Harris‘ imprint Music of Life helped lay the ground work for hip hop in the UK in the late ’80s
British DJ, producer and label head Simon Harris has died aged 63.
The news was confirmed by Street Sounds‘ founder, Morgan Khan, on Sunday (February 14), who paid tribute to the London hip hop pioneer on Facebook, writing: “I am in utter shock, devastated to hear that Simon Harris has passed away. My deepest condolences to his family.”
“Simon was an innovator and one of the first UK curators of hip hop,” Khan continued. “I was privileged to have licensed and distributed his Music of Life record label in the ’80s,” adding that Harris was a “visionary producer.”
Born in London, Harris started his DJ career in Chigwell, Essex, in the late ’70s before meeting Steven Howlett, AKA DJ Froggy, in 1981, with whom he formed a production team. Together, the worked on mixes for acts including disco outfit The Real Thing.
In 1986, the pair established Music of Life, an imprint that became synonymous with the early rise of hip hop in the UK, hosting releases from acts such as Hijack, MC Duke, Derek B, Asher D and Daddy Freddy.
Outside of the UK, Music of Life’s work on breakbeat albums as part of its Breaks and Scratches series would go on to earn acclaim in the US and Germany.
Harris was signed to Pete Tong’s London Records subsidiary FFRR Records in 1987, where he created remixes for Joyce Sims, Steve “Silk” Hurley, and D-Mob — before the release of his biggest solo hit ‘Bass (How Low Can You Go)’, which reached Number 12 in the UK Singles Chart in 1988.
Harris went on to be involved in a number of high-profile remix projects for acts including Grace Jones, Heatwave, Prince, and the first-ever official remix of Elvis’ ‘Bossa Nova Baby’.
“One of the greatest characteristics any person can have is to have a good soul and to let others sing their praises and achievements,” Street Sounds‘ Morgan Khan said in his tribute to Harris.
“Simon was always humble and always tried to help in any way he could regardless of his fame and success. Ask yourself why Prince allowed Music of Life to facilitate the release of his 1994 UK No. 1 single, ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the World’.”
