The Unknown DJ

The Unknown DJ
Birth name Andre Manuel
Born Detroit, Michigan, United States
Origin Compton, California, United States
Genres
Years active 1984–present
Labels Techno Hop, Orpheus
Associated acts ICE T
King T
X-Men
WC
Facade
Compton's Most Wanted
MC Eiht

Andre Manuel,[1] better known by his stage name The Unknown DJ, is a disc jockey and producer of hip-hop and electro music[2] who is considered to be an early West Coast hip hop-electro pioneer and legend.[2][3]

Music career

Manuel got his start in the music industry through Alonzo Williams, a Los Angeles-based disc jockey and party promoter. [1] Williams mentored Manuel, teaching him how to DJ and eventually the two began working together. [1] Williams added Andre Manuel to his newly-formed Disco Construction and Wreckin' Cru, a collective of disc jockeys that would DJ around the Los Angeles area. [1] Manuel began using the stage name DJ Unknown with the Cru.[1] The Wreckin' Cru would grow to also include DJ Yella, Dr. Dre and branch out into recording music as well.

After spending some time building on his DJ skills with the Cru, Unknown founded his own independent record label called Techno Hop Records. [2] He started to produce and release records on his new label beginning in 1984 that fused electro-funk with hip-hop, a genre of music which he described as "techno hop".[1] Some notable records he released include "Basstronic", "808 Beats" and "Let's Jam". He also produced several tracks for Ice-T on his label,[2] including his first gangsta rap recording, "6 in the Mornin'" (1986). The Unknown DJ continued as a producer for MC Eiht's crew Compton's Most Wanted. He also produced music for artists such as A.L.T., Brownside, N.W.A, Bobby Jimmy, and King Tee.

The Unknown DJ has also been credited in playing a minor role during the formation of the legendary Death Row Records. Dr. Dre, a former associate and also alumni of the Wreckin' Cru, began the process of starting a record label and music partnership in anticipation of his departure from Ruthless Records. The D.O.C., one of Dre's new music venture partners, claimed to have suggested using the name "Def Row" for the new label [4] (a play on the hip-hop label Def Jam),[5] but rights to the name were already owned by The Unknown DJ. Unknown stated in an interview that he created the name "Def Row" for a potential deal to start another record label under Morgan Creek Entertainment Group. [6] However he later sold the naming rights to Dr. Dre and his partners in July 1991 and by 1992 the name changed to its eventual title of Death Row Records. [7]

Discography

Album cover for the single "Let's Jam"
Album cover for the single "Basstronic"

Albums

  • Unknown's House (Techno Kut, 1990)

Singles

  • 808 Beats (Eight Hundred and Eight Beats) (Techno Hop Records, 1984)
  • Beatronic (with DJ Three D) (Techno Hop Records, 1984)
  • Let's Jam (Techno Hop Records, 1985)
  • Break-Down ("Dance Your Pants Off !") (Techno Kut, 1988)
  • X-Men (with DJ Slip) (Kru-Cut Records|Techno Kut, 1988)
  • Revenge of the X-Men (with DJ Slip) (Techno Kut, 1988)
  • Basstronic (Techno Kut, 1988)
  • This Is Electro (Techno Hop Records, 2008)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Charnas, Dan (2010). The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. New York: New American Library. ISBN 9781101445822.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Diallo, David (2009). Mickey Hess, ed. Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Press. p. 231. ISBN 9780313343216.
  3. ↑ Woodstra, Chris; Bush, John; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2008-02-28). Old School Rap and Hip-Hop. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 15–. ISBN 9780879309169. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Corcoran, Michael (1996-01-25). "Dead man rapping". Dallas Observer. Dallas Observer, LP. Retrieved 2017-10-26. "I'm the one who told Dre to change the name to Death Row," Curry says.
  5. ↑ Westhoff, Ben (2012-11-19). "The Making of The Chronic". LA Weekly. LA Weekly, LP. Retrieved 2017-10-26. The name Death Row came from my partner, Unknown [DJ]. Initially it was supposed to be Def Row, as in Def Jam. D-E-F. And Dre bought the name Def Row and changed the name.
  6. ↑ West Coast Pioneers (2008). "Interview unknown dj west coast pioneers 11 2008 part two". www.westcoastpioneers.com (Podcast). SoundCloud. Event occurs at 40:00. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  7. ↑ Morris, Chris (1996-01-20). "Death Row Is Target of Suit By Former Partner, Rapper". Billboard. New York: Billboard Music Group. p. 94. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
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