Oui 3 started out as an idea. One which Philipp Erb and Blair Booth were determined to pursue, even though it was a departure from anything they'd done before. Philipp had toured with the radical Psychic TV in the eighties and spent the remaining years working as a programmer for a wide variety of artists. Blair was the song writing partner of The Specials' Terry Hall in Terry, Blair & Anouchka. More recently, They worked together on two albums with Billy MacKenzie of The Associates. The idea? To take a hip-hop loop from a late-sixties protest song, namely Buffalo Springfield’s For What it’s Worth, and put it into a post-Gulf War context for the nineties.
It took a while to find the missing ingredient they needed, but on a tape that Philipp brought back from Orinoco Studios was a brilliant, undiscovered rapper called Trevor Miles. Not only were his words intelligent and clever, he was one of the only people comfortable enough to rap in their own London accent. Trevor took Blair's tape of For What it’s Worth and disappeared for a few weeks. What he came back with fired Blair and Philipp up even more.
MCA Records signed Oui 3 in May 1992, having waited six months for Blair to be amicably released from her contract with Nick Heyward at Sony Records. They recorded at Rollover Studios all of that summer, with contributors that included Galliano, Little LouieVega, Brand New Heavies and the inspirational Jah Wobble. By February 93, it was time to release their first single For What it’s Worth. Mark 'Spike' Stent did a tremendous job of mixing the record at Olympic Studios in London. Oui 3 made their first live appearance on The Word alongside Rage Against The Machine and Chris Eubank.
It was a very exciting time, but by the middle of the week disaster had struck. An ineligible CD single format (5 tracks were included on the single one of which was a B-side) meant that their CD sales were not actually being counted towards their place in the singles Gallup Charts. For What It's Worth highest single position reached 28 and bizarrely enough the single entered the album charts at 52! We will never know what the true chart position would have been if the CD sales had been counted, but it is certain Oui 3 were robbed of a top 10 hit. Guess they gave to much value for money!
Charles and Eddie had a track called N.Y.C (Can you believe this city?) that included the guitar sample of Buffalo Springfield's For What It's Worth which was released at the very same time as Oui 3's. Rumor has it that Charles and Eddie's record company EMI ensured that Oui 3's formatting error was known about in order to help their release get higher in the charts. It didn't work! For What it’s Worth did receive heavy air play, particularly in Ireland. It could be heard some 53 times a day. The record sparked interest in many war torn areas of the world and Oui 3 were even invited to play South Africa and Beirut but decline the offers as their safety could not be guaranteed.
Arms of Solitude followed that Spring, though didn't achieve the chart success they had hoped for. Oui 3's supportive A&R man Paul Doggett arranged for the legendary dub master, the late Augustus Pablo, to be flown over from Kingston Jamaica to do a remix of the song. Augustus fell in love with Blair's voice and invited her to come to Jamaica and sing for him, Phil asked if he could come along too. But it never came to pass. Funny Augustus thought Philipp was the rapper not Trevor! Meeting him was an unforgettable experience one which will always be cherished.
By the time Break From The Old Routine was released in July, they were already on to their second UK tour, this time as support for Jamiroquai. Richard Heslop’s acclaimed video, and another clever lyric from Trevor, helped take Break From The Old Routine into the top twenty and make it an enduring summer tune. Oui 3 made their appearance on Top Of The Pops along side Take That and Deacon Blue who had been hard at it hitting the bottle! Normally appearances on Top Of The Pops pop the singles higher in the charts, but in the history of appearances made by Deacon Blue their records went down, so keeping to tradition they got hammered on Vodka!
Oui 3's debut album Oui Love You followed a couple of weeks later and gave Oui 3 their first hit album. Soulpower’s remix of For What it’s Worth made it again into the top 30 charts in October, as they drove off on yet another tour of the UK and on into Europe. Oui 3 played extensively the festival circuit playing Glastonbury, Phoenix Festival, Strawberry Fair and a myriad of Universities and Collages winning live band of the year in 1994, beating Blur though likely due to the fact Blur weren't touring that much at that time! Their live set up included some 11 people on tour with them.
They toured Europe too which was topped off by an unlikely pairing of Oui 3 and one off support slot with Ice-T’s Body Count. During the gig in Milan a full scale riot erupted (it is believed there was great tension earlier that day as the Fascists were threatening to get into power and into political office). During sound check in the afternoon Blair had noticed many people already queuing for the gig and quite a number were skinheads. Fearing for the worse Blair had divested herself of almost everything except a jacket in case personal belongings were to be stolen.
Indeed Oui 3 were caught in the crossfire unable to leave the venue. Ice-T's bassist had wished he'd 'brought his piece' and Ice-T thought rescue was imminent if they climbed the roof. Ice-T and his bassist did climb up to the roof, but it was too far to jump and there weren't any helicopters to come to the rescue, so back down they came. Ice-T became quite frustrated with the situation and did try to walk down the enclosed alley way which was adjoined to the venue, but as he got closer to the gates, and all hell was breaking lose, he beat a swift retreat. The rioters had trashed Body Count's tour bus and all was absolute chaos. Ice-T's tour manager needed to get Ice-T out and had wanted to use Oui 3's tour bus, but our bus driver who was ex army and served in Northern Ireland had the instinct to move Oui 3's bus a few miles away to safety with most of Oui 3's musicians in tow.
