While weÁ¢€â„¢re tackling the question of who Á¢€Å“inventedÁ¢€ New Wave, letÁ¢€â„¢s ponder another query: Who pioneered Turntablism?
Possible answer: One of the most bootlegged early turntablism records Á¢€” a three-part opus by Double Dee and Steinski that drove hip-hop fans into a frenzy and copyright lawyers into a frenzy of a more litigious nature.
Steve Stein was an advertising copywriter and weekend warrior DJ when he teamed up with studio engineer Douglas Á¢€Å“Double DeeÁ¢€ DiFranco to enter a contest sponsored by Tommy Boy Records to remix G.L.O.B.E. & Whiz KidÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“Play That Beat, Mr. DJÁ¢€. Their remix was less a beefing up of an existing song and more of a total gutting and reconstruction. Humphrey Bogart, Herbie Hancock, the Supremes and even Culture Club all became part of the stew, a collage of sounds, samples and cuts from so many different sources, itÁ¢€â„¢d be tough to name all of them (but youÁ¢€â„¢re welcome to try).
Needless to say, Double Dee & Steinski won the contest.
Á¢€Å“Lesson 1: The PayoffÁ¢€ made it to the promo-only white label stage and got quite a bit of radio play, but when it came time for a commercial release, the suits & ties stepped in and stopped it cold. Á¢€Å“Lesson 1Á¢€ then made the bootleg rounds, its legend increasing in the process.
Two sequels followed, the creatively named Á¢€Å“Lesson 2: The James Brown MixÁ¢€ and Á¢€Å“Lesson 3: A History of Hip-HopÁ¢€. There was a recent effort by a UK-based label to put together a compilation of all the Á¢€Å“LessonsÁ¢€ Á¢€” they went as far as to begin licensing all the different sound sources, until bootleggers beat them to the punch once again by releasing Á¢€Å“Ultimate LessonsÁ¢€ on CD. At that point the label correctly thought, Á¢€Å“Why bother?Á¢€
None of songs charted.
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