Stereo MC's are an English hip-hop and electronic dance group that formed in Clapham, London, in 1985. They had an international top 20 hit with their single "Connected" and a UK top 20 hit with "Step It Up". After releasing eight albums for Island Records, !K7, Graffiti Recordings, and PIAS, they formed the label Connected with the band Terranova to release their own material and that of other artists within the house/techno/electronic genre.

Career

thumb|Stereo MC's 2005 in Berlin

Rob Birch (vocalist/songwriter) and Nick Hallam (DJ/producer) co-founded the Gee Street recording studio and record label, in 1985 along with Jon Baker and DJ Richie Rich. Part of the finance came from Birch and Hallam's joint receipt of £14,000 from a property developer, on condition they vacated their adjacent flats. 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).

Members

  • Nick Hallam – born 11 June 1960, Nottingham, England.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

|+ List of albums, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="7" | Peak chart<br />positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Certification

|-

! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | UK<br>

! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | AUT

! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | GER

! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | NZ

! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | SWE

! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | SWI

|-

! scope="row" | 33-45-78

|

  • Released: 1989
  • Label: Gee Street

| — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

|-

! scope="row" | Supernatural

|

  • Released: 1990
  • Label: Island

| — || 132 || — || — || — || — || —

|

|-

! scope="row" | Connected

|

  • Released: 1992
  • Label: Fourth & Broadway

| 2 || 86 || 12 || 47 || 33 || 17 || 19

|

  • BPI: Platinum

|-

! scope="row" | Deep Down & Dirty

|

  • Released: 2001
  • Label: Island

| 17 || 58 || 2 || 10 || — || 60 || 20

|

  • BPI: Silver

|-

! scope="row" | Paradise

|

  • Released: 2005

| — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

|-

! scope="row" | Double Bubble

|

  • Released: 2008

| — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

|-

! scope="row" | Emperor's Nightingale

|

  • Released: 2011

| — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|

|}

Compilation albums

  • Retroactive (2002)
  • Live at the BBC (2008)

Other albums

  • DJ-Kicks: Stereo MC's (2000) (Remix album of other artists)

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of singles, with selected chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Title

! colspan="10"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

|- style="font-size:smaller;"

!width="35"|UK<br>

!width="35"|AUS<br>

!width="35"|AUT<br>

!width="35"|BEL<br>(FL)<br>

!width="35"|FRA<br>

!width="35"|NED<br>

!width="35"|NZ<br>

!width="35"|SWE<br>

!width="35"|SWI<br>

!width="35"|US<br>

|-

|rowspan="2"|1988

! scope="row"| "Move It" <small>(with DJ Cesare)</small>

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|align="left"|Single only

|-

! scope="row"| "What is Soul?"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|align="left" rowspan="2"| 33-45-78

|-

|rowspan="2"|1989

! scope="row"| "On 33"

| 94 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Lyrical Machine"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|align="left"|Single only

|-

||1990

! scope="row"| "Elevate My Mind"

| 74 || 154 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || 39

|align="left" rowspan="3"| Supernatural

|-

|rowspan="2"|1991

! scope="row"| "Lost in Music"

| 46 || — || — || — || — || 20 || — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "I'm a Believer" <small>(Continental Europe only)</small>

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

|rowspan="2"|1992

! scope="row"| "Connected"

| 18 || 47 || 5 || 19 || 27 || 54 || 24 || 8 || 6 || 20

|align="left" rowspan="4"| Connected

|-

! scope="row"| "Step It Up"

| 12 || 87 || 12 || 29 || 50 || — || 13 || 8 || — || 58

|-

|rowspan="2"|1993

! scope="row"| "Ground Level"

| 19 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Creation"

| 19 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

|rowspan="2"|2001

! scope="row"| "Deep Down & Dirty"

| 17 || 115 || — || — || — || 98 || — || — || 97 || —

|align="left" rowspan="3"| Deep Down & Dirty

|-

! scope="row"| "We Belong in This World Together"

| 59 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

||2002

! scope="row"| "Running"

| 81 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

|rowspan="3"|2005

! scope="row"| "Warhead"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|align="left" rowspan="3"| Paradise

|-

! scope="row"| "Paradise"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

! scope="row"| "Set It Off"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|-

||2008

! scope="row"| "Black Gold"

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|align="left" | Double Bubble

|-

||2011

! scope="row"| "Boy" <small>(featuring Jamie Cullum)</small>

| — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —

|align="left" | Emperor's Nightingale

|-

| colspan="18" style="font-size:90%"| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released.

|}

See also

  • Timeline of Billboard number-one dance songs
  • List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart

References

  • Official website
  • Britishhiphop.co.uk – The original UK Hip Hop history
  • Stereo Mc's Mixtape for The New Worck
  • Stereo Mc's Interview Themselves