DANIE/ELECT U.K.'s The Streets Peddles `Original Pirate Material' In U.S.

BY MICHAEL PAOLETTA twines elements of hip -hop, dub, Material has put Brooklyn, N.Y. - The Streets' full -length debut, Orig- and U.K. 2 -step with Skinner rap- based Vice Recordings on the musi- BOX,. inal Pirate Material, is proving to be ping about life in industrial Eng- cal landscape. In fact, the label -an the little album that could. Since its land, hence his recording moniker. offshoot of Vice magazine -was cre- Oct. 22, 2002, release in the U.S. via Skinner says, "People always ated solely to release the Streets disc. RIGHT ON: Recall our Feb. 1 column, Atlantic Records-funded/ADA -distrib- seem to like the album when they According to Vice GM Adam Shore, wherein we made our Jeanne Dixon uted Vice Recordings, the disc has first hear it, but they're never sure Vice founders Gavin Mclness, Shane predictions for the 45th annual become a critics' darling, receiving if it will really work -and that's pre- Smith, and Suroosh Alvi met with Grammy Awards' two dance cate- glowing press and showing up on cisely why I think it has worked. Atlantic's Kallman to discuss an unre- gories? Well, we're happy to report numerous annual critics' top 10 lists. There was nothing else out there lated DVD project. During the discus- that we were spot on: Dirty Vegas Such positive word -of-mouth has with a similar sound. sion, talk turned to the Streets album. took home the Grammy for best resulted in radio and video play. At "Vice learned that the album was dance recording ( "Days Go By "), and press time, Original Pirate Material not coming out on a Warner label in Roger Sanchez snagged the trophy had shipped nearly 100,000 copies, the U.S.," explains Shore, who along for best non -classical remix (No and according to Nielsen Sound - with director of sales and marketing Doubt's "Hella Good "). Not bad, eh? Scan, it had sold 50,000 units. Cur- Pat Riley forms the label's two -man "When I heard my name called, I rent weekly sales are double the office team. "So the label was creat- thought there must be a mistake," disc's first -week sales. In this issue, ed to fix that. And while we operate says Sanchez, who is currently work- the album appears on three charts: as an independent, we're able to ing on the follow -up to his 2001 artist Heatseekers, Top Independent Al- upstream into the Atlantic system to album, First Contact. "But realizing bums, and Top Electronic Albums. utilize its resources. This is proving that it was indeed my name and then Worldwide, the Panasonic Mer- to be very helpful now that [lead sin- walking up to accept the award was cury Music Prize- and Brit Award - gle] `Let's Push Things Forward' is truly a humbling experience." Conference in Miami. "Basically, I nominated album -originally issued finding an audience at commercial "Humbling" is a word also used by handed them out to DJs I liked," she Feb. 11, 2002, in the U.K. by Locked alternative and college radio." Paul Harris of British trio Dirty Vegas notes. One such DJ, Danny Tenaglia, On/679 Recordings/Warner Music - THE STREETS Following the song's successful to describe the Grammy win. "We're contacted Sapphirecut several has sold more than 750,000 copies, video run on MTV2 and Much Music still in shock, really," he says. "We months later with a request to li- according to Warner Music U.K. "If you get the music right, USA, the track is now being champi- keep asking ourselves, `What's going cense the track for an upcoming "This project is proving that there everything else falls into place," oned by several radio stations, includ- on ?' These past 24 hours have been compilation, Back to Basics. Enam- is such a hunger for artists who have Skinner continues. "This album ing WFNX Boston, KNND Seattle, very surreal." Does this mean the ored of the then -label -less track, compelling and meaningful stories to does not fit into a nice little box. It's and WZZN Chicago. Ironically, "Let's pressure is on for that all -important Tenaglia introduced Sapphirecut to tell," Atlantic co- president Craig Kalt- one of those things that was diffi- Push Things Forward" is about sophomore album? "Oh, mate, it's Twisted owner Rob Di Stefano, who man says. "The tracks on the album cult to get rolling, but that has searching out new music. too soon to tell." signed the artist to a deal. An album are about life experiences that con- worked to our advantage." "Original Pirate Material has been While the two Grammy Award - is now in the works. nect with a wide variety of people." Warner Music U.K. director of in our top 25 since November, and it's winning dance recordings show the Asked if any relationship exists At the same time, Kaltman adds, international marketing Hassan not losing any momentum," notes staying power and strength of between the music she creates and the