After some 4 hours passed and dawn's light was fast approaching, it calmed down enough for Ice-Ts road manager to suggest that it was safe enough for Trevor, Blair and Philipp to leave. So huddled together they made their way out through the long alley way to the gate which led onto the street and they walked a half mile or so, looking neither right nor left, down to where the tour bus was safely stationed. Meanwhile Ice-T's tour manager stopped a taxi and bundled Ice-T in the back, but the taxi driver thought his cab was being stolen, so Ice-T's manager hailed Oui 3's Scottish Highlander roadie by the name of Jimmi, over to explain the situation in Italian. Needless to say Jimmi's Italian just wasn't up to scratch but somehow Ice-T's manager drove the cab with Ice-T in it back safely to his hotel and returned the taxi back to the cabbie with the fare in hand. It had been a very long and terrifying night. The riot made headlines in the press and news stories covered it. Oui 3 were amazed when Ice-T and Body Count invited them to continue supporting them on tour. Philipp enquired 'do you have riots every night'? Oui 3 and Ice-T's Body Count went their separate ways and Oui 3's tour carried on, however Ice-T's Body Count tour of Europe was cancelled.
It was a very busy time during which many appearances were made on TV and Oui 3 were appearing extensively on the Radio 1 shows that darted around the country. In Ireland they were on The Kelly Show, in England they were interview and performed on BPM interview at Nomis Studios, BPM interview at the Hub Club in Bath, BPM interviewed with Dave Dorrell, TXT Interviewed by Rhona Cameron, The Big Breakfast, The Beat with Gary Crowley, What's Up Doc, Gimme 5 and in Switzerland Szenenfutter to name a few.
The acid jazz tag foisted on Oui 3 by the press was something they were never very comfortable with. So, as sessions started for the next album, Philipp hit upon the great idea of bringing in a post-punk guitarist to give us a harder edge. In walked a fragile Matthew Ashman, formerly of Bow Wow Wow and Adam and the Ants. An amazing talent, whose playing on tracks like Caring 90's and their cover of PiL’s Rise is electrifying.
A year passed before Oui 3's second album THREEDOM was finished. Many changes had happened; their beloved A&R man, Paul Doggett had left MCA. His replacement had a penchant for House and European Thrash Metal music, which neither camps did Oui 3 belong to. Oui 3 were also under new management which had it's own trials and tribulation to contend with and so it was not an easy time.
The first single Crazy was released in 1995. The video was shot outside of Los Angelas on a desert lake and was produced by Lance Aston, Marcella Detroit's hubby. Blair had fallen in love with a track by Laura Nyro called, Stoned Soul Picnic, which has all the folk, gospel and bules influences of Blair's formative years in the 70's, artists like Carole King, Harry Nilsson and Carly Simon. And so the intro piano loop was used as the inspiration for Crazy. Crazy was released as a double single. Stand Defiant had been remixed by Matt Darey and was a club hit for Oui 3, but Crazy didn't fair so well.
Joy of Living was Oui 3's last single release. The video was shot in an aircraft hanger, with a mock house built on running water. Scene's feature Blair dancing with a watering can, Trevor shaving and Philipp filming the procedings. Trevor's lyric, 'No hair on my head, but never mind that! All the more room for another slamming hat', was sited in the book Bald by Kevin Baldwin. The track includes a very famous loop of Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride! The B-side World of Forms is a personal favourite; a track a bit before it's time as it's cool jazz dub and funk style is not that dissimmilar to Groove Armada. Dave Clayton plays spectacular Moog and keyboards.
Threedom was finished and ready for release. Alot of the album had been recorded at Trevor Horn's studio Sarm East with Ren Swan as engineer. Mark ‘Spike’ Stent mixed a number of tracks which included a personal favourite of Blair's called You Can’t Do That For Me, a personal tribute to Matthew Ashman. He died later that year, leaving the songs presented here among the last recordings he ever made.
Oui 3 were dropped before Threedom was released. So frustrating at the time, but not all was lost as Universal Records released a 19 track compilation called Oui 3 The Collection. Tracks include a fabulous rendition of John Lydon's Rise and Mathew Ashman's mammoth guitar on Caring 90's. One of the tracks that did not make it on the compilation in Promised Land. It contains a Lou Reed guitar sample that Oui 3 just could not get clearance for. It's a track Blair refers to as a sister track to For What It's Worth and went down a storm during Oui 3's gigs.
It’s a great achievment that these tracks can now be heard. Every one of these songs has a special feeling which holds many memories. Sometimes joy, occasionally it’s sadness, but most of the time it’s pride. Oui 3 simply tried to write music that had brains and heart. You judge how close they came. Above all though, Oui hope you enjoy this. Oui certainly did!
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