Music of Life
Encyclopedia
Music of Life is a British
independent dance music label
formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy
and Simon Harris
. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No3 in the UK pop music charts (The Real Thing
's 'You to me are Everything') Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label, they were offered a label deal by Morgan Khan
(Streetwave) and the first release was a remix by the duo of Cerrone
's 'Supernature' (his 'Music of Life song was the inspiration for the label name). Within a few months Froggy left the label and Streetwave went out of business. Harris decided to re-launch as a British hip-hop (usually UK Hip Hop,) music label. Music of Life opened an office in London's Soho
at 22 Hanway Street and Harris being active in remixing and production for many other artists and labels financed the label with his remix income.
At first the label licensed new rap music from US production company Powerplay for the first compilation album 'Def Beats 1' but as an addition to the US material Harris produced an extra track, under his own 'Music of Life Productions' recorded in London by the label's A&R man Derek Boland. 'Rock the Beat' by Derek B created a demand for British hip-hop and the demo tapes started to arrive, Music of Life signed the best artists instead of licensing more US material and Harris would produce many new songs featuring artists including M.C Duke, The Demon Boyz
(Million Dan), Thrashpack, Asher D and Daddy Freddy
, CJ Macintosh & Einstein, She Rockers (Betty Boo
), Hijack and many more.
Many of these recordings broke ground and are still considered to be highly innovative, the first reggae/hip-hop combination (Asher D & Daddy Freddy's 'Ragamuffin Hip Hop) and Derek B
's album would be licensed to US label 'Profile' (Run DMC), Hijack would be signed to Ice-T
's Rhyme syndicate label and many more. Music Week
wrote that Music of Life was "the most successful hip hop label in the UK right now", in 1988. Record Mirror
identified Music of Life as one of the few hip hop labels "to believe in home grown talent". In 1989, Studio Week magazine called Music of Life "the foremost rap label in this country at the moment."
So far Harris's catalog of recordings and copyrights under Music of Life Productions and released on many labels worldwide including Music of Life have exceeded 2000 titles and include music videos and documentary TV shows ('Kings of Rap' - MTV
).
Music of Life is one of the UK's longest running independent dance music labels (1986 - present day) and the catalog has been licensed and released in over 70 countries with many chart hits including the UK, Germany, Japan, France and the USA (Harris's 'Bass' how low can you go? was a No1 Billboard US chart hit) and many Grammy award winning artists (Luthor Vandross, REM, Beastie Boys, Beck) have licensed from the Music of Life catalog.
Sister label 'Living Beat' was launched in 1989 and would release many dance music, house and pop recordings with chart success including 'Supermarioland' reaching No6 in the UK pop charts with Harris's AKA 'Ambassadors of Funk' in association with Nintendo
, Samantha Fox
's Song for Europe entry 'Go for the Heart' and was instrumental in helping Prince
achieve his first UK No1 pop single 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World'.
Harris also produced the world's best selling series of 'Breakbeat' albums used by DJs and producers, 'Beats Breaks and Scratches' in 12 volumes and worked with top artists Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim
), Paul Oakenfold
, Afrika Bambaataa
and George Clinton
to produce and release similar albums that are part of the Music of Life catalog. Music of Life continues to be controlled and owned by Simon Harris and is now a registered trademark.
The Music of Life catalog includes songs from:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
independent dance music 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,...
formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy
DJ Froggy
Steven Howlett aka DJ Froggy was an English DJ who worked as a 'beatmixer DJ' on the British Club music scene in the 1970s and 1980s.- Early years :...
and Simon Harris
Simon Harris
Simon Harris , is predominantly known as the owner and founder of the record label Music of Life and writer/producer of most of its extensive catalog of songs, although he is also an influential DJ, award winning producer, remixer of several Grammy Award winning artists and pioneer of electronic...
. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No3 in the UK pop music charts (The Real Thing
The Real Thing (group)
-Albums:Studio albums* Real Thing - UK #34* 4 from 8 * Step Into Our World , retitled Can You Feel the Force - UK #73* ....Saints Or Sinners? Live albums* The Real Thing Live Compilation albums...
