label.-Track listing:# "Who Is It?" – 6:05...
, was released in 1986. While MC Tee's rhyming style
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
on the album continued in the traditional b-boy fashion of the times, Mantronik's club-oriented production and mixing in Music Madness tended to attract more electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
and electro funk aficionados than hardcore hip-hop fans. During this period, while Mantronix was signed to Sleeping Bag Records, Mantronik was employed by the label in their A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
Department, while also producing
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
other artists and groups, including Just-Ice
Just-Ice
Just-Ice A former bouncer at punk clubs, Ice was one of the first of the New York MCs to embrace hardcore rap, and when he burst out of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, as Just-Ice, he gained instant notoriety. Muscle-bound, tattooed, aggressive—he resembled Mike Tyson in more than just looks—and with a...
, T La Rock
T La Rock
Clarence "Terry" Ronnie Keaton , known by the stage name T La Rock, is an American old-school emcee best known for his collaboration with Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin and the 1984 single "It's Yours." He disappeared from the hip hop scene after a traumatic brain injury in 1994, but as...
, Nocera
Nocera (singer)
Maria Nocera , known by her stage names, Nocera or DJ Nocera, is a Sicilian-born American club DJ, trip hop, pop, and freestyle singer...
, and Joyce Sims
Joyce Sims
Joyce Sims is an American singer-songwriter. Her biggest hit single was "Come into My Life," which reached top-10 status in both the US Billboard R&B chart and the UK Singles Chart in 1987/8....
.
In Full Effect
Mantronix signed with Capitol RecordsCapitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in 1987, in what was one of the first 7-figure deals for a hip-hop group, and released In Full Effect
In Full Effect
In Full Effect is the third album by old school hip hop-electro funk group Mantronix, and the first Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. In Full Effect was the highest charting hip-hop album for Mantronix, reaching #18 on the 1988 Billboard Magazine Top R&B Albums chart. In Full Effect was...
in 1988, which, according to the liner notes, was the first album to be mastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
from DAT
Digital Audio Tape
Digital Audio Tape is a signal recording and playback medium developed by Sony and introduced in 1987. In appearance it is similar to a compact audio cassette, using 4 mm magnetic tape enclosed in a protective shell, but is roughly half the size at 73 mm × 54 mm × 10.5 mm. As...
instead of reel-to-reel tape. The album continued in and expanded on the hip-hop/electro funk/dance music vein of its predecessor, eventually reaching #18 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart, Mantronix's highest showing for an album. In Full Effect marked the last Mantronix album with rapper MC Tee
MC Tee
Touré Embden , known by the stage name MC Tee, is a Haitian-American emcee and co-founder of the 1980s old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix.- Early years :...
, who left the group to enlist in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
Later era: 1989–1991
This Should Move Ya
Following the departure of MC Tee, rapper Bryce "Luvah" WilsonBryce Wilson
Bryce Wilson also formerly known as Bryce Luvah, is a record label executive/producer, actor, musician, and former emcee. He was formerly half of late 1990s contemporary R&B duo Groove Theory, and emcee/keyboardist for early 1990s dance music/electro funk/old school hip hop group Mantronix.-...
and Mantronik's cousin D.J. D
D.J. D
D.J. D, or alternatively, D.J. Dee, was an American DJ and briefly a member of the old school hip hop/electro funk/dance music group Mantronix during the group's later years. D.J...
joined Mantronix for 1990's This Should Move Ya
This Should Move Ya
This Should Move Ya is the fourth album by old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix, and the second Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. This Should Move Ya featured new members Bryce “Luvah” Wilson and Kurtis Mantronik’s cousin D.J...
. Mantronik met Wilson, a fellow Sleeping Bag Records label mate, while doing production for Wilson's aborted solo project.
The album spawned two top-10 hits on the British singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, "Got To Have Your Love
Got to Have Your Love
"Got to Have Your Love" is a song by American old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix that was released as a single in 1990. It was taken from their fourth studio album This Should Move Ya. The original song featured Wondress as a vocalist. The single reached number four in the UK Singles...
" at #4, and "Take Your Time (featuring vocalist Wondress
Wondress Hutchinson
Wondress Hutchinson, also known as, Wondress, is an American electronic dance music and jazz fusion singer who has worked with old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix .In 1995, Hutchinson sang background vocals for jazz...
