Mantronix

The New York City hip-hop duo Mantronix made their contribution to the old school as purveyors of the classic electro funk sound. Made up of Kurtis Mantronik on the decks and MC Tee on the mic, Mantronix indulged in the tech-savvy, synth-heavy production style first heard on Afrika Bambaatta's "Planet Rock" to create a futuristic take on the nascent b-boy stance. The pair released a series of highly influential singles in the mid 1980s, but were soon pushed aside as hip-hop evolved and the True School era began to take shape. Nonetheless, Mantronix--and Kurtis Mantronik in particular--are acknowledged as key early architects of not only hip-hop but techno and electronica as well.