's 'You to me are Everything') Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label, they were offered a label deal by Morgan Khan
Morgan Khan
Morgan Khan is a music mogul and entrepreneur well known in the UK during the 1980s. He played a large part in making various genres of urban music more accessible to UK consumers of Black and urban music after his founding of the iconic StreetSounds record label.- Early career :Khan has been...
(Streetwave) and the first release was a remix by the duo of Cerrone
Cerrone
Marc Cerrone is a French disco drummer, singer-songwriter and record producer.Marc Cerrone has sold over thirty million albums and has often performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people at huge concerts and events such as The 2005 Dance Party Live in Versailles and The 2000 Los Angeles...
's 'Supernature' (his 'Music of Life song was the inspiration for the label name). Within a few months Froggy left the label and Streetwave went out of business. Harris decided to re-launch as a British hip-hop (usually UK Hip Hop,) music label. Music of Life opened an office in London's Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
at 22 Hanway Street and Harris being active in remixing and production for many other artists and labels financed the label with his remix income.
At first the label licensed new rap music from US production company Powerplay for the first compilation album 'Def Beats 1' but as an addition to the US material Harris produced an extra track, under his own 'Music of Life Productions' recorded in London by the label's A&R man Derek Boland. 'Rock the Beat' by Derek B created a demand for British hip-hop and the demo tapes started to arrive, Music of Life signed the best artists instead of licensing more US material and Harris would produce many new songs featuring artists including M.C Duke, The Demon Boyz
Demon Boyz
The Demon Boyz were an English hip hop group formed in London by Demon D, Mike J and DJ Devastate. They began rapping whilst in their early teens, performing at the Rebel MC’s Beat Freak gigs. Their big break came when they won a competition on Dave Pearce’s rap show, their prize being to perform...
(Million Dan), Thrashpack, Asher D and Daddy Freddy
Daddy Freddy
S. Frederick Small , better known as Daddy Freddy is a ragga vocalist.-Early life:Small was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in the city's Trenchtown district. His house was a few minutes walk from Coxsone Dodd's influential record studio Studio One.His neighbours were Jacob Miller and...
, CJ Macintosh & Einstein, She Rockers (Betty Boo
Betty Boo
Alison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
), Hijack and many more.
Many of these recordings broke ground and are still considered to be highly innovative, the first reggae/hip-hop combination (Asher D & Daddy Freddy's 'Ragamuffin Hip Hop) and Derek B
Derek B
Derek Boland , better known by his stage name Derek B, was a British rapper. His most commercially successful releases were "Goodgroove" and "Bad Young Brother" in 1988.- Biography :...
's album would be licensed to US label 'Profile' (Run DMC), Hijack would be signed to Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
's Rhyme syndicate label and many more. Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
wrote that Music of Life was "the most successful hip hop label in the UK right now", in 1988. Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
identified Music of Life as one of the few hip hop labels "to believe in home grown talent". In 1989, Studio Week magazine called Music of Life "the foremost rap label in this country at the moment."
So far Harris's catalog of recordings and copyrights under Music of Life Productions and released on many labels worldwide including Music of Life have exceeded 2000 titles and include music videos and documentary TV shows ('Kings of Rap' - MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
).
Music of Life is one of the UK's longest running independent dance music labels (1986 - present day) and the catalog has been licensed and released in over 70 countries with many chart hits including the UK, Germany, Japan, France and the USA (Harris's 'Bass' how low can you go? was a No1 Billboard US chart hit) and many Grammy award winning artists (Luthor Vandross, REM, Beastie Boys, Beck) have licensed from the Music of Life catalog.
Sister label 'Living Beat' was launched in 1989 and would release many dance music, house and pop recordings with chart success including 'Supermarioland' reaching No6 in the UK pop charts with Harris's AKA 'Ambassadors of Funk' in association with Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, Samantha Fox
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
's Song for Europe entry 'Go for the Heart' and was instrumental in helping Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
achieve his first UK No1 pop single 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World'.
