Founder Morgan Khan | Founded 1982 | |
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Country of origin United Kingdom | ||
The demise of morgan khan s street sounds label
StreetSounds is a British compilation record label, that specialised in urban and electronic club/dance music during the mid-1980s. StreetSounds was an offshoot of producer and promoter Morgan Khan's StreetWave label. The first Streetsounds release was the first edition of the label's core compilation series, StreetSounds 1 in late 1982. This regular compilation series proclaimed itself 'one hour packs of the latest dance tracks'. They were composed of full-length versions of (mainly) black club and urban dance music. The tracks were licensed from the US.
Contents
History
The StreetSounds formula for compilations was quality track selection, and reacting quickly to trends with a frenetic release rate.
The run of the StreetSounds series coincided with, and helped promote, the rise of electronic dance music during the mid-1980s, at a time when style conscious young adults in the UK were looking for an alternative to rock, pop and post-punk music.
Khan later extended the formula and released other compilation series including jazz-funk, house and high energy genres.
Notable StreetSounds releases included the Philadelphia Story; SOLAR; Love Ballads; and Dance Decade box sets. The Artists compilations, that collected representative tracks from specific artists, and 'Anthems' series (compilations of dance music classics) were also well-regarded. The Japanese instrumental group A.B.'s album called Deja Vu was released on the label, in 1983. The StreetSounds logo was changed several times over the lifespan of the label.
From the outset Creative Director John Carver handled all aspects of Street Sounds presentation.John Art Directed the original "scribble" logo and then the minimal rectangular logo still in use today, over 30 years later. John devised the copyline "One Hour Packs of the Latest dance Tracks" that was featured on the packaging for the main StreetSounds series. John devised the copyline "Electro is Aural Sex" for the Electro series and "Get Set for Sweat" for the Hi-Energy series. John handled the creation of artwork and advertising which included taking some of the photographs for album sleeves himself in addition to commissioning photographers and illustrators. John's Creative agency (Carver's) bought more radio airtime than any other record label as ads were run on all specialist Dance music shows throughout the country.John introduced Morgan to legendary House DJ Noel Watson who inspired the Electro series. The only issue of The Face magazine not to feature a photo on its cover was a black and yellow cover that referenced the Bauhaus style of type used on the Electro series, designed by Neville Brody. John Carver met with Morgan Khan at the bungalow used as streetSounds HQ in West Acton and at night clubs and restaurants late at night. Before working with John Morgan was going to call the series Street Beats. John suggested "Street Sounds." The album sleeves are so iconic and loved that these days StreetSounds sells limited edition re-prints featuring the original designs. John went on to create Europe's first Youth Specialist Creative agency,The Leisure Process which handled accounts for many famous youth brands.
The StreetSounds label went into liquidation in 1988, mainly as a result of large losses incurred by StreetScene, Khan's club music magazine.
After its collapse, the StreetSounds label was dormant for some years. It has since been revived by Khan, and offers mainly reissues of back-catalogue material from the original StreetSounds incarnation.
In April 2009, Streetsounds released a new electro compilation through the Streetsounds website. Nu Electro Volume 1 featured twenty tracks mixed by Freddy Fresh and Diplomat, and the musical style returned to the electronic roots of the series rather than the Hip Hop style compilation that was released in 1988 as Electro 22.