Street Soul : STREET SOUL

Street Soul Music

Back in the late 80s/early 90s when I was a Ragga/Hip Hop head I heard music that is now known as Street Soul. My first recollection was from Leaky Fresh & Owen D's Out To Distress show on Sunset where they played a bit of Street Soul, Soul Control Sound and later Broadway. Being 'hardcore' I never really got into soul music but this was a different kind of soul with harder basslines and a lot of UK influenced tunes coming from UK producers and artists with a Reggae background.

The Street Soul scene had its origins in Manchester. Although a lot of the tunes played were American releases it was often the B-side mixes that were played rather than the mainstream one. The deeper, the darker the better!

I used to go down to London regularly in the early 90s and some street soul tunes could be heard down there especially on the pirates, but at that time the Rare Groove scene was massive and most London soul heads were into that scene. Where as in Manchester sounds like Broadway, Soul Control, Stereo Dan and DJs like Bullitz, Lascelles, Bizzy B, Hewan Clarke, Tiny G, DJ Delite etc etc. Radio Stations like South Side Radio (SSR), Sunset Radio, Frontline Radio, Luv NRG, IBC, Super Fresh etc. were pushing jams that would epitomize what became known as 'street soul'.

Some of the earliest tunes I remember hearing ( in no particular order, 'cos those years are a bit hazy now 😅) were tunes like...

Although I'd heard these tunes in the blues, pirate radios and other places, I was chilling one day with my girl friend drinking a Special Brew feeling a bit loved up and she played me some tunes starting with Love & Laughter - I Surrender..it was like I was HEARING them for the first time! After that I got into Street Soul in a big way and luckily being in Moss Side meant that I was in the centre of it all.

When the bass dropped on a good sound system the whole place shook!

About that time there was only one name for me ... BROADWAY!!!

Broadway had been doing house parties and other venues in the area, I remember one above the shops on Princess Road, Moss Side near where the Reno used to be..think it was the butchers. Anyone else remember that one?

Sometime in April 1992? they took over Hewan Clarkes late night soul show on Sunset Radio...I don't know if they was standing in for him or what. Everyone I knew was tuned in that night eagerly awaiting them..we weren't disappointed - from 12-6am every Thursday they took over the airwaves in a fashion that only Broadway could. Dropping tunes and talk that just created a perfect fusion. Soul/Hip Hop tunes with a Reggae Sound System vibe.

953 5000 for requests and shout outs!! Ha

BROADWAY TAPES AVAILABLE HERE

Some tunes with that crossover vibe were....