Los Angeles-based producer Greg Broussard was the man behind pioneering hip-hop/electro fusion artist the Egyptian Lover. Comparable in influence to Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock", Man Parrish's "Hip-Hop Be Bop (Don't Stop)" and Pretty Tony's "Jam theBox", Egyptian Lover singles such as "Egypt, Egypt", "My Beat Goes Boom", "Dance" and "What is a DJ If He Can't Scratch?" combined the abstract electronics of Kraftwerk and the Art of Noise with the emerging beat-heavy sound of electro and the vocal approach of rap.
Similar in style and feel to those other artists, Egyptian Lover and related West Coast electro groups and producers such as World Class Wrecking Cru, Chris "The Glove" Taylor and the Unknown DJ took beatbox manipulation to new levels, fusing signature loops with ample syncopation, darker, modal melodies and impressive turntable tricks. While Egyptian Lover records didn't start appearing until several years after the New York and Miami electro scenes were already in full swing, by the mid-'80s Egyptian Lover cuts like Egypt, Egypt" were standards among club DJs, particularly in the breakdance scene.
Early cuts such as "Computer Love" and "Dance" were among Egyptian Lover's most experimental, with the material appearing through the latter half of the '80s increasingly flirting with full-blown rap by adding more vocals and melodic hooks. While more of his material dates from the latter phase, it's his earlier releases that remain his most accomplished, and they're routinely namechecked by a new generation of producers such as Autechre and I-F inspired by electro's first wave.
Also a member of Uncle Jamm's Army and the force behind a half dozen labels including Freak Beat and Egyptian Empire, Broussard also released the old-scool classic "Computer Power" under the name Jamie Jupitor. After a decade Egyptian Lover hit the studio again and produced some new tracks in the same funky electro style.
