Reminisce: Los Angeles 1993-1996

I remember when I was growing up back in the mid-90s in Los Angeles, I used to love listening to the radio. I would listen to KPWR (Power 106), KKBT (The Beat 92.3 -- it's now 100.3 The Beat), and Groove Radio 103.1 all the time. I'd buy a pack of blank cassette tapes from Thirfty and Clarks Drugs and record my favorite songs off the radio.

Los Angeles back in the mid-90s was a vibrant place musically. It always was, but I definitely felt the multidimensionality back in this era. The West Coast sound dominated the Billboard charts (Dr. Dre's "The Chronic," Skee-Lo "I Wish," etc.), the G-funk sound was in its golden era (Warren G's Regulator, Dove Shack "Summertime In The LBC," The Twiins, etc.), the California Underground was vibrant (Jurassic 5 and Dialated Peoples were emerging, The Good Life Cafe was hot), THE WAKE UP SHOW on Saturday nights on 92.3 The Beat was the place to hear hip hop, people used to cruise in their cars on Crenshaw, Sunset, Whittier, and Hollywood boulevards (before LAPD stepped in with the "No Cruising" laws), the dance/electronic club scene was booming back then (the advent of L.A. Deep House and Party Crews, Groove Radio was bumping), No Doubt, MxPx, and other bands were holding it down in the South Bay and the O.C. with "Tragic Kingdom" and its vibrant So Cal punk/ska scene -- L.A. was holding it down back then.

Back in the mid-90s, deep house music was all the rage in Los Angeles. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing some hard, bass-ladened dance track on Power 106 was a hip hop & dance music station -- in those days they played deep house day and night. PowerTools was THE show for the L.A. dance music community and Richard "Humpty" Vission held it down with his mixes (can't forget the Vission & Lorimer Utopia Mix of Charm Farm's Superstar), the jam Set U Free by Planet Soul pretty much summed up the scene. Power 106 had a large latino listenership, so they played a lot of latin deep house and you truly felt the sound of the barrio and of the streets on the air. I remember the jam used to be "Cafe con Leche" by El Presidente. Party crews were the thing back then and kids would get down to deep and hard house at clubs and house parties. It was the sound of Los Angeles back in the mid-90s and it was great hearing the tracks on the radio, they were so infectious.

Morning shows used to be cool back then. I used to wake up to the Baka Boyz on Power 106, John London & The House Party on 92.3 The Beat (before the infamous "Crackbaby" skit that prompted the demise of his show and outraged black listeners), The Kevin & Bean show was big on KROQ 106.7. Big Boy was emerging also on Power 106. DJ Theo on 92.3 The Beat (with his deep voice) made the ladies swoon every weekday afternoon.

Power 106 turned me on to Groove Radio 103.1, which was LA's 24 hour dance station. They played 24 hours of straight up dance music, be it house, electronica (Prodigy, Chem. Bros., Aphex Twin), jungle (Goldie), trip hop (Tricky) freestyle (Lisa Lisa, Connie, Corina), disco (Donna Summer), acid house, early 80s rap (Grandmaster Flash), dub, techno (Din Da Da), old school (Chaka Khan, Lime, Lipps, Inc.), breakdance, etc. My sister used to listen to that station all the time. The station folded in 1998, but I still remember the music like it was yesterday. That was my favorite radio station, ever. I miss those days. The radio dial needs to get back to that, sh*t, I'd get rid of my iPod then....well not quite! LOL.

Songs that instantly take me back to L.A. mid-90s:
A Lighter Shade of Brown - On A Sunday Afternoon
Dove Shack - Summertime In The LBC
Warren G featuring Nate Dogg - Regulator
Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It
Skee-Lo - I Wish
El Presidente - Cafe Con Leche
Dr. Dre - Keep They Heads Ringin'
Charm Farm - Superstar (Vission & Lorimer Utopia Mix)
The Twiins - Round & Round
JV - Naybahood Queen
Artie The One Man Party - A Mover La Colita
Rappin' 4 Tay - Playaz Club
No Doubt - Don't Speak
Planet Soul - Set U Free
MoKenStef - He's Mine
Adina Howard - Freak Like Me

Cool picture of L.A. back in the day: http://www.monnikhof.com/...ngeles.jpg Downtown skyline before The Staples Center and the new Convention Center.

