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| The Wiseguys
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After spending their teenage years up to their eyes in the twin vices of graffiti and DJing, Touche and Regal (known to their Mum's as Theo and Paul) crossed paths at college in Clerkenwell and picked up a vibe.
Regal was already working with the Direct current MCs, and Touche joined through a mutual friend, releasing an independant 12" 'Keep in Step' in 1990 that caused a nice little buzz on the underground hip hop scene in the capital. As Touche says "From collecting breaks it was just natural to loop them up to make tracks. So we did - using decks and the pause button on a tape deck . From there we just kept collecting old music across the board... always searching for the next beat, and the next amazing track."
Touche and Regal left the Direct Current MCs in '92 and started working on tracks for Solo E, who was signed to Circa and managed by big cheese Rene Gelston. Rene liked what he heard, and asked the duo to do tracks for his label Blackmarket International. The 'Ladies say Ow!' EP was released in the spring of '94, and not only saw the birth of The Wiseguys, but picked up serious support from the likes of Giles Peterson and Patrick Forge. Not bad for your first proper release.
But The Wiseguys would not be with the blackmarket for long. Wall of Sound had already licenced 'The Real Vibes' for the now legendary 'Give 'Em Enough Dope' compilation, and in April '95 released the double-header 'Nil by Mouth / To Easy'.
One year on Touche and Regal took things to the next level with thier debut album release for Wall of Sound. Calling on their books of beats and samples (including vocal contribution from Sense Live from New York's Shootyz Groove), 'Executive Suite' is a true tour-de-force. Now with two more classic single releases under their belt (as well as Touche cuttin' up the 'Stable Manners' cassette for DJ magazine and a fucking mad half-hour session on Radio 1's 'Breezeblock') and regular DJing stints at Back 2 Mono, The Wiseguys are essential members of the Wall of Sound Mafia.
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Discography
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Year
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Label
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Title
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1994 |
Blackmarket International
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Ladies say Ow! EP
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1995 |
Wall Of Sound
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Nil by Mouth / To Easy Maxi Single
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1996 |
Wall Of Sound
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Executive Suite
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1999 |
Mammoth Records
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The Antidote
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