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Stretch Armstrong

Real Name:
Adrian Bartos
Profile:
Internationally renowned deejay/producer/overall music impresario Stretch Armstrong has enjoyed a nearly two-decade career that has remained as diverse, eclectic and inspired as his home city. As a native New Yorker who grew up on the edge of Spanish Harlem, he began absorbing all of the underground sounds of the city - from early hip-hop to freestyle, disco, reggae and everything else - straight from his home streets at a very early age. Having begun his interaction with rhythm as a drummer at the age of five, he purchased his first record ("Rapper's Delight") in Fifth Grade, thus beginning a lifelong affair with the 12" format. A love for both house music and New York's weekend hip-hop mix shows led him to begin deejaying during his high school years. Throwing his own, popular parties quickly moved him into New York's club underground in 1988, where he became a fast staple at legendary venues like Big Haus, MK, Love Transporter Room and Mars.

While already an established figure in the underground dance circuit, Stretch's true bridge to international notoriety came in 1990 via a humble college radio show that he began on WKCR 89.1 FM while attending Columbia University. The then-stale state of hip-hop radio led him to develop his own twist on the mix shows he was weaned on. Anchored by the voice and shared humor of friend Bobbito Garcia, The Stretch Armstrong Show w/ Bobbito The Barber quickly became the cornerstone for the burgeoning world of hip-hop. Named the “Best Hip-Hop Show of All Time” by The Source magazine, the show had both a dedicated listener fan base and a fervent distribution of home-taped bootlegs around the world. The diverse range of guests featured nearly everyone of consequence in the hip-hop industry, with Stretch and Bobbito taking directly instrumental roles in establishing the careers of Redman, Nas, Wu-Tang Clan (and, specifically, Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was a "regular"), Busta Rhymes, Large Professor, Big L, Fat Joe and Big Pun (to name a few). In addition to the WKCR show, the duo hosted an additional show for self-proclaimed "Home of Hip-Hop", HOT 97, which they maintained for five years. Stretch and Bobbito continued in this vein through 1998, when the duo split up. Besides maintaining these shows and a growing schedule of international appearances, Stretch worked as an A&R for Big Beat/Atlantic (1990-93), Loud (1993-95), brought Mobb Deep to the public, produced Lil Kim's first hit with Jay-Z, and made multiple television appearances (including Conan O'Brian and Vibe TV with Arsenio Hall and Spinbad) before a larger deal with Sony in 1996 saw him spend three years developing artists for his Spit imprint. Through his affiliation with Game Recordings, his voice was featured as one of the radio personalities on Game Radio, one of the fictitious stations featured in the popular Grand Theft Auto III video game.

By 1995, Stretch started feeling the negative effects of having been pulled too far into the hip-hop realm and set about proactively revitalizing his creative drive. Having become completely divorced from dance music as well as bored with the monotony and segregation of the club scene at the time, his desire to do something new and challenging grew. He began simply by cutting up rock records and executing creative and clever live remixes long before "mash up" was ever an official craze, and moved onto creating hugely popular parties where he played whatever he wanted, no matter how off the wall or ridiculous. And as he reinvested energy into the emerging new club sound (a mutated blend of indie rock / dance / electro) after departing from the radio, his career came full-circle to encompass a more holistic balance of his musical tastes.

While both the milieu and his focus has changed drastically since his early days, Stretch listens to, works with, creates and loves music with the same brain and ears that drew him to hip-hop in the eighties, and remains focused on evoking passionate responses from his live audiences. He plays a continually evolving, eclectic mix of club music, favoring the sounds that are most whimsical and violating of traditional genre boundaries to club goers both here and abroad.

In 2006, Stretch partnered up with dance-rock-electro luminary Dominique Keegan in his famed Plant Music label, where they are preparing several international releases from the likes of Kasper Bjorke, The Glass, Eli Escobar, Kap10Kurt and Jesse Tittsworth, amongst others.
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Discography

