Sugarhill Records

Sugarhill Records is the first label and the first recording company of Hip-hop. It is rested by the singer of Soul Sylvia Robinson and her Joe husband. The activity of the label starts in 1979 and finishes in the middle of the years 1980. Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash and Funky 4+1, recorded their first discs there.

History

The first hit of the label was " Rapper' S Delight " in 1979) of Sugarhill Gang, first group of the label, from where them name. The individual one, however out of conventions of the time reaches Signal 40. Indeed it appeared in disc 12 (Maxi format) and lasted 15 minutes the radios then sought pieces less " gros". In spite of this, the disc was sold to two million specimens. A little later The Sequence, Grandmaster Flash and Miss Mel sign a contract there.

The label with the characteristic to function like a label of drunk person, this bringing at the same time something of there recording original for the groups, but also certain manner a constraint.

On a side the label has a complete unit musicians, the Sugarhill House Band with a ryhtmic section, percussions, a guitarist, coppers and keyboards. This orchestra gave to the recordings one returned near to that to a group of Funk and an energy " live" , favourable with the station-wagon, largely appreciated by the danceurs.

Other side, the presence of these musicians was alas not added to the DJ but replaced them completely. Indeed, the DJ were never recorded with their rappeurs, which in a certain manner went against the original spirit of the block left in which the DJ were the high-speed motorboats. Legendary DJ as Grandmaster Flash were releguès with the background and played a simple part of leader. The DJ thus did not have their place with Sugarhill Records and did not leave almost any trace discographic: one of the only exceptions is the mythical instrumental one of DJ The adventures off Grandmaster Flash and the wheels off steel by Grandmaster flash.

In 1981, the electronic sounds make their appearance in the label, and the sound funky of the end of the year 1970 leaves little by little the place to a its electronics, futuristic, influenced by Kraftwerk.

Towards 1983 the artists start to leave the label. A contract with MCA fails and because of financial problems, the label closes in 1986.

In 1995, Rhino Records repurchases bands of new pieces of Sugarhill Records.

In 2002, the studio Sugar Hill Studios in Englewood in the New Jersey, in which all these pieces were recorded is burnt.

Groups and musicians having recorded in this label

Sugarhill House Band , group of the musicians of session of the studio

Keith LeBlanc - battery
Doug Wimbish - low
McDonald Skip - guitar
ED Fletcher - percussions (it will be made known in 1982 under the name of Duke Bootie while grating with Miss Mel in The message )
Clifton " Jiggs" Drive out - arranger

Notes and references of the article

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