Their first major hit as Coldcut was the house-inflected People Hold On, featuring a then-unknown Lisa Stansfield. The single took the U.K. by a storm, and the subsequent album featured such luminaries as Junior Reid (on the single "Stop This Crazy Thing") and Queen Latifah.
In 1991 they started their own record label, Ninja Tune, which continues to release groundbreaking and extremely diverse music by a small army of like-minded artists. In 1997 the duo unveiled their own real time video manipulation software, VJamm. Coldcut's current live and DJ sets rely on video as much as records, taking the concept of multimedia performance into largely uncharted territory.
Conceptually, Coldcut owes as much to the ideas of beat writer and cut-up theorist William S. Burroughs, 1970s art / industrial group Throbbing Gristle, and the religious writings of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs as much as to hip-hop originators like Grandmaster Flash or later innovators Double D and Steinski.
Recognizing the power inherent in Burroughs' cut-up technique and its presence in hip hop music, More and Black have relentlessly pushed the D.I.Y. ethic and an understanding of play as a means of fostering greater interaction with and understanding of the world around you. The similarities between this ethos and that of hacking need hardly be stated. Ninja Tune uses a corporate facade to communicate via the marketplace itself, an idea first implemented by Throbbing Gristle via their own Industrial Records imprint.
One of the key aspects of the Ninja Tune ethos, Stealth, implies that their following of DJs and listeners are "agents" in a Burroughsian sense, propagating the D.I.Y. ethic of play as an essentially subversive act by replaying and manipulating media under the radar of mainstream culture. Nowadays Coldcut reach a worldwide audience through their syndicated radio show Solid Steel. Black has recently (2003) worked with Penny Rimbaud (ex Crass) on Crass Agenda's Savage Utopia project.
In 2006, Coldcut released their fifth album, Sound Mirrors. single True Skool featured rapper Roots Manuva and featured an Indian sample from a cult Bollywood era, making the track popular on the bhangra and desi scene and with most of the British Asian urban nation.
Man I A Garage
Coldcut Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before the day is out,
Slide over slide over
Slide over
I just dialed this number,
Would you help me help me please,
I just dialed this number with a phonebook on my knees
three meetings in a row,
I´s dotted and t´s will cross,
Slide over slide over
Slide over
I just dialed this number,
Would you help me help me please,
I just dialed this number with a phonebook on my knees,
That´s right,
well please hold on, i´m a man in a garage i´m on my way to work
well just hold on, i´m a man in a garage and i´m on my way to work,
My way to work
I just dialed this number,
Would you help me help me please,
I just dialed this number with a phonebook on my knees,
That´s right,
well please hold on, i´m a man in a garage i´m on my way to work
well just hold on, i´m a man in a garage and i´m on my way to work, my way to
Work
The lyrics of Coldcut's "Man in a Garage" paint a picture of a man whose life is consumed by work. The opening lines of the song—"This contract in my hand, before the day is out, slide over slide over, slide over"—suggest that the man is rushing to complete a contract before the end of the day. He's so focused on his work that he doesn't even have time to look up from the contract.
The next verse reveals that the man is also trying to make phone calls while working. He's clearly struggling, as indicated by the repetition of "help me, help me please." The chorus reinforces the idea that the man is consumed by his work, as he repeats "I'm a man in a garage and I'm on my way to work" over and over again.
The lyrics of "Man in a Garage" suggest that the man feels trapped by his work. He's so caught up in his job that he doesn't have time for anything else. Coldcut probably wrote the song as a commentary on the stresses of modern life and how work can take over. The song's electronic sound reinforces this message, as the mechanical beats and synthesized sounds suggest the industrial nature of the modern workplace.
Line by Line Meaning
This contract in my hand,
I am holding a contract that needs to be taken care of.
Before the day is out,
I need to finish this task before the day ends.
Slide over slide over
A command to slide something over, possibly paperwork.
Slide over
Repeating the command to slide something over.
I just dialed this number,
I just made a phone call.
Would you help me help me please,
I am requesting help from the person on the other end of the phone.
I just dialed this number with a phonebook on my knees
I found this number in a phonebook that was on my lap.
Three meetings in a row,
I have three meetings back-to-back.
I's dotted and T's will cross,
I need to pay attention to every detail to make sure everything is done properly.
That's right,
An affirmation or confirmation of the previous statement.
Well please hold on,
Asking the person on the phone to hold on for a moment.
I'm a man in a garage I'm on my way to work,
I am just a regular person doing my job.
Well just hold on,
Asking once again for the person on the phone to hold on.
My way to work
Reaffirming that I am simply on my way to work.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN MATTHIAS, JONATHAN RICHARD MORE, MATTHEW DAVID COHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LordSimonTemplar
Cold fuckin' cut brought me here. Been listening to this track for 12 years now every now and then.
THE Ravennea xD
I just had 3 meetings in a row today at my work........... XD made me remember this song :D
RedVelvetPanda
Back in the days - maybe 15 years ago - a channel called game one would air this song over a clip of gameplay from Okami. Took note of the artist, didn't forget it since.
Is that a musical saw or some strings?
krazzy
Excellent. Adult Swim brought me here. Must be from an old AS ad or bump/promo. Cool song. Very melancholic.
bayro pol
super music
arnalia
Game one gameclip brought me here !!!!!!!!Okami!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sherif matt
Okami ^^
Urfan Orucov
same
Enaira enaira
YES
Ludo045
Okami gameclip indeed