)" at #10. In the United States, the album reached #61 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
In a 1991 interview, Kurtis Mantronik commented on the commercial success of "Got to Have Your Love":
The Incredible Sound Machine
Mantronix's final release, with vocalist Jade TriniJade Trini Goring
Jade Trini Goring , formerly known by the stage name Jade Trini, is an American contemporary gospel music singer. Goring was also briefly a member of the electronic dance/house music/old school hip hop group, Mantronix, in 1991....
replacing D.J. D, was The Incredible Sound Machine
The Incredible Sound Machine
The Incredible Sound Machine is the fifth, and final, album by old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix, and the third Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. The Incredible Sound Machine featured new member, vocalist Jade Trini, who replaced D.J. D...
in 1991. Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
singer/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Angie Stone
Angie Stone
Angie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
co-wrote seven of the eleven tracks that appeared on The Incredible Sound Machine. The Incredible Sound Machine, which tended to favor R&B, new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
, and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
over hip hop, was considered both a critical and commercial disappointment.
Shortly after a Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tour and promotion related to the release of The Incredible Sound Machine, the group disbanded, and Mantronik left the music industry altogether for seven years.
Kurtis Mantronik resurfaced in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the late 1990s, producing house-
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and techno-music artists, and remains active in pop-oriented electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
.
Albums
| Album information |
|---|
| Mantronix: The Album Mantronix: The Album - Track listing :# "Bassline" – 5:26# "Needle to the Groove" – 3:41# "Mega-Mix" – 5:35# "Hardcore Hip-Hop" – 6:18# "Ladies" – 6:55...
|
| Music Madness Music Madness Music Madness is the second album by old school hip hop and electro funk group Mantronix. Music Madness was the final Mantronix album released on the independent Sleeping Bag Records label.-Track listing:# "Who Is It?" – 6:05... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
| In Full Effect In Full Effect In Full Effect is the third album by old school hip hop-electro funk group Mantronix, and the first Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. In Full Effect was the highest charting hip-hop album for Mantronix, reaching #18 on the 1988 Billboard Magazine Top R&B Albums chart. In Full Effect was... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
| This Should Move Ya This Should Move Ya This Should Move Ya is the fourth album by old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix, and the second Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. This Should Move Ya featured new members Bryce “Luvah” Wilson and Kurtis Mantronik’s cousin D.J... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : Gold Got to Have Your Love "Got to Have Your Love" is a song by American old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix that was released as a single in 1990. It was taken from their fourth studio album This Should Move Ya. The original song featured Wondress as a vocalist. The single reached number four in the UK Singles... ", "Take Your Time (featuring Wondress Wondress Hutchinson Wondress Hutchinson, also known as, Wondress, is an American electronic dance music and jazz fusion singer who has worked with old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix .In 1995, Hutchinson sang background vocals for jazz... )" |
| The Incredible Sound Machine The Incredible Sound Machine The Incredible Sound Machine is the fifth, and final, album by old school hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix, and the third Mantronix album released on Capitol Records. The Incredible Sound Machine featured new member, vocalist Jade Trini, who replaced D.J. D... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
Compilation albums
| Album information |
|---|
| The Best of Mantronix (1986-1988) The Best of Mantronix (1986-1988) The Best of Mantronix is a compact disc and vinyl record compilation album by hip hop/electo funk group, Mantronix. The album was released on the Ten record label in 1990....
|
| The Best of Mantronix 1985-1999 The Best of Mantronix 1985-1999 The Best of Mantronix 1985–1999 is a compact disc compilation album by hip hop/electo funk group, Mantronix. The album was released on the Virgin Records label on March 15, 1999.... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
| That's My Beat That's My Beat That's My Beat is a compilation album by hip hop/electo funk musician, Kurtis Mantronik and features tracks selected by Mantronik and cited as influences to his work with his hip hop/electro funk group Mantronix... 2002 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
| Remixed & Rare Remixed & Rare Remixed & Rare is a compact disc compilation album by old school hip hop/electo funk group, Mantronix. The album was released on the EMI label on May 25, 2004.-Track listing:... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
| The Ultra Selection
RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
External links
- Mantronix at soulmovement.nl
- [ AllMusic.com Biography - Mantronix]
- Discogs Profile - Mantronix