Smart E's - Sesame's Treet (Original 12" Mix)

Smart E’s, a short-lived British trio formed by DJs/producers Luna-C (Christopher Howell), Mr. Tom (Tom Orton), and Nick Arnold, exploded onto the early 1990s rave scene with their 1992 single “Sesame’s Treet,” a track that epitomized the playful yet polarizing “toytown techno” subgenre and left a complex legacy in the evolution of electronic dance music (EDM). Released on Suburban Base Records, “Sesame’s Treet” was a breakbeat hardcore remix of the iconic “Sesame Street” theme, “Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?,” layered with samples from a Count von Count sketch and a sped-up break from MC Duke and DJ Leader 1’s “The Final Conflict.” This audacious blend of nostalgic children’s TV samples with frenetic, rave-ready breakbeats and synth riffs propelled the track to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, top 10 in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, and even No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100, a rare crossover for rave music in the U.S. at the time.

The Track and Its Creation: “Sesame’s Treet” was born from a tongue-in-cheek experiment, crafted in just six hours as a “little joke” by Luna-C, who never anticipated its meteoric rise. The track’s infectious energy came from its contrast of the familiar, bouncy “Sesame Street” melody with hardcore rave elements—pounding breakbeats, pulsating basslines, and a high-BPM tempo that mirrored the ecstasy-driven euphoria of early 1990s raves. Its music video, featuring an A-Z of rave culture (e.g., “A is for ‘Ardcore,” “H is for Handz In The Air”), celebrated the scene’s vibrant lexicon while subtly nodding to its drug-fueled undercurrents. An early sleeve design featuring Oscar the Grouch with a spliff was pulled due to legal issues, underscoring the track’s cheeky irreverence.

Impact on Rave Culture: “Sesame’s Treet” rode the wave of “toytown techno,” a trend sparked by Mark Summers’ “Summers Magic” (1991) and amplified by The Prodigy’s “Charly” (1991), which sampled a children’s public information film. Alongside tracks like Urban Hype’s “A Trip to Trumpton,” it capitalized on nostalgic childhood references, appealing to ravers who were often young adults revisiting their ’70s and ’80s TV memories through an MDMA-tinted lens. The track’s commercial success, driven by airplay from Kiss FM DJ Steve Jackson, marked a pivotal moment when underground rave music breached mainstream pop charts, exposing breakbeat hardcore to broader audiences. However, this mainstream breakthrough came at a cost. Hardcore ravers, protective of their underground subculture, decried “Sesame’s Treet” as “cheesy” and a betrayal of rave’s raw ethos, blaming it and similar tracks for diluting the scene with commercial “pop rave” imitations. Critics like those on Rate Your Music called it the “nadir of ‘rave’ culture,” likening it to novelty flops like “Disco Duck.”

Influence on EDM’s Evolution: Despite the backlash, “Sesame’s Treet” played a crucial role in shaping EDM’s trajectory. It was among the earliest examples of “happy hardcore,” a subgenre characterized by upbeat, childlike themes and faster tempos that would flourish later in the 1990s. Its crossover success demonstrated the potential for electronic music to infiltrate pop culture, paving the way for EDM’s global dominance in the decades that followed. The track’s use of familiar samples to hook listeners prefigured the sampling techniques that became staples in EDM production, while its chart performance helped legitimize rave music for major labels, even if Smart E’s themselves disbanded after their quick-cash-in album flopped. Luna-C’s reinvestment of profits into Kniteforce Records further supported the underground scene, countering accusations of “selling out.”

Legacy and Reflection: “Sesame’s Treet” remains a divisive artifact—loved by some for its lighthearted insanity and loathed by purists for its perceived role in commercializing rave. Its defenders argue it captured a fleeting, trippy moment in the eclectic early ’90s rave scene, where humor and experimentation coexisted with hardcore’s edge. Its detractors, however, saw it as a harbinger of rave’s dilution, with “toytown techno” tracks like “Sesame’s Treet” and “Charly” blamed for inspiring a flood of lesser copycats. Yet, its enduring presence—evidenced by 2023 remixes featuring Professor Elemental and rebuilt versions by Luna-C—shows its lasting cultural footprint. Ultimately, “Sesame’s Treet” was a paradox: a novelty hit that both propelled and polarized rave culture, bridging the underground and mainstream while leaving an indelible mark on EDM’s formative years.