Way back in 1986 there were four guys named Smiley, PJ, Dj Daddy & Dj Hype. They had built a sound system called Heatwave and come the weekend they would break into many a house or warehouse (unoccupied of course J) to start their own illegal raves, parties, knees-up, shindig, shabeenz etc.... This was the done thing back then and Smiley & PJ were rappers on the sound system but were also trying to get a record deal. No record label would sign them up, and so after many, many, many knock backs they decided to start their own label, Shut Up And Dance Music.
Their first release was a track titled 5,6,7,8, which was sold straight out of the boot of PJ’s ford escort. Other singles followed quickly, £10.00 To Get In, £20.00 To Get In,Lamborghini, Derek Went Mad and pretty soon an album Dance Before The Police Come which became an instant success, due to the love & support being shown from the pirate radio scene. The label grew from strength to strength and soon the guys decided to expand by signing artists to their label & producing the tracks for them as well. These artists included: The Ragga Twins, Nicolette, Peter Bouncer, Rum & Black & Ade to name a few.
Smiley & PJ also started other record labels, Redlight (Drum & Bass), RuffQuality (Experimental Breaks), & New Deal Recordings (2 Step/Garage breakbeat). All of these labels had their share of success including tracks like Coca Cola, Bastards, True Vip, Holdtight the list was endless; and with the Shut Up And Dance label being the foundation which held it all together, world domination was merely a fat bassline away.
Travelling the world on a regular basis, & spreading that fat Shut Up And Dance sound; this is what the guys do regularly when they take to the stage to DJ worldwide and man does it rock. Breaks, is their music of choice to both play & produce, With Smiley on the decks, and PJ on the mic., it’s one hell of a party…The mic playing just as much an important role as the tunes being played on the decks, with both adding to the vibes and the atmosphere. |
