Search Results for "Megan Frampton"

“A happy face, a thumpin’ bass, for a lovin’ race.” Such was the credo of Jazzie B (Beresford Romeo), radio/club-DJ-turned-record-producer-cum-cultural entrepreneur (Soul II Soul’s first decisive step, in 1982, was opening a clothing/records shop in Camden; the group also produced a fashion line). Never actually a group, Soul II Soul — whose roots were in…

Neneh Cherry created her own post-hip-hop world — as imagined by a strong, sexy woman unafraid to combine the contrasting methodologies of stripped-down new wave disco and rap. Although Cherry is not particularly skilled as a vocalist, her sass and confidence are so omnipresent they’re practically another musician. Her background — both musical (she began…

That avant-garde industrial dance music produced by Belgian art terrorists could compete in the early-’90s American mainstream says much for the progress of the digital beat through the ’80s. While Front 242’s early records (best exemplified by their debut album, Geography) were firmly rooted in the clinically crisp synthesized sound of Kraftwerk and Cabaret Voltaire,…

Rap groups that manage to be both tough and smart are rare, but Brooklyn’s Gang Starr is both. Rapper Guru (Keith Elam) and DJ Premier (Chris Martin) are both perfectionists, with scholars’ dedication to the study and lifestyle of hip-hop. Although both have successfully pursued other projects — Guru has released two albums under the…

Downtown New York denizens Deee-Lite burst onto the club scene with, ironically, the B-side of their first single. “Groove Is in the Heart,” a deliciously frilly, funky dance song, enchanted modern-day clubbers in every major American city. Thus propelled, the colorful trio — Russian émigré Super DJ Dmitry Brill, Japanese-born Towa Tei and the striking…

Born and raised in Bristol, England, the Massive Attack collective is responsible for summoning up the spooky, clubby and groovy sound made most popular by another Bristol band, Portishead. Spawned in 1987 from the Wild Bunch, a group of musicians — including Neneh Cherry and Nellee Hooper (subsequent leader of Soul II Soul) — who…

Richard Melville Hall wears many different brightly colored hats; a list of his characteristics reads like outlandish fiction. This born-again Christian vegan who doesn’t even kill the cockroaches in his New York City loft creates amazing techno, soul and jungle music. But he began his musical career as a hardcore punk in Connecticut’s Vatican Commandos…

The convoluted adventures of the musically fascinating Tackhead collective began when the members of New Jersey disco/rap label Sugar Hill’s house band — Keith LeBlanc (drums, percussion, keyboards), Doug Wimbish (bass) and Skip McDonald (guitar) — collided with British dub producer Adrian Sherwood. In addition to working with Mark Stewart and releasing singles as Fats…

The Brand New Heavies is one of the few recent hybrids able to break down once-daunting genre boundaries and still outlive the glare of media fascination. Boasting a genuine cultural mixture (Britons and Americans, whites and blacks, men and women) in its ranks, the London-based group plays a groovy meld of ’70s funk, rare groove…

Ever-changing and always challenging, London’s Wolfgang Press is one of the most enigmatic groups on a generally enigmatic label. Probably better-known for their stylish Alberto Ricci record covers than their music, the trio comprises Michael Allen (vocals/bass) and Mark Cox (keyboards) — both of whom had been in Rema Rema with Adam Ant collaborator Marco…