Influences: Steve “Silk” Hurley

 
Music

Very few can contest to rival the legacy of Chicago's Steve Hurley. The legendary producer has contributed some of the most influential house records in history and was a pioneering force behind the movement of the sound in the eighties and nineties. Releasing music on Underground, Atlantic and many more he is regarded as a key figure in the evolution of the genre and a truly forward thinking musician. 

This weekend will see him play in London as part of the Feelings "Day & Night" party in Shoreditch. We are delighted to feature him as part of our influences feature series. 


More details about the party in London can be found HERE

Parliament - Aqua Boogie (12" Inch Version)

Yes, I am a confessing Funkateer. I bought this on the LP Album first, then Bought the 12” because I liked the breaks, then I bought on 8-Track just so I could play it on my 8-rack Boom box. I always felt like George Clinton’s groups (Parliament / Funkadelic) had the hardest hitting claps. It’s evident in “Flashlight”, “Knee Deep” “On Nation Under A Groove” and of course this one, “Aqua Boogie”. That ended up influencing me to always include a chunky sounding clap in all my productions, whether House Music or R&B. I also learned how to stack individual instruments to create a bed of melodic music by listening to the music of the George Clinton Funk!

  • Parliament - Aqua Boogie (12" Inch Version)

    Yes, I am a confessing Funkateer. I bought this on the LP Album first, then Bought the 12” because I liked the breaks, then I bought on 8-Track just so I could play it on my 8-rack Boom box. I always felt like George Clinton’s groups (Parliament / Funkadelic) had the hardest hitting claps. It’s evident in “Flashlight”, “Knee Deep” “On Nation Under A Groove” and of course this one, “Aqua Boogie”. That ended up influencing me to always include a chunky sounding clap in all my productions, whether House Music or R&B. I also learned how to stack individual instruments to create a bed of melodic music by listening to the music of the George Clinton Funk!

  • Rod Temperton Dead 2016 Tribute Of Songwriter's 14 Greatest Hits (Michael Jackson, Heatwave, More)

    I always have read labels and liner notes, and I came to realize that Rod Temperton was usually in the credits somewhere on my favorites, along with Quincy Jones, who relied heavily on Rod for hit songs! The 12” version of Groove line was probably my most played Rod tune, because of those extra musical synth breaks, and of course his work with Quincy on Michael Jackson and George Benson are still a staple today!

  • Syleena Johnson - Peace Pipe (Dj Skip & Steve "Silk" Hurley's S&S Remix)

    B.T. Express was a huge influence on me in my grade school days, with “Do It Til You’re Satisfied” and other hits, but later in my DJ Career many of us Chicago DJ’s played “Peace Pipe” and it was a Chicago Classic. I just had to have my home girl Syleena Johnson give her fiery interpretation of this record for S&S, especially when she told me it was one of her favourite tunes!

  • Nile Rodgers Tribute Megamix 2015

    The list of Nile’s influences on my career is endless. In high school I heard “Good Times”, and fell in love with the chunky bass and Rhythmic but melodic Guitars associated with this musical icon. Chic’s “I Want Your Love”, “LeFreak”, “Forbidden Lover”, Sister Sledge’s “Greatest Dancer” (Among other tunes), and Diana Ross’ “Upside Down” further enhanced my appreciation for guitars and live baselines, but that’s just the tip of he iceberg. David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” showed me that as a producer, you only have the limits that you place on yourself. I got a chance to meet Nile through my association with the GRAMMYS® and we now have a collaboration coming soon on S&S Records!

  • Unlimited Touch - I Hear Music In The Street

    When I heard this tune being played by my classmate and neighbor Tony Hatchett at The Loft in Chicago, I became hooked on the uplifting sound of Prelude Records and labels like West End & Beckett, the 80’s answer to Disco. I was hooked to the point that I spent every dime I had on double copies of each. This was in order for me to do my own remixes live using beat juggling techniques, to play the best parts of these records, usually the Vamps near the end. Creating uplifting vamps of my own was the goal when I first started producing my own music (House Music)!

  • Frankie Knuckles Feat. Jamie Principle - Your Love (1987).

    This demo was the 1st House song ever – copy written in 1982. I loved it so much that I actually had a vinyl version (Acetate Reference) that I paid $80 to press up for a DJ Battle in 1983. You may wonder why… It was such a phenomenon in the Chicago house scene that it became legendary as a reel to reel and cassette that floated around for years until finally being bootlegged in 1987, by taking Jamie’s name off of it and claiming Frankie Knuckles to be the writer and artist. Yes, Frankie discovered Jamie, exposed him by playing his music at the Powerplant, and took him in the studio to polish up his demo, but he never claimed to be a writer or the artist, just a co-producer and friend that wanted to help Jamie be discovered. Finally, in 2017 Jamie is being recognized as the writer and Artist.

    Jamie’s sequence lines actually influenced me to use synthesized sequence lines on my first song (J.M. Silk) in 1984, “Music is the Key”, which I re-recorded professionally in 1985 and featured Keith Nunnally on vocals.

