The Sindecut (Part one)

The Sindecut were one of a small group of pioneering Hip Hop artists from London in the United Kingdom who’s music was released on vinyl as early as 1987. In fact The Sindecut‘s first release (according to discogs) entitled Sindecut’s kickin yeah! is also  to my knowledge the first Hip Hop record with a connection to the City of Milton Keynes, England in that it was co-produced by Buckinghamshire native and DJ Evil Eddie Richards. The Sindecut‘s early releases on Baad Records consisted of rapper Crazy Noddy on vocals and DJ Fingers on turntables and according to the credits on the vinyl were recorded in a garage in Milton Keynes by Eddie Richards

The Sindecut “Sindecut EP” – Baad, 1988.

By 1990 The Sindecut were one of a handful of Hip Hop crews from the UK to sign to a major record label and during this period the line up of the crew increased to incorporate rapper Lyne Lyn, producer DJ Don’t Ramp and vocalists Spikey Tee and Louise Francis. In this two part article Break to the beat are going to look at The Sindecut‘s contributions to UK Music including their Hip Hop roots, their connection to Milton Keynes and how they became one of a handful of British Hip Hop pioneers to secure a recording contract with major label Virgin records.

The Sindecut – Early 1990s.

To kick off we going to travel back to the year 1987 which based on the evidence we have gathered was significant because of two things: Continue reading

The Sindecut (Part two)

Welcome to the second part of the article on pioneering UK Hip Hop collective The Sindecut. To read part one of the article click here: The Sindecut (Part One)

During the time that The Sindecut were signed to Virgin Records there were also several 12″ singles that were recorded and released. The first of these releases was of the track entitled Tell me why? The album version along with three remixes were released across two 12″ singles. Each 12″ also contained different versions of the track entitled Wizdom one of which appeared on the Cassette and CD releases of the album Changing the scenery.

The first of the two 12″ single contained the below track list:

  • A.Tell Me Why?
  • B1. Tell Me Why? (Album version)
  • B2. Wizdom

The below insert is of the 12″ version of Tell my why?:

The Sindecut “Tell me why?” – Virgin, 1990.

A remixed version of Wizdom was also part of the first of the two initial 12″ Singles that The Sindecut recorded with Virgin Records.

Below is an insert of the version of Wizdom that is exclusive to the first of the two 12″ singles:

The Sindecut “Wizdom” – Virgin, 1990.

The second of the two 12″ singles contained the below track list: Continue reading

Overlord X Interview

Break to the beat recently had the honer of catching up with and interviewing one of Hip Hop in the UKs godfathers Overlord X. Overlord X along with the X Possee put their home borough of Hackney, London and the entire UK on the Hip Hop map back in the late 80 and early 90s giving us 3 outstanding LPs that were not only an inspiration but for many an introduction to British rap music. Overlord X’s contributions to the UK music scene over the years have been nothing short of outstanding and has provided us with both thought provoking intellectual lessons in life as well as timeless Hip Hop classics. Any readers not familiar with Overlord X & The X Possee’s work should check the Overlord X Discography & Review article posted a few months ago on break to the beat.   

Taking things right back to the beginning. Before you started rapping and producing records please tell the readers how you discovered the Hip Hop culture?

I really started to get into Hip Hop music from Africa Bambaataa and the soul Sonic force, back then Hip Hop was in the style of Electro and they were the ones that grabbed my attention to start even thinking of making music. At that time I was a young break dancer and DJ producer just being a big fan and follower of the movement. I was looking for a rapper to spit over my beats but there were very few MC’s around so I picked up the mic and started creating rough demos at home. Continue reading