On these two shows, you’ll hear Dave Pearce playing classic tunes of the day, as well Morgan Khan in conversation, on both shows. Morgan is the legendary and truly visionary Street Sounds record label founder who changed the face of how kids in the UK consumed Hip-Hop and black music in the 80’s. Starting in 1982, by compiling and marketing a series of hugely successful and influential budget priced full length LPs that featured numerous expensive extended version 12″ imports, he offered a new way to listen to new music. First with the Street Sounds series of Soul, Disco and Funk or ‘The Latest Dance Tracks’ as it was promoted. Then the following year, the answer to every wind-milling B-Boys wet dream, the Aural Sex of the mixed [not just compiled] Electro series. There were also dozens of other releases; Street Wave, Westside Records, Jazz Juice and many other variations associated with Morgan.
He is also the celebrated promoter of UK Fresh ’86, which featured a young Dr Dre amongst many many other iconic Rap and Hip-Hop artists. It is recognised as one of the most incredible live Rap shows in history and took place in July 1986 in front of 14,000 kids over two shows on the same day.
On these shows the main topic of conversation is UK Fresh ’88, discussed in two very different ways over the space of one month. In June, there are excited chats about the forthcoming concert that promised to be one of ‘Europes’ Biggest Rap Events’ [and after he’d fumbled the ball on UK Fresh ’87, which for reasons unknown to the average B-Boy didn’t happen], then in July, the cancellation of UK Fresh ’88 [NB: MK originally announced the cancellation on the previous Fridays’ show on the 8th July].
Evidently, Morgan is buzzin’ to announce the news that teenagers in the UK could see artists like EPMD, Cold Crush, DJ Red Alert and Rob Base for the first time on their shores, but as you’ll hear from Dave, the actualization of seeing Rap’s finest talents in front of 10,000 people in Britain wasn’t always guaranteed. You’ll note from Dave’s tone, he questioned the promise of such an extravaganza, and rightly so. Dave does his best to hype things up by offering competition winners backstage passes in an exclusive competition but fundamentally, UK Fresh ’88 didn’t happen. You’ll hear the Street Sounds founder display an eagerness and a legitimately sounding and convincing ebullience for the forthcoming event, but one month and one week later, he had to announce that UK Fresh ’88, regardless if you’d bought tickets or not, wasn’t happening. In the 4th June issue of UK music mag Record Mirror, James Hamilton offered this nugget, plainly discussing the original venue [outside a prison in a big top ‘Supertent’] and the seeds of doubt that had already been planted in the minds of some industry movers and shakers ‘Morgan Khan’s ambitious plans for the UK Fresh 88 hip hop extravaganza seem to have scaled down in size, it is now being held just on August 6 in a tent on Wormwood Scrubs in West London, mind you, the tent holds 10,000 — I hope security is good’…
On these recordings you’ll hear Morgan attempt to exonerate himself from the collapse of the project, explaining that the promoters and booking agents in the US where to blame for the failure of the whole affair.
As UK Fresh ’86 has gone down in history as one of the most important events to happen in the UK, it’s such a shame that, with all the experience and knowledge of how to do things right, UK Fresh ’88 all went a bit Pete Tong.
Huge shouts to Justin Winks.
Dave Pearce – Fresh Start To The Week 6 June 1988 – FULL SHOW
EPMD – Im Housin
Mic Break
Fresh Ski & Mo Rock – Talking Pays
Goldtop – Introduction
Flavor Flav ID
Public Enemy – Dont Believe The Hype
Mic Break
KCJ Mix
Sir Mix-A-Lot – Attack On The Stars
Roxanne Shante – Go On Girl
Two Live Crew – Mega Mixx 2
John Davis & The Monster Orchestra – I Cant Stop
Big Daddy Kane – Raw
Mic Break
Phone Shouts
Boogie Down Production – Poetry #3
KRS ID
Boogie Down Production – – Ya Slippin
Mic Break
Phone Shouts
Public Enemy – Cold Lampin With Flavor
MC Duke – Free
Overlord X – Rough In Hackney
Mic Break
Derek B – Power Move
Phone Shouts
KCJ Mix
Grandmaster Flash – This is Where You Got It From
Fresh Ski & Mo Rock – Talking Pays
Doug E Fresh – Keep Rising to the Top
De La Soul – Plug Tunin
Mic Break
Morgan Khan Interview [Is it really gonna happen? Yes it is]
Disco Twins & Starchild – Do That Right
Mic Break
Antionette – Unfinished Business
Mic Break
Cold Crush – Feel The Horns
Phone Shouts
Run DMC – They Call us Run DMC
Mic Break
KCJ Mix
Thrashpack – Trigger Happy
Sir Fresh & DJ Critical – Sir-Vere
Mic Break
Run DMC – Radio Station
Flavor Flav ID
Public Enemy – Louder Than a Bomb
Phone Shouts
Boogie Down Productions – Im Still #1
Mic Break
Rapline Session – Cool Gee from Poplar
Stetsasonic – Talkin All That Jazz
Rapline Competition Entries:
Slim Jay – Clapton
MC Fire – Edgware
MC Selector – Leighton Buzzard
George Kay Top 5
RANDOM RAP RADIO 