Elliot Ireland and Alessandro Rizzo have been kicking around
together since the early 90’s. Life was simple. Make track, get an acetate cut at Lucy Spin on the Holloway Road, cruise down to parties in Hoxton and play to sweaty booty shakin crowd. Requests to play their tunes just kept coming in and it wasn't long before Steve Canueto got his breaks label FSUK hooked up with Ministry of
Sound, that the boys got busy putting 12’s through him officially along side Krafty Kuts, The
Freestylers, Bentley Rhythm Ace and Cut La Roc.
It was all good. Legendary nights at clubs like Air just reinforced
the ever more popular funky breaks sound. Remixes of Alison Limerick, Emenem, Skooly D & Young MC kept their profile rolling until a cheeky little number ‘Mucho
Mambo’ under the alter ego Shaft blew up and left the boys wishing they didn’t
have to see another check desk. They were invited on Top of the Pops twice, racked
5 worldwide N.1’s and sold over a million and half copies of that record. Not
bad for an idea that had begun life on a Commodore Amiga.
It was obvious was to do next …set up their own home, a label that
would take care of pushing the funky breaks scene…Jalapeno Records. A vinyl only label
until 2004 they wasted no time is signing label mates Kraak and Smaak, Kid Crème,
Ikon and more recently the fine Dr. Rubberfunk, an album collaboration with US superstars
Fort Knox 5 and Soopasoul.
Jalapeno Records allowed Skeewiff to explore their music tastes.
They hooked up sessions with the likes of The Young MC, Clyde ‘James Browns
original funky drummer’ Stubberfield, The Jungle Brothers and Tower of Power.
All of these energies have ended up scattered across the 3 LPs (Miniskirt, Cruise
Control and Private Funktion) leaving time for plenty of 12 “ inches.
More recently the lads have been focusing on the 4th album but
have taken some time out to remix Amy Winehouse the Sugababes and work with legendary Hammond
player Alan Hawkshaw.
Watch this space for some new music …..
