Public Enemy – Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos

Each month we take a look at a classic track or album and discuss it from a music production perspective, examining any sonic innovations that took place during its recording. This month we dig into the recording process behind the Public Enemy's 'Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos'.

The track was the third single from Public Enemy's second album, and the record that really saw them come into their own as music production innovators; It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back. The group's production team, named The Bomb Squad, was made up of Hank Shocklee, Chuck D, Eric Sadler and Keith Shocklee and this album saw them really develop the dense, multilayered sample collage style for which they would become known.

The group were more ambitious in the way they used samples than anyone had been before, stitching together a complex tapestry of sound for each track. But that was only part of what made the Public Enemy sound so distinctive.

Hank Shocklee explains the ethos; 'I wanted to prove that rock & roll didn't have to be made with guitars; I wanted to prove that rock & roll could be made with any instruments, just so long as they're loud and abrasive.' Public Enemy were about more than just the music – their confrontational politics were key to the message they wanted to convey and the music itself had to reflect the potency of Chuck D's lyrics. Shocklee continues; 'I made sure there were no bass lines on any of the Public Enemy records — traditional R&B bass lines formulated with funk were a little too melodic, a little too groove‑oriented.

 The sound needed for this group was something that suggested urgency.' Another part of his philosophy was a 'no reverb clause' – ensuring that the records never became too smooth and remained 'edgy and raw'.

These production rules, coupled with the boldness and creativity of the sample usage, meant that when the record was released it sounded like nothing else out there. It remains a hiphop classic and inspired a generation of producers – one of whom we have written about before on our blog.


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Ben Sinclair
May 21, 2020
Love me some PE and this record is phenomenal. Bomb Squad had such a unique, signature sound.

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