Beats International

  • Brighton, England
    hometown
  • Electronic/Dance
    genre
  • 1989
    started
  • Bio
    full story
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About Beats International


After the 1988 demise of the superb British pop group the Housemartins, Brighton-born bassist Norman Cook returned to his first love, DJing, and became one of the English music scene's most successful remixers. In 1989 he launched a solo recording career with the single "Won't Talk About It," featuring the falsetto vocals of Billy Bragg; the record became a major dance hit, and after a follow-up, "For Spacious Lies," Cook formed Beats International, a loose confederation of studio musicians including vocalists Linda Layton and Lester Noel, rapper MC Wildski, and keyboardist Andy Boucher.

Beats International's 1990 debut single, "Dub Be Good to Me" -- a cover of the SOS Band's "Just Be Good to Me" incorporating the bass line of the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton" -- topped the UK charts, becoming an international club smash. After another hit, the soul/jazz/worldbeat cocktail "Burundi Blues," the group issued their sample-heavy debut LP Let Them Eat Bingo, which debuted in the Top 20 of the British charts. Although Cook had become even more highly sought-after as a remixer, teaming with artists ranging from Aztec Camera to the Jungle Brothers, he reconvened Beats International in 1991 for Excursion on the Version, an exploration of dub and reggae rhythms; when the album failed to repeat the success of its predecessor, Cook disbanded the group to focus on his new unit, Freak Power. [See Also: Fatboy Slim] ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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Music

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  • Dub Be Good To Me
    beats-international
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    Dub Be Good To Me
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    • Dub Be Good To Me
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/1/4/3/0/3/112130341.mp3
    • For Spacious Lies (12' Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/2/4/2/9/5/117559242.mp3
    • The Ragged Trousered Percussionists
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/2/9/0/3/112130920.mp3
    • Before I Grow Too Old
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/7/6/8/0/3/112130867.mp3
    • Blame It On The Bassline
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/2/1/4/3/3/112133412.mp3
    • Dance To The Drummer's Beat
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/7/2/8/7/114778270.mp3

Photos

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  • Go Beat/London/PolyGram
    Beats International
    Go Beat/London/PolyGram
    Paul Cox

News

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  • Beats International
    'Star Trek Into Darkness' Takes Box-Office Crown With $84 Million
    MTV News
    May 20, 2013
    Sequel beats 'Iron Man 3' and 'Great Gatsby' for #1 spot, but fails to live up to industry expectations.
    Read More

Discography

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  • Excursion on the Version (1991)
    Beats International
    Excursion on the Version (1991)
    London
  • Let Them Eat Bingo (1990)
    Beats International
    Let Them Eat Bingo (1990)
    Elektra Entertainment
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