  • Steve "Silk" Hurley - Jack Your Body

    This record was monumental for me, as I was the only one who really understood what I was doing at the time. I was combining the disco influence of House Music with the chord progressions found in Chicago-Born Blues music, and a “Jack Your Body” vocal sample that I made, along with my impersonation of characters made famous by comedian Eddie Murphy’s Impersonations (Mr. T & James Brown telling you to “Jack It Up”) Get it? That’s a lot to comprehend! To be embraced by the UK with a #1 Position on the Pop Chart for 2 weeks was a validation for me that it was ok to be different, and to have fun with music, which was basically what i was doing…not taking myself too serious in the studio! However I only wish that I had known the full story of what was happening in the UK at that time, and the honor of being invited to perform on “Top Of The Pops”! It was downplayed by management and I was advised to finish recording our album for RCA records. Being a novice in the music business, I listened to my management and had no idea of the love that was being shown to me. I can only apologise for being so wide-eyed and naive, but I promise to make it up to you, UK!

  • Ten City - That's The Way Love Is (Acieed Mix)

    1988 was a transition year for me as a remixer, as my buddy Byron Stingily, who hired me as a remixer very early on in my career, gave me the opportunity to remix his now classic “That’s The Way Love Is”. The reason this was monumental was because it was probably the last time I utilized any of the original music of a song on my remixes. With Acid being a trending sub-genre of House music, I programmed a Roland 303 Acid Bass line, new drums and congas, and recreated vocal hooks by pitch bending them with my Akai S3200 Sampler, while still keeping the live bass and strings that Ten City had recorded. After that, I started ONLY USING THE ACCAPELLA 99.99% of the time, which became a trend in remixing that still exists today!

  • Chaka Kahn - Free Yourself (1995)

    Chaka Khan is one of my favorite vocalists, ever, hands down. Of course I’m influenced by “I’m Every Woman”, “Clouds” and “I Know You, I Live You”, and “Sweet Thing”, just to name a few, but her background vocals always intrigued me. I often wondered how she got them so perfect and why they sounded so good in headphones. I was fortunate enough to find out when I worked with Chaka in a UK Studio in 1995 and recorded this tune for the “Too Wong Foo” Soundtrack. I was amazed that she could stack vocal doubles and harmonies without listening to the other tracks she had already recorded. She sang them individually, and when we turned the tracks on to listen, this is what we got – “CHAKA!!!”

  • Michael Jackson - Remember The Time (Steve 'Silk' Hurley's S

    I grew up imitating the Jackson 5, and have idolized Michael my whole life. To say I’m a fan is a huge understatement. So to be able to remix “Remember The Time” was a dream come true for me. I remember pulling up all of the vocal tracks in the studio and getting on the Fender Rhodes Piano, closing my eyes, and imagining Michael being right there in the studio with me as I figured out what chord progressions I would go with…something that would compliment MJ’s vocals the same way all of his collaborators did. I think all my years of being a fan and listener of Rod Temperton, Quincy Jones, George Benson and so many other musical geniuses prepared me for the challenge of being on my “A-Game” with the biggest Artist ever! MJ actually released a video version of my vocal house mix, but it was recently pulled down by YouTube. As of now, this dub is the only version of mine available on YouTube…

  • Juniorstube-Madonna-Very Rare-Shake Your Head!-Unreleased-Juniorstube

    At this point in my career, I was finally just “doing what felt good to me”, as opposed to what the major labels wanted me to do. I finally had a sound that I was totally comfortable with, and what better place to showcase it than on a star-studded “Tongue-in-Cheek”, fun record like “Shake Your Head”. I didn’t even know the history of the record at the time, but this is the story:
    In 1983 Madonna’s recorded vocals for Shake Your Head (Lets Go To Bed) a track on Born To Laugh At Tornadoes. When the album was released Madonna’s vocal had been replaced by Ozzy Osbourne’s, a completely different style. Don Was later explained: “She sang really well but l’ve always imagined the vocalist as extensions of ourselves and l couldn’t relate to female vocals being our voice” In 1992 the track was re-released in a different mix on Hello Dad I’m In Jail with Kim Basinger supplying the vocal.
    For the alternative remix release In America, producer Steve “Silk” Hurley was given the wrong basic vocal/acapella tracks for the remix. Indeed, he was given Madonna’s vocals. This 12-inch remix was pressed before the error was realised and the release was then subsequently withdrawn.

  • Steve Silk Hurley Feat. Greg Gibbs - The Glow Of Love (Silk's Classic Vibe Pt. 1&2)

    Luther is the best male singer ever in my opinion, and the only one who has made me cry thinking of a possible lost love with the song “House Is Not A Home”. I know I may sound sensitive but it’s Luther! Luther, Teddy Pendergass, Colonel Abrams and James “D-Train Williams definitely motivated me to find a strong male vocalist when creating my first record. When I heard Gregg Gibbs singing a Luther Set at a private event, I knew then I wanted him to cover Glow Of Love, one of my favorite tunes ever, and release it on Silk Entertainment (and subsequently S&S Records.) I really believe Greg is Luther’s distant relative at least!

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