Sometime in the late nineties, at least if I'm remembering correctly, somehow I managed to find Steinski's e-mail address and wrote telling him how much I loved his records. I don't know if it was because I was actually collecting his other releases, the ones that aren't The History Lessons, but he was extremely polite and mailed me two CD-Rs with the request I don't go blabbing all over the internet where I got them from because he simply couldn't mail out free discs to everyone that asked nicely. I was thoroughly enthralled and discussed the contents with him in some detail, especially Tommy Boy apparently having used alternative masters of The History Lessons on a promotional reissue that coincided with their Greatest Beats compilations. That's buried in my collection but I'll post it eventually because someone out there might find it interesting to hear an extra two seconds of crowds cheering at the end of Lesson 3.
Anyway, as I was saying, Steinski mailed me two CD-Rs, the first being a homemade retrospective named Beg, Borrow & Steal that contained all three Lessons, three then-difficult to find Double Dee & Steinski tracks (one of which I can't find another copy of regardless) and six Steinski & Mass Media recordings. Almost everything on that disc was reissued on the What Does It All Mean? comp a few years ago but at the time they were pretty damn near impossible to find so I was elated. I abided by Steinski's request and didn't tell anyone about where I got the discs or makes copies, but he must have given copies out to other people because I saw people trading versions with the same track list and artwork as well as revised versions with a then unavailable remix of a Coldcut and Chuck D track. Still, no matter who had what, I had a CD from the man himself and I was in heaven!
The second CD was just as interesting as the first but for completely different reasons. At the time, Steinski, under his given name of Steve Stein, was working with an advertising company named Sonic Boom and that second disc was a collection of commercials, radio ID's, excerpts from his own show, a binaural audio demonstration and a few more remixes. The humor and creativity shines through those recordings, reminding me of a time when advertising didn't suck, when commercials could be entertaining too instead of obnoxious. It's the sound of a guy who loves sound, be it musical or found anywhere else, finding a way to make a living doing what he loves in different mediums.
I've never shared this disc previously and I haven't seen anyone else trade this online so I thought it would be a nice post. With the times having changed some and most of Steve's discography being easier to find I figured he wouldn't mind, especially for mostly decade old advertisements. It's a hell of a listen and a lot of fun, but not just for the commercials. There are remixes I'd read that Steinski had done for The Simpsons which never saw release, so I figured I'd never have the opportunity to hear them. There is also a lovely remix for DJ Spooky, a guy I don't have many good things to say about, but Steinski's remix of Invasion is basically an ambient version of his other remixes, still covered in voices carrying on a theme and it's gorgeous.
Regarding the CD-R of Beg, Borrow, & Steal, it stopped working a LONG time ago for reasons I never understood. If anyone has advice regarding the salvaging of a CD-R's contents please lay it on me. There is a Double Dee & Steinski remix of Tony Touch's (I Wonder Why) He's The Greatest DJ on it, and while it did see release on vinyl I've never been able to find anyone with a copy. It's not the greatest DD+S remix but it's good and along with their remix for Dimitri From Paris's Une Very Stylish Fille they're two tracks I would trade something seriously kick-ass for copies of! That offer is standing and can be discussed in detail if you'd like, but for the time being please enjoy this fascinating look at Steinski's career outside of hip-hop cut-ups! Scans of the track list, disc and cover are included in the archive.
Steve Stein - Sonic Boom Reel #3
PS - Steve doesn't work with Sonic Boom any longer apparently. I called there and was told no one has been in their employ with that name within the last four years. With that said, I deleted Sonic Boom's contact info from the packaging info for their privacy. Also, I found this post while Googling a pic of Steve for this post. It has some VERY INTERESTING images of early DD+S releases. Check it! Oh, one more thing, Steve, if you don't want this shared, let me know and it'll be gone in a flash.
UPDATE: I spoke with Steve and he is totally cool with the reel being online. He is the consummate gentleman and pointed out an important detail regarding Sonic Boom. It's actually his own corporation although it appears the Sonic Boom I contacted is actually in Chicago. I don't know why Google would connect a Chicago phone number with a New York address but strange things happen I suppose. Regardless, Steve is a wonderful guy and I'm going to send him some questions for an e-mail interview. Thank you again Steve!
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