Fresh Is the Word

Mantronix cut the song as the duo’s debut single in 1985, with Kurtis Mantronik and MC Tee credited together; the track was re-recorded at INS studio on Murray Street in New York, with John Poppo engineering the session. The single introduced Mantronix to a wider audience and became a club hit, reaching No. 16 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Singles Sales chart in 1985. It also helped establish The Album as one of the group’s defining releases. The track became a durable source for later hip-hop and dance records, with documented samples and references by artists including Beastie Boys, De La Soul, and others. Its breakbeat-heavy production remains one of the best-known examples of early Mantronix electro-funk.