Releases:
Sooflay Of Funk '96 (12")   Not On Label 1996
Untitled (12", Whi)   Not On Label 1996
Lesson 1 (CD)   Dolo Records 1997
Lesson 2 (CD, Mixed)   Dolo Records 1998
Shady Vs. Stretch (12")   Not On Label (Eminem) 1999
Spit (Comp) (2 versions)   Spit Inc. ... 2001
Back To Back Vol. 1 (12", Promo, Mixed)   Not On Label  
Drugs (Cass, Mixed)   Not On Label  
Remixes:
Not Gonna Be Able To Do It (2 versions) The Headcracker (Remix) Big Beat 1992
Episodes Of A Hustla (CD, Album) Usual Suspect (Stretch... Tommy Boy Music 1996
Usual Suspect (2 versions) Usual Suspect (Remix V... Tommy Boy Music 1996
No More (Remixes) (12", Promo) No More (Rush/Stretch ... Epic 2000
Street Commander (12") Street Commander (Stre... Plant Music Inc. 2005
Collected Remixes (Cass, Ltd) Rage! (Stretch Armstro... Vice Records 2006
Touch Your Toes (Maxi) (2 versions) Touch Your Toes (Stret... Liberator Music ... 2007
Drunk As Fuck (12") Drunk As Fuck (Stretch... Plant Music Inc. 2009
Come Alive (12", W/Lbl) Come Alive (Stretch Ar... Plant Music Inc.  
KS Series (Vol. 13) (12", EP, Comp) Let It Fall (Unrelease... Not On Label (KS Series)  
Scratches:
Nuttin' To Do (12")   Game Recordings 1998
Gastro Entérite (Cass) Scary Movie Waxexpress 2001
Production:
Lost In Brooklyn (Album) (4 versions) The Carbonated One Big Beat 1994
Don't Turn Off Your Light (CD, Album) Don't Turn Off Your Li... File Records 1995
Don't Turn Off Your Light (12") Don't Turn Off Your Light File Records 1995
Hard Core (Album) (5 versions) Big Momma Thang Big Beat ... 1996
LA, LA (Marley Marl Remixes) (12")   25 To Life Entertainment 1996
Satisfy (CD, Album) Nice And Slow, Keep On... Quality Records Of America 1996
The Best (CD, Single, Promo)   Capricorn Records 1996
Bright Lights, Big City / Well Connected (12") Well Connected (Street... Dolo Records 1997
Super Mercado (CD)   Capricorn Records 1997
Love Crimes (CD) Cuban Linx 2000 Epic 2000
No More (Maxi) (2 versions)   Epic 2000
Stretch Armstrong Presents Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP" Snippet Tape (Cass, Promo)   Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope Records 2000
The Notorious Kim (12", Promo)   Atlantic 2000
Back II Back (CD, Copy Prot., Comp) Don't Turn Off Your Li... Cutting Edge 2004
The Sound Of Young New York & Toronto (2xLP) Lovin The Fix Plant Music Inc. 2005
Spit (CD, Comp) Freestyle Spit Inc.  
Co-production:
Lost In Brooklyn (Album) (4 versions) Southern Comfort Big Beat 1994
Southern Comfort (12")   Big Beat 1994
Alcoholic Vibes / My Hindu Love (12") Tony Randall Stop Jerk... Fondle 'Em 1997
Mix:
Illegal Life / Stick You / L.A., L.A. (Maxi) (3 versions) Illegal Life, Illegal ... Penalty Recordings 1996
Radiohead / Agent Orange (12")   Fondle 'Em 1997
The War Report (2 versions) Illegal Life Penalty Recordings 1997
Thug Time / American Me (12")   U-Krime Music 2002
DJ Mixes:
Melvin Flynt - Da Hustla / Y2K (Snippets) (Cass)   Tommy Boy Music 1999
T 5 Soul Sessions Six: Stretch Armstrong (CD, Promo, Dig)   Triple Five Soul 2007
Appears On:
Freestyle Frenzy Vol 1 (LP, Comp)   Liberty Grooves, Dolo Records 1994
Freestyle Frenzy Vol 2 (12", Promo)   Liberty Grooves, Dolo Records 1995
Liberty Extracts No.1 (7", Promo)   Liberty Grooves, Dolo Records, Liberty Grooves 1995
T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York) (12") T.O.N.Y. (Radio Clean ... Penalty Recordings 1997
II (Album) (6 versions) WKCR Interlude Relativity ... 1998
Sushi 4004 - The Return Of Spectacular Japanese Clubpop (CD) Hello Baby Bungalow 1998
Nuttin' To Do / Scary Movies (CD, Maxi)   Game Recordings 1999
The Album (Album) (2 versions)   Atlantic 1999
Stan (CD, Maxi) Hazardous Youth (Acape... Interscope Records, Aftermath Entertainment 2000
Stack G's Regardless / Hit 'Em Up (12")   Game Recordings 2001
Uncommon Classics Vol. 1 + 2 (CD, Mix) 89.9 WKCR Radio Freestyle 800LB Gorillas 2001
Diggin In The Archives (CD + DVD) SOL "Live @ WKCR 89.9 ... Raptivism 2004
Touch Your Toes (CD, Maxi, Promo) Touch Your Toes (Stret... disco:wax 2007
Drunk As F**k (CDr, Promo) WTF (Nadastrom On Drug... Plant Music Inc. 2009
Here He Comes / WTF (12", Ltd, Whi) WTF (Nadastrom On Drug... Plant Music Inc., Serato Pressings 2009
Tracks Appear On:
Roadkill! 2.16 (Comp) (2 versions) The Motions Of Your Body Hot Tracks 1996
Body Rock / Manifesto (Single, Maxi) (2 versions) Stretch & Bob Radio Skit Rawkus 1998
Lyricist Lounge Volume One (Comp) (2 versions) Live From The Stretch ... Rawkus ... 1998
Melvin Flynt - Da Hustla / Y2K (Snippets) (Cass) Stretch Armstrong Intr... Tommy Boy Music 1999
Unofficial Releases:
1,2 Pass It (Strech Armstrong & Dj Mighty Mi Remix) / How High (Strech Armstrong & Dj Mighty Mi Remix) (12", W/Lbl)   Not On Label 1995
L.A., L.A. (12")   25 To Life Entertainment 1996
Sky High: We Got The Remix Special Edition (21xFile, MP3, Mixed) Good Life (Stretch Arm... Not On Label 2008
Unreleased Hip Hop Business (12") Usual Suspects (Stretc... Not On Label  
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