Steinski is THE MAN!!!!

Steve Stein, better known as Steinski, is a gentleman and a scholar! He was kind enough to answer some questions I e-mailed him and gave me permission to share the tracks you'll find below. Make sure you drop by his personal website and check him out. He's always posting new stuff and when he goes on tour that'll be the place to get the scoop. What more can I say? HE'S F*&KING STEINSKI!


Me: Can you share some information about your other collaborators like DJ ET, Alan Friedman and such? A lot of people aren't terribly familiar with those individuals, and to be honest only Friedman's name immediately jumped out at me because of his work with C+C Music Factory and other nineties dance music producers.

Steve: DJ ET was a really talented producer/rapper (state name Earl Kerlew) who I met at the Roxy right after Douglas and I did The Payoff Mix. We stayed in touch, and when I started doing my own records, he was in the studio as scratch DJ and support. In the late 80's or early 90's, he was driving a taxi and was killed in a holdup, may he rest in peace.

Alan Friedman is a studio whiz and multi-talented musician I met before he blew up with C + C; we've worked together on many projects. We're still in touch. He's great.


Me: Regarding Reckless Spenders, are there tapes of those parties live sets in your archives? Is there a chance of any of them eventually seeing release?

Steve: None of the Reckless Spenders parties were recorded, I don't think. Those were hot events.


Me: During the Solid Steel interview you mentioned your working on a Steinski album, presumably of new material. Did anything come of this? Is the track you were working on with Prince Paul the one that appeared on his Itstrumental album?

Steve: The Prince Paul track was independent of anything else I was doing; I was flattered to be asked. The idea of working on new stuff has been floating around in my procrastinating brain for years, and I'm finally getting down to it.


Me: There were a lot of tracks that were left off the What Does It All Mean? compilation. Is there a chance of recordings like the Sinatra tribute, the Tony Touch remix, the Dimitri From Paris remix and others eventually seeing a reissue, physically or digitally? Could there be a What Does It All Mean? Volume 2?

Steve: Doubtful. Everything left off was left off because of possible major label entanglements.


Me: Can you discuss any of the reasons the Lessons and Motorcade were able to be given an official, physical release after all these years? I had heard stories for years regarding the impossibility of their clearance for any sort of release beyond that of a promotional issue.

Steve: The situation hasn't changed. Illegal Art decided to run with it, luckily for me.


Me: Regarding your recorded invitations for parties and Ralphie's Bop City recordings, will more of those eventually get posted? I really enjoy the Bop City tapes.

Steve: Glad you like them. I doubt the invitation will ever be "released" as such. They're interesting little artifacts, that's all. As far as the Bop City tapes are concerned, I'm still mulling over a possible release, or at least a public presentation of some sort.

NOTE: Several compilations of Bop City recordings are available to be listened to on Steinski's music page.


Me: How did your work on The Simpsons remixes come together?

Steve: The Simpsons remixes came to me from Rhino, which was doing something - I don't recall what - with the Songs In The Key Of Springfield CD. I think the only one of my mixes that came out (promo) was the Theme Park mix.


Me: Regarding the This Jazz Is Hot compilation you curated, you didn't add any production to the recordings, correct? I've seen a lot of people looking for it though I've never seen nor heard it myself and don't know anyone that has.

Steve: It's an import from Switzerland, done by Vibrations, an excellent French-language music magazine published in Switzerland.


Me: It was brought to my attention that a record named The Invitation, credited to yourself and Sugar Kane, is listed on Discogs. No one seems to have heard this before or has a copy, so can you clarify whether this is a track you two composed or an invitation track like the ones you recorded for Reckless Spenders?

Steve: This was a short piece serving as an audio invitation for the opening a club in Vienna called Kennedy's. I don't have a copy of it myself. I'm not sure how they distributed it. If anyone has a copy, I'd love to hear it.


Me: There are a bunch of other rare tracks that I've been asked to ask you about, like your work on the Akabu 12", your contributions to Coldcut's My Telephone, the edited version you and Douglas mentioned of the Tony Touch remix, the DJ Spooky remix, etc. Any thoughts on these or other assorted rarities? Will a finished version of Lesson 4 ever be heard?

Steve: Most of these pieces have fallen into obscurity for a good reason - they're not all fabulous.

Lesson 4 will likely remain as the partially finished collection of loops it's always been; both Douglas and I are on to other things at this point.


Me: Are you going to continue doing live sets or speaking to musicians and students?

Steve: Playing live is on temporary hiatus while I work out a different method (I hope) of playing dance music in clubs. As far as speaking goes, it's hard to shut me up, so I'll speak to anyone as long as they ask nicely. The talks and classes I did for the Red Bull Music Academy were among the most satisfying experiences I've had.


Me: Can you give information about the works you did for your Mass Media company? In the Solid Steel interview you mentioned industrial films, video only works, audio only works and other assorted media productions. Are there any of those works that could be seen with relative ease? Any that stand out? Award winners?

Steve: I won a few awards for radio commercials I produced in the 90's, but ad industry awards are highly subjective; they exist mainly to give clients reassurance that they don't have to trust their own judgement. I still work on soundtracks for industrial films and commercials. I think the only commercial I've worked on that's relatively easy to find is a UK tv advert for Pretty Polly Bras that I wrote and produced, based on I'm Wild About That Thing. I believe it's on YouTube, featuring a number of scantily clad women.





