DJ SS
Encyclopedia
DJ SS is an English
drum and bass
DJ
and record producer
. SS is short for Scratchenstein, which is a name he used when he was a hip hop
scratch
DJ, and a part of the hip hop act, The Formation Five, whose name inspired the name of his record label
. Has two children, Parris and Jordan and is married to wife, Tania who runs the artist management agency, UMC (Underground Music Collective). His siblings include Pam, Melanie and Fitzroy.
Originally a breakdancer
, DJ Stratchenstein began playing electro music as a teenager in the early 1980s. He then played hip hop and rare groove
before turning to producing in 1988 initially acid house
, hardcore
, breakbeat
and finally drum and bass tracks.
SS got his big break DJ'ing at the big British rave
s of the early 1990s such as Telepathy. Since then he has gone on to DJ world wide. His biggest hit came in 2002 with "The Lighter", reaching number 63 on the UK Singles Chart
.
SS is the co-founder and head of the Formation Records label, and has released over 100 tracks using a number of aliases. These include the "Color Series" and the "Country Series", MA3 "Those DJs", the piano-theme-from-Love Story
-sampling "Lighter" (the label's biggest hit) plus many popular drum and bass tunes. He has also remix
ed "No Good (Start the Dance)
" by The Prodigy
. He has featured on radio shows such as BBC 1Xtra's D&B M1X, on which he put together an hour-long mix of Formation tracks and was interviewed about his career.
The Formation label has become a stable for new drum and bass producers such as John B and Twisted Individual.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and record producer
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...
. SS is short for Scratchenstein, which is a name he used when he was a hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scratch
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
DJ, and a part of the hip hop act, The Formation Five, whose name inspired the name of his record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. Has two children, Parris and Jordan and is married to wife, Tania who runs the artist management agency, UMC (Underground Music Collective). His siblings include Pam, Melanie and Fitzroy.
Originally a breakdancer
B-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
, DJ Stratchenstein began playing electro music as a teenager in the early 1980s. He then played hip hop and rare groove
Rare groove
Rare groove is defined as very hard to source or relatively obscure soul or jazz music. Rare groove is primarily associated with funk, jazz and pop, but is also connected to sub-genres including jazz fusion, Latin jazz, soul, R&B, northern soul, and disco. Vinyl records that fall into this...
before turning to producing in 1988 initially acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
, hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore is a derivative of the acid house and techno, of the late 1980s and early 1990s, that combines four-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with the UK rave scene.-The rave scene:...
, breakbeat
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
and finally drum and bass tracks.
SS got his big break DJ'ing at the big British rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
s of the early 1990s such as Telepathy. Since then he has gone on to DJ world wide. His biggest hit came in 2002 with "The Lighter", reaching number 63 on the UK 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 ...
.
SS is the co-founder and head of the Formation Records label, and has released over 100 tracks using a number of aliases. These include the "Color Series" and the "Country Series", MA3 "Those DJs", the piano-theme-from-Love Story
(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story
" Love Story" is a popular song published in 1970, with music by Francis Lai and lyrics by Carl Sigman. The song was first introduced as an instrumental theme in the 1970 film Love Story. The lyrics were added after the theme music became popular.-Covers:The song has been covered many times...
-sampling "Lighter" (the label's biggest hit) plus many popular drum and bass tunes. He has also remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed "No Good (Start the Dance)
No Good (Start the Dance)
"No Good " is a song by The Prodigy, released as their seventh single on 16 May 1994. It was the second single from the album Music for the Jilted Generation...
" by The Prodigy
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
. He has featured on radio shows such as BBC 1Xtra's D&B M1X, on which he put together an hour-long mix of Formation tracks and was interviewed about his career.
The Formation label has become a stable for new drum and bass producers such as John B and Twisted Individual.
Further reading
- Shapiro, Peter (1999) "DJ SS / Formation Records", in Drum 'n' Bass: The Rough Guide, Rough Guides, ISBN 978-1858284330, p. 211-3