Streets -aka British producer Choudhury says, "The speed at Jim Kaminski, rock/pop buyer for house music, they also demon- her medical practice, Sapphirecut Mike Skinner, whose music is pub- which the American market has Tower Records in New York's Green- strate the old- and new -school simply says, "Music has been used lished by Pure Groove Music -have reacted to Mike's album has sur- wich Village. "What started out as methods of marketing and promot- to heal people since shamans." After created an album that crosses many prised me, particularly as so many something solely for Anglophile fans, ing dance /electronic music. a slight pause, she adds, "I entered musical genres. "It's not just anoth- [international] artists have tried for hipsters, and trendsetters is now Sanchez's "Hella Good" mix was a the medical field out of compassion, er R&B, hip -hop, alternative, dance, so long to break the biggest market being embraced by the larger public." true product of the underground club not for money. I will keep creating or pop record," he notes. "It's unlike in the world and have failed. How- "Records just don't naturally devel- scene, with DJs and punters alike music to touch other people, as it is anything we've heard before -and ever, it only goes to prove that if the op like this anymore," Shore says, embracing the track from the get -go. the spirit that drives me. Just as this is striking a nerve with many." music is good enough, it will stand promising that in the coming weeks, Conversely, "Days Go By" was em- music heals people, I would like to For the uninitiated, Original out in any market." the Streets will "be everywhere." braced by club DJs only after it in- help heal this music dilemma." Pirate Material seamlessly inter- The U.S. success of Original Pirate In addition to confirmed articles filtrated the mainstream via its inclu- Sapphirecut is referring to a peer - in Rolling Stone, Spin, New York sion in a Mitsubishi Eclipse TV advert; to -peer music sharing portal (Soul - Times' Sunday Magazine, and Los in this way, it showed the power that seek) that she and a small group of Angeles Times, among other publi- TV ads now exert on radio airwaves like -minded artists recently-albeit cations, the Streets are confirmed to and dancefloors. Now, join us in con- temporarily- closed down. The rea- perform on The Tonight Show With gratulating Dirty Vegas and Sanchez! son? Copyright infringement, she Jay Leno March 12 and to host says. "It was important to take a MTV's 120 Minutes (taping March ACTION REACTION: Three years ago, stand," Sapphirecut explains. "By 19). These TV appearances coincide Sapphirecut-aka Philadelphia downloading music illegally and for with the act's seven -city North Amer- physician Megan Taylor-decided to free, people are destroying the free- ican tour, commencing March 11 at become a dance /electronic music dom to make music. People don't the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. producer. Working with keyboar- realize that independent artists like "When I'm performing live onstage, dists /composers Jake Knights and myself cannot survive if we're I simply want to put on a good show," Dave Shaffer, as well as "a good net- unable to make the money back Skinner says. "It's not about bringing work of Philly musicians," Sapphire- that it costs to make a track. If we, extra attention to me. I'm not really a cut says she set out to create "music as artists, don't help ourselves, no stage person. I am more about telling to lift the spirits and emotions." One one else will do it for us." my stories in the studio." of the initial fruits of their labor was The Streets are managed by Tim the anthemic "Free Your Mind" UPDATE: In the Jan. 25 issue of Bill- Vigon and Tony Perrin of London - (Misted/the Right Stuff), which this board, a profile of Paul van Dyk based Coalition Management. Gerry issue climbs four notches to No. 11 stated that he is self- managed. Tweakin' Those Knobs. New York DJ Hector Romero, shown here at New York's Gerrard of Chaotica in New York on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/ Effective immediately, Kurosh Filter 14 club, begins a world tour March 8 in Ottawa. The trek will find and Peter Eliot of Primary Talent in Club Play chart. Nasseri of Washington, D.C. -based Romero visiting clubs in Miami, Philadelphia, and London, among other cities. London handle, respectively, the Sapphirecut says she made dub Nasseri Music Business will handle Romero is also label manager of Saw Recordings and will put together the act's North American and interna- plates of the track and took them to those duties for the German DJ /pro- label's first compilation, which is due this summer. tional bookings. the 2001 edition of the Winter Music ducer in North America.

BILLBOARD MARCH 8, 2003 www.billboard.com 29 www.americanradiohistory.com