Here are the rare cuts mentioned above. I haven't bothered putting these in any particular order so go have some fun with them. Big thanks to Irish Craig and DJ Pigg for hooking me up with the Sinatra tribute and Dimitri remix! As a bonus, you'll find a non-Steinski track in the download that you may find interesting. It's File 13 which is Douglas, aka Double Dee, and his only officially released track without Steve (as far as I know), the extremely dirty Taste So Good! You'll also find another link below for a download of the Solid Steel show dedicated to DD+S, Now We Come To The Payoff. I'm happy to acknowledge that I got it from BosBos as it's not on the Solid Steel site, but it's split into two files there that you have to get from a certain file sharing service that makes you wait between downloads, so I thought it might be easier for some people to grab here as a single file. Props to the awesome BosBos which you should visit it IMMEDIATELY to get the scoop on the Now We Come To The Payoff program as there is a lot of information there you may not be aware of. And most of all, a gargantuan thank you to Steve Stein for being such a cool guy and making incredible music! Keep doing what you're doing and we'll keep listening!

UPDATE: The links are now working. It must have been an error on my part. Sorry guys.

Steinski - Rarities

Akabu - Watch Yourself (edited by Double Dee & Steinski)
Amon Tobin & Steinski - Ten Piece Metric Wrench Set
Coldcut - My Telephone (feat. Ralphie's Bop City)
Dimitri From Paris - Une Very Stylish Fille (Double Dee & Steinski's Memphis Mann Remix)
DJ Spooky - Invasion (Bifocal Remix)
Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson 4 (Solid Steel Edit)
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (Steinski & Ill Chemist Relax)
Steinski - The Xen To One Ratio
Steinski - What Was Raymond Doing With His Hands?
Steinski & Mass Media - It's Up To You (The War Mix)
Steinski & Mass Media - Let's Play It Cool (Club Edit)
Steinski & Mass Media - The Motorcade Sped On (Alternate Version)
Steinski & Mass Media - We'll Be Right Back (Club Edit)
The Simpsons (Steinski's Overture Remix)
The Simpsons (Steinski's Rap Remix)
The Simpsons (Steinski's Theme Park Remix)

Bonus Track: File 13 - Taste So Good


Solid Steel Presents: Now We Come To The Payoff...

Steve Stein aka Steinski - Sonic Boom Reel #3

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!

Steinski & Mass Media - It's Up To You

I had something else planned for today but I thought it appropriate to post this after yesterday. This is Steinski's breakdown of the Gulf War and was released on vinyl via Ninja Tune and CD via Death Of Vinyl (DOVe). The Television Mix is available on What Does It All Mean? but the other versions are all out of print, so here is a rip from the CD version for your listening pleasure. The Ninja Tune artwork appears at the top while the DOVe art is at the bottom. And remember to go get What Does It All Mean? at illegal art's website!


Steinski & Mass Media - It's Up To You

FLAC

V0 MP3

01 It's Up To You (The War Mix)
02 It's Up To You (The Television Mix)
03 It's Up To You (Instrumental)

N.I.C.E. Vinyl #3: Steinki and Mass Media

When Steinski put out his excellent career retrospective, What Does It All Mean?, a few years ago, one of the first things everyone asked is why We'll Be Right Back and Let's Play It Cool, two singles he recorded for 4th & Broadway in the mid to late eighties, weren't included. He later said that he couldn't clear those records and knew there would be issues if he tried to include them on the comp. For a record on illegal art with the infamous History Lesson mixes, tracks which have never been cleared for legal release prior but are available on that comp for the first time outside of a promotional issue, that seems a little odd, but who knows what the true issues at hand were. Steinski has always remained friendly with the Tommy Boy and Ninja Tune people, but does 4th & Broadway even still exist? Anyway, I've had original US twelve inches of both of those singles for a while and I wanted to share them so here they are.

We'll Be Right Back is Steinski's ode to advertising and commercials, the field he works primarily in, and features tons of samples from varying sources, although I remember hearing some if not all of them may have been recorded specifically for the record. Let's Play It Cool is more of a streamlined version of the History Lessons with an emphasis on dance floor mastery. I remember hearing We'll Be Right Back on Open House Party and some other mix shows, but I'd never heard Let's Play It Cool before getting the record. It's fun but a bit dated, definitely not on par with Steinski's other releases. We'll Be Right Back, on the other hand, definitely sounds dated if not a little cheesy but it's got a charm to it that makes it irresistible. If the samples were indeed re-recorded for the release, I'd love to hear the tapes as I bet they're a ton of fun.

If you haven't gotten What Does It All Mean? yet, it's still available for download and purchase at illegal art's website. Like all of their releases, you can get it as 320kbps MP3s for free, FLAC or MP3s with liner notes for $5 dollars (!) and the double CD is $13 dollars with an immediate download. It's well worth your time, especially if you love the History Lessons or the other projects Steinski has been involved with, and the liner notes are very detailed and well written. I'd suggest the $5 dollar version myself, but that free 320kbps MP3 is there if you need convincing first. But make sure you grab the downloads here too. Steinski would have included them if he could have and they are just as important to his career as anything else he has released. Enjoy!


Steinski & Mass Media - We'll Be Right Back

FLAC

V0 MP3

01 We'll Be Right Back (Club Edit)
02 We'll Be Right Back (Radio Edit)
03 We'll Be Right Back (Dub Version)
04 We'll Be Right Back (Bonus Beats)


Steinski & Mass Media - Let's Play It Cool

FLAC

V0 MP3

01 Let's Play It Cool (Club Edit)
02 Let's Play It Cool (Instrumental)
03 Let's Play It Cool (Hippieboy's Jungle Mix)
04 Let's Play It Cool (Acapella)


PS - It's worth noting that DJ "Sugar" Kane gets a featured credit on Let's Play It Cool but there is practically no scratching on that record. He does share the production credit on the song but Steinski gets the full writing credit.

PS2 - Wicker furniture FTW!!!