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[This message was edited Mon Feb 23 18:26:07 2004 by JANFAN4L]

i dunno if you posted on my 90s songs thread a while back http://www.prince.org/msg...&tid=48535


i listed a few of those songs you got here.....
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[This message was edited Mon Feb 23 0:57:06 2004 by Christopher]

Christopher said:

Hey Christopher, I clicked on the link to your thread (great thread, by the way). Glad to see some people remembering some of the songs I used to jam. I think as I get older I'm appreciating the music of 90s more and more. I'm getting more nostaglic for it.

Well written post but it's kinda funny to hear the mid 90's called "back in the day"

intha916 said:

I'm a young grasshopper

JANFAN4L said:

yeh.....we're same age i take it?...i really embraced all that 90s stuff last yr. ....i think it was a great time to grow up!..... we were exposed to a wide Variety of music and styles.

Christopher said:

Yeah, pretty much. My 90s kicks are on and off. I was on one last night when I created this thread. There are moments when nostalgia hits me and I get inspired to listen to some old music or reflect back on past rememberances (Tiny Toons! ). The 90s had a lot of great music, in my opinion. I remember in the summer of 2002, I was fixated with early/mid 90s East Coast hip hop. I wore out Queen Latifah's Black Reign album and Grand Puba's 2000.


"Pinky & The Brain-y" edit.
[This message was edited Mon Feb 23 11:02:23 2004 by JANFAN4L]

lol i know what you mean.and california had/has such a mixture of people and styles..i think it gave us a unique take on things.

speaking of 90s hip hop the pharcyde remain my favorite hip hop group. both of there first two cd's are classic!

Christopher said:

Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde & Labincabincalifornia are classics. I still love the video for "Drop" to this day! California was "hella" (as they say in the Bay area) cool in the 90s. The whole state was representing so hard back in the day -- Northern Cali and So Cal. I'm so glad I experienced it.

Very cool post...I moved to LA 2 years ago and I do love living here. The weather is generally perfect and the vibe is cool.

Unfortunatley I dont listen to too much radio but when I do..it's HOT 92.3 which plays classic and current R&B and the only place in town you're likely to hear Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam at any given time of the day LOL!

During the ONA tour...Hot 92 were the only station plugging Prince's shows at the Kodak...I tried to win tickets but didnt win. I had just moved here the week before!

Michelle Visage (formerly of the group Seduction) is the morning host and I wake up to that every morning!

HOT 92 JAMZ!!!!

VANITYSprisonBYTCH said:

Didn't DJ Theo (from the old 92.3 The Beat) move to this station? Is he there still?

I lived in LA from 90-94, came back east after the riots, floods and earthquakes, but have been missing LA ever since. I get back there once a year and it still is alot of fun, except for thae fact you have to drive everyhwere and valet!

I miss all that good Delicious Vinyl stuff, I saw Toni Tone Tony at the Roxy with Brand New Heavies and they parked a real elephant out front! I miss Glam Slam! It was a blast MC Lyte and En Vogue, Sade and so many others...

What's the scene like now? Is it all Britney and that stuff or is there no scene?

JANFAN4L said:

I'm not sure..I think so...I'll have to listen more

DMSR said:

After Puff Daddy blew up in 1997, the death of GrooveRadio 103.1, the bubblegum pop craze of the late '90s, and the recorporatization of radio (a la Clear Channel & Radio One), I stopped tuning-in. When I discovered Napster back in '99, it was all over for me and the radio dial (my iPod's currently not helping the situation either ).

I can't really tell you how the scene is now because I'm rarely back home. I've been an out-of-state undergrad for the past four years (graduating in 2 months, yay!), so, I have no idea. There's still scenes and vibrancy in L.A., kids just have to look much deeper now and pay attention. It's not as mainstream and in-your-face as with eras past, that's for sure.

Eazy-E waxed Dre back in the day. Dre was more popular but he couldn't get over being Suge's bitch and his lipstick wearing ways.

R.I.P. Eazy.

BabsJohnson said:

I just heard "California Love" today. Dre had hot beats with "The Chronic" LP & "Doggystyle," but Eazy was very ruthless on It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa. I'm not on the whole gangsta tip, but one of the best "Gangsta"/reality rap albums ever made was Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted LP (1990). I remember some kid was like "this CD is gangsta rap ecstacy!" LOL!!!!

Ice Cube "My Summer Vacation" needs to go here.

JANFAN4L said:

i liked "You know how we do it" myself.