G-Force Featuring Ronnie Gee & Captain Cee
Feel The Force
G-Force Featuring Ronnie Gee & Captain Cee – Feel The Force
Label: SMI – SM-7-1061
Format: Vinyl, 7", Test Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: Electro
This piece was written by Dave Vinyl and originally featured in the Hip Hop special edition of DIG – copies of DIG Mag can be purchased here.
“Warning! the surgeon general of chill town New York has determined that the sounds you are about to hear can be devasting to your ear...” Ronald Gordon, A.K.A. MC Ronnie Gee, had a flair for writing theatrical lyrics penning these much sampled words of street wisdom for the intro to Raptivity in 1980. Cosmic Touch, another project with lyrics co-written by Ronnie Gee, surfaced on vinyl three years later, this time opening with a vocodered voice; ”nothing ever changes, nothing ever changes, nothing ever changes...”
1983 was a pivotal year for electro and for cutting-up robotized lyrics. Grandmixer D.ST’s ethereal manipulation of the word “fresh” from the vocoder outro on Fab 5 Freddy’s Change The Beat, caused a chain reaction influencing just about anyone with a turntable. Fast forward to 1985. DJ’s Chill Will and Barry Bee were busy cutting-up the same “fresh” phrase on The Show. The follow up single, All The Way To Heaven featuring the La-Di-Da-Di-like human beat box track Nuthin, showcased the pair taking scratch liberties with the Cosmic Touch intro. “N-N-N-Nothing…”
Nothing Ever Changes was released on Serious Gold, a sub-label of Satellite Music International or SMI as it appeared on the label. Although lacking the polish of classics such as Nunk or Light Years Away, Nothing Ever Changes featured familiar sonic elements. Alongside Ronnie Gee on co-production was Will Crittendon, A.K.A. Captain Cee. Cosmic Touch would not be their only exploration into space.
As the UK music industry was declaring that home taping was killing music, around my way copies of Street Sounds Electro tapes were like serious gold. On side two of the first volume the vocoder intro on the monumental Feel The Force came crashing through Mastermind Herbie’s mix; “let the force console you, let the sound of our voices control you, let us take you to another place, beyond time, beyond space…”
Ronnie Gee and Captain Cee calling themselves G-Force, had written an opening keyboard riff that could well have been on Queen’s Flash Gordon soundtrack. This blaring fanfare gave way to swathes of keyboard and eruptions of analogue sound whilst frenetic electronic rhythm ignited a thumping tempo punctuated by rickety handclaps. The energy contained within the groove was perfect for the B-Boys, a fact capitalised on by the professors in charge; “this is dedicated to you on the streets, a little something we created, so feel the beat…”
Variations of Feel The Force exist on vinyl. 12” mixes with more or less keyboard and effects. The 7” edit despite missing three of the verses still packs a punch with the unforgettable intro remaining unchanged. Finding it on 7” as a test pressing was a combination of luck, geeky devotion to checking catalogue numbers and making intuitive connections. I found it online from a website in the states long before the prices of old school rap 7”s became astronomical. The copy recorded for DIG is one of only three currently known to exist suggesting that the edit didn’t make the cut for a regular issue.
For further digging check the Boogie Bonus Beats on Aldo Marin’s remix of Mantus & Omega 88’s Boogie To The Bop, also on SMI and produced by Captain Cee. If you’re into weird, dig up a copy of George Nooks & The Electrons' Computer Reggae for a wacked out mix of electrofied reggae, vocoder and Salsa Smurph-esque shuffle, written and arranged by Ronnie Gee on Serious Gold.
Warning! Electro is still aural sex and can be devastating to my ear.