Morgan Khan
Encyclopedia
Morgan Khan is a music mogul and entrepreneur well known in the UK during the 1980s. He played a large part in making various genres of urban music more accessible to UK consumers of Black and urban music after his founding of the iconic StreetSounds record label
.
, promotions & marketing, producing, publishing, artist management, concert promoting and executive company management in addition to his significant record label. During his early career he worked for such names as PRT Distribution (a division of Pye Records) and R&B Records; at the time Imagination were their up and coming stars of the day.
and of Anglo-Indian parentage, Khan moved to London
, England
in 1969. His father Capt. Richard Khan (1926 – 1995) was an airline pilot and his mother a retired Air Hostess. Khan has an older brother, Richard and his other elder brother Henry, who died in 2008.
, Dina Carroll
, and Humanoid
, as well as doing various work with seminal artists like Barry White
, Edwin Starr
, Rose Royce
, Gladys Knight
, Al Green
, Donna Summer
and Boogie Down Productions
.
cross over from cult status to the mainstream in the UK, and he organised and promoted "UK Fresh", the first hip hop festival on British soil. He also found time to be involved in the setting up of Westside Records, an album-focused label less overtly commercial/trendy than StreetSounds, that released mainly jacking
and early acid house
.
The most successful and influential part of Khan's formula was his practice of licencing US import tracks to his UK StreetSounds and Streetwave record labels. At the time, imported vinyl recordings of urban and club music tended to be expensive and have limited availability. Before StreetSounds, US dance music releases often took a long time to be licenced and released in the British (and European) market, and sometimes didn't appear at all. Morgan Khan's value-for-money, well-selected compilations and single releases fed and influenced a growing demand for black club music, soul
, jazz-funk
, electro, hip hop
, house
and Hi-NRG
as these mostly US-based genres gained popularity during the relative post-punk decline of rock and pop amongst style-conscious young adults in British cities.
Morgan Khan's sharp eye for trends, fast-paced release scheduling, talent for publicity and hype led to him not only promoting his own label, but also the dance music scene as a whole. He was well-known (and disliked in some quarters) for his high personal profile and as a self-publicist; and admired in others for his business acumen, and for representing an Asian success story in a less stereotypical field. Fans of Streetsounds releases admired his insistence on including only full-length versions of tracks, against the previous tradition in music [compilation albums]. Streetsounds albums represent the soundtrack for many UK soul boys and b-boys as they came of age in the mid-80s.
The StreetSounds label went into insolvency in 1988, was said to be a result of losses incurred by StreetScene, Khan's club music magazine. However, it was the constant ripping off of artists that lead to the label's decline.
Recent Khan major projects have included the Universal Music Black music retrospective "Back To Black - 100 years of Black Music" 10 CD box set - a major black music compilation project.
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Early career
Khan has been actively involved in the recording industry since 1978 in various capacities including A&RA&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
, promotions & marketing, producing, publishing, artist management, concert promoting and executive company management in addition to his significant record label. During his early career he worked for such names as PRT Distribution (a division of Pye Records) and R&B Records; at the time Imagination were their up and coming stars of the day.
Personal background
Born in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and of Anglo-Indian parentage, Khan moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1969. His father Capt. Richard Khan (1926 – 1995) was an airline pilot and his mother a retired Air Hostess. Khan has an older brother, Richard and his other elder brother Henry, who died in 2008.
Work with artists
Khan developed numerous artists who became multi-platinum recording artists, including JamiroquaiJamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, Dina Carroll
Dina Carroll
Dina Carroll is an English singer of Scottish and African American descent who had a string of hits from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.-Early career:...
, and Humanoid
Brian Dougans
Brian Dougans is one half of the British electronica group, The Future Sound of London.He is a "man of many thoughts and few words" almost always letting Cobain take the lead in interviews with them both...
, as well as doing various work with seminal artists like Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr
Edwin Starr was an American soul music singer. Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".-Biography:...
, Rose Royce
Rose Royce
Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".-Career:...
, Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
and Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the...
.
StreetSounds and its influence
Khan is best known, however, for his StreetSounds compilation series, which originally grew out of his own Streetwave record label. StreetSounds covered soul, funk, boogie and jazz, but the Streetsounds Electro/Hip-hop series in particular is credited with being a significant force in helping electro and hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
cross over from cult status to the mainstream in the UK, and he organised and promoted "UK Fresh", the first hip hop festival on British soil. He also found time to be involved in the setting up of Westside Records, an album-focused label less overtly commercial/trendy than StreetSounds, that released mainly jacking
Jacking
Jacking or Jackin', the term by which the form is more commonly known, is a dance technique and music form that first became popular in the late 1980s as one of the myriad music forms which arose from the last days of disco...
and early acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
.
The most successful and influential part of Khan's formula was his practice of licencing US import tracks to his UK StreetSounds and Streetwave record labels. At the time, imported vinyl recordings of urban and club music tended to be expensive and have limited availability. Before StreetSounds, US dance music releases often took a long time to be licenced and released in the British (and European) market, and sometimes didn't appear at all. Morgan Khan's value-for-money, well-selected compilations and single releases fed and influenced a growing demand for black club music, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, jazz-funk
Jazz-funk
Jazz-funk is a sub-genre of jazz music characterized by a strong back beat , electrified sounds, and often, the presence of the first electronic analog synthesizers...
, electro, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
as these mostly US-based genres gained popularity during the relative post-punk decline of rock and pop amongst style-conscious young adults in British cities.
Morgan Khan's sharp eye for trends, fast-paced release scheduling, talent for publicity and hype led to him not only promoting his own label, but also the dance music scene as a whole. He was well-known (and disliked in some quarters) for his high personal profile and as a self-publicist; and admired in others for his business acumen, and for representing an Asian success story in a less stereotypical field. Fans of Streetsounds releases admired his insistence on including only full-length versions of tracks, against the previous tradition in music [compilation albums]. Streetsounds albums represent the soundtrack for many UK soul boys and b-boys as they came of age in the mid-80s.
The StreetSounds label went into insolvency in 1988, was said to be a result of losses incurred by StreetScene, Khan's club music magazine. However, it was the constant ripping off of artists that lead to the label's decline.
Recent Khan major projects have included the Universal Music Black music retrospective "Back To Black - 100 years of Black Music" 10 CD box set - a major black music compilation project.