Da Subwayz Selectionz: Coldcut: Beats + Pieces

Ahead Of Our Time: Coldcut Beats + Pieces

During the mid part of the 80's I was listening to a lot of hip hop. Through messing around with the family radiogram I discovered a syndicated hip hop radio show hosted by Mike Allen that broadcast every Friday evening. There was music by artists like Mantronix, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Ice T, Roxanne Shante, UTFO and many more hip hop trailblazers!

Mike Allen's Radio Show

One such show featured an exclusive premiere of a UK track called 'Beats + Pieces' by Matt Black and Jonathon More, who went by the name of Coldcut (featuring The Floormaster Squeeze on Beats + Pieces) on their own record label Ahead Of Our Time. Beats + Pieces sounded absolutely amazing. There were lots of edits used throughout the song, featuring a blend of breaks, vocal samples and musical styles that sounded new and innovative.

Coldcut: Beats + Pieces

I purchased my copy of Beats + Pieces in 1987. (from a record shop in Worcester called Revolver, which later became HMV, and is now Superdrug on the corner of the High Street) Ironically Mike Allen's hip hop show ceased broadcasting in 1987. However the legacy of Mike Allen's radio show lives on, and remains a vital piece in the the building blocks of hip hop music around London and throughout the UK.

Coldcut: That Greedy Beat

Coldcut also went on to bigger and better things. They have hosted their own influential radio show called Solid Steel for over 25 years, have had chart success in their own right, and in collaborations with Junior Reid, Lisa Stansfield, Yazz and many more artists, plus quite a few of remixes, including the seminal remix of Paid In Full by Eric B & Rakim.

Eric B And Rakim: Paid in Full
(Seven Minutes of Madness - The Coldcut Remix)

Matt Black and Jonathon More founded another record label in 1990 called Ninja Tune. The purpose of this record label was to give a platform for experimental underground dance music without the corporate interference which they had experienced from major labels in their past recording history. To this day Ninja Tune is still going strong, and has a diverse back catalogue of influential artists who have defined the underground dance music of every genre over the last 25 years.

I think it's fair to say that Matt Black and Jonathon Moore have been innovators within the realm of dance music. They have been groundbreaking as artists and have had a major role in overseeing the development of underground UK dance music over three decades. It's also pleasing to note that Mike Allen and his hip hop show played a small role in facilitating this, and was influential in the development of hip hop throughout Britain.

In 1995 Journeys By DJ: 70 Minutes Of Madness was released which featured a mix by Coldcut. This mix has been a favourite of mine for a long time, and will continue to be so.

Coldcut: Journeys By DJ 70 Minutes Of Madness