Music That Changed My Life

I’ve mentioned John Peel before, and I’ll mention him again. Listening to his BBC radio show on crackling medium-wave radio, I discovered new artists and, for me, entirely new genres. Of course, he was the one who introduced his listeners to all the punk and post-punk, but he also mixed in old blues and country. One of my favorite blues artists, who I discovered through John Peel, was Robert Johnson. Just one man and his guitar. The essence.

PS At the moment of writing (18-9-24) the episode of Peel Acres with Fatboy Slim is still a few weeks online. Norman Cook explores Peelies record collection. Listen to it to understand the power and influence of John Peel. 

>>> Play Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings

One of the big hits in the Eton Crop van was Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits. Back in the day, you had to record vinyl onto a cassette to listen to your favorites in the car. While recording, the needle would jump at certain points, and we eventually knew those jumps so well, we could sing along to them too.

Hank Williams is pure, raw emotion—music stripped down to its core. That raw simplicity is the common thread in all my favorite artists. To me, Hank Williams, Public Enemy, 808 State, and The Mekons are a logical combination!

>>> Play Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits

Hiphop was very influential to Eton Crop—not so much vocally (no Blom-raps :-) ), but definitely musically. While hiphop began with two turntables and an MC, the arrival of affordable samplers opened up new possibilities. Hiphop taught us that the world can be your instrument. You could use bits and pieces from other records, rearrange, pitch, and modify beats and musical themes, then add your own ideas and flavor. Take someone else’s riffs, but make them yours. That’s exactly what we did from the Get Real! album onwards. Sampling changed both our world and our music.

It all started with the early hiphop originators, like Boogie Down Productions.

>>> Play By All Means Necessary

The eighties were such an incredible decade, with punk exploding in all creative directions and house and hiphop just starting out. Like I said earlier, the early days of genres and subcultures are always special. Every record feels exciting, and all the artists, labels, and fanzines are in it for the right reasons: the music! That always changes when money becomes a driving force, but hey, that’s life. I was there!

I was there in the mid-80s when Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim, Beastie Boys, and Run DMC all released great records and performed at the Jaap Edenhal in Amsterdam—an ice skating rink where no artist has performed since. Those were amazing concerts.

But Public Enemy played an even more special show in Amsterdam: I saw them live at the Mazzo club, in front of maybe 200 people.

We loved, and still love, Public Enemy. Because it’s loud, and it’s funky. A beatloop, a sample, a scratch, a bass, and the golden voice of Chuck D with a little help from Flavor Flav!

>>> Play It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

As Eton Crop, we were (and still are :-) ) limited musicians, but we were always eager to experiment with the possibilities. That’s why we loved the era when samplers, MIDI, and synthesizers became affordable. With those new instruments, we could explore new musical territories and do things we couldn’t have done otherwise. We did this with Eton Crop (see the Get Real! album), and we did it with EC Groove Society

We always sought rawness and repetition, which is what we admired in other artists as well. Take 808 State, for example, and listen to that bassline in Cubik. Incredibly beautiful and powerful! We even sampled it for our EC Groove Society live sets.

But the whole Ex:el album is a classic! Love the collaboration with the mighty Barney (New Order) for example too.

>>> Play 808 State - Ex:el