Harris also produced the world's best selling series of 'Breakbeat' albums used by DJs and producers, 'Beats Breaks and Scratches' in 12 volumes and worked with top artists Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
), Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
, Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
and George Clinton
George Clinton (funk musician)
George Clinton is an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost...
to produce and release similar albums that are part of the Music of Life catalog. Music of Life continues to be controlled and owned by Simon Harris and is now a registered trademark.
The Music of Life catalog includes songs from:
- M.C. Duke & D.J. Leader 1
- Thrashpack
- She Rockers (featuring *Betty BooBetty BooAlison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
) - Daddy FreddyDaddy FreddyS. Frederick Small , better known as Daddy Freddy is a ragga vocalist.-Early life:Small was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grew up in the city's Trenchtown district. His house was a few minutes walk from Coxsone Dodd's influential record studio Studio One.His neighbours were Jacob Miller and...
- Asher D
- Tenor Fly
- Nitty Gritty
- Derek BDerek BDerek Boland , better known by his stage name Derek B, was a British rapper. His most commercially successful releases were "Goodgroove" and "Bad Young Brother" in 1988.- Biography :...
- Hijack
- HardnoiseHardnoiseHardnoise were one of the founding fathers of the British hip hop scene, and - along with early label-mates Hijack - set the template for the UK hardcore sound...
- 3 Knights
- DJ Daddy
- Leslie Lyrics
- Norman Cook
- Paul OakenfoldPaul OakenfoldPaul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
- George ClintonGeorge ClintonGeorge Clinton is the name of:*George Clinton , British colonial governor of New York*George Clinton , Vice President of the United States and Governor of New York...
- Simon HarrisSimon HarrisSimon Harris , is predominantly known as the owner and founder of the record label Music of Life and writer/producer of most of its extensive catalog of songs, although he is also an influential DJ, award winning producer, remixer of several Grammy Award winning artists and pioneer of electronic...
(label founder) - Einstein
- Ambassadors of Funk
- Afrika BambaataaAfrika BambaataaAfrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
- Demon BoyzDemon BoyzThe Demon Boyz were an English hip hop group formed in London by Demon D, Mike J and DJ Devastate. They began rapping whilst in their early teens, performing at the Rebel MC’s Beat Freak gigs. Their big break came when they won a competition on Dave Pearce’s rap show, their prize being to perform...
- Professor GriffProfessor GriffProfessor Griff is an American rapper and spoken word artist. He is a member of the hip hop group Public Enemy and head of the Security of the First World.-Early years in Public Enemy:...
- Clyde StubblefieldClyde StubblefieldClyde Stubblefield is a drummer best known for his work with James Brown.Stubblefield's recordings with James Brown are considered to be some of the standard-bearers for funk drumming, including the singles "Cold Sweat", "There Was A Time", "I Got The Feelin'", "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm...
- Killa Instinct
- S.L. Troopers
- First Frontal Assault
- Kobalt 60
- Overlord XOverlord XOverlord X was one of the earliest British hip hop artists to receive national acclaim in the UK, with his most well known song still being his second single release, "14 Days in May" about Edward Earl Johnson. He worked with DJ Sir Preme T as well as other members of the "X Posse"...
External links
- Music of Life Official Website
- British Hip Hop referenceBritish hip hopBritish hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of urban music...
- Simon Harris Blog site
- Music of Life on Discogs
- Heroes of UK Hip Hop's Music of Life links page
- Music of Life's new Facebook group
- Derek B's Obituary in The Guardian
- Music of Life on LastFM
- Music of Life on rateyourmusic.com
- UKHH.com
- When in Time's Music of Life Timeline page
- Music of Life on the MOG Music Network
- Music of Life at the 2010 IMPALA awards
- Simon Harris and Music of Life on Harrismix.com
- Cold Rock The Spot
- Italia Network
- Old British Hip-Hop
- Daddy Freddy on PauzeRadio
- MC Duke Blues and Soul
- infivestudios history of British Hip Hop page
- Groove Collector
- BBC Music
- Music of Life and the importance of British Hip Hop
- Music of Life Discoscratch
- ranker.com Music of Life page
- MC Duke on Britcore