Ageing B-Boys Unite!: Kurtis Blow

The ABU & Disco Scratch Summer Madness!

Well, we've both talked about it, chewed the fat and given you hints but now both myself (Repo) and Waxer can finally give you the whole damn skinny on the event of the summer.

The date is Saturday June 22nd, the event is Summer Madness where you will find yourself maxing and relaxing in the company of other like-minded members of the whole Ageing B-Boys and Disco Scratch fraternity.
You need no reminding of how exactly it is that we roll. We put on no airs or graces and refuse to take the whole hip hop mindset as seriously as we may have once done as an angry young African Medallian-wearing teenager.
Just like the evening surely will be at Summer Madness, the mood is mellow now and all we want to do is kick back and chill with a cool bottle, can or glass of our favourite tipple, chinwag and listen to some great, classic hip hop and cot-damn funky breaks.
Whilst there you will be chatting to people that previously you may have only communicated with in the Disco Scratch chatroom but now you can see what they are like in person!
Pull up a chair, discuss the finer points of nodding your head on the up or downbeat with JimCee and Bit; discover just what goes into preparing the finest cookies with LG's Biscuit Roulette; ask Mrs Waxer in person if it is actually a diploma or a degree? The sky really is the limit, folks.

We have purposefully decided NOT to call this event a jam because we are not booking any acts to perform. However due to the spontaneity of this culture we love (not live, c'mon unless you're Westwood) then if anyone feels like dropping some lyrical outpourings on the mic then, just like Aviva Insurance, we got your back.
We have plans for you all to get interactive up in here should you wish to. Two activities that are designed to keep you steppin', brother man, are Rap Karaoke and Scratch-aoke. Get on the microphone as the liquid refreshment is the key to unlock that patter you've kept locked in your dome for 20 years and unleash it over a familiar beat.
Drop that famous scratch you've practiced so many times over your favourite tune. Scratch like Eric B and win a prize!

Summer Madness will also bring to you something that Waxer and myself feel is almost unheard of, especially around hip hop circles.
This is an effort to get family together. The Disco Scratch Thursday Night Wives are cordially invited, nay, begged to attend this gathering. And not only that but if you have kids then WE WANT THE SHORTIES!
Yes, we are proud to give you a special event that will give your kids the opportunity to shine and be a part of the day. For two hours the music selection will be provided by the dj's of tomorrow. Your cherished offspring can play 4 or 5 tunes each and get a taste of what being behind the wheels of steel with a booming system is like. Don't have vinyl? We have Traktor. We got your tunes. We taking care of bidness, yo.

The sun will shine. And what else do we need to keep the funk flowing? This party needs a Hip Hop Pub Quiz, you say? Way ahead of you, tough guy. Like the J-Beez, we got it like that. Teams of 4 are needed here - however Whirlwind D is in a team of one, possibly bound and gagged to let everyone else in with a chance. Drop the knowledge and prove to your missus that all those years of reading vinyl run-out grooves have certainly not been in vain.

With the sun beating down on your baseball hat, we're sure the need for grub will be most anticipated along with your bring-your-own-beer. A BBQ with the sweetest meat this side of The Real Roxanne will be handled by a team of hip hop honeys to provide you with a mouth-watering selection of chicken, burgers, sausages and ribs.

And of course a Bouncy Castle and Water Slide for the little 'uns and a Hot Tub for the mums and dads.

The whole thing kicks off at 2pm with the booming system toned down to a chilled-level at midnight where we can carry on until the small hours.
The venue is in a large, spacious house with ample parking in a quiet lane situated in the South-East of England.

This is not only a family affair but a modest one, too. We are keeping the numbers down to 40 adults.
Tickets are £10 each and a Family Ticket is available at £30. A one adult/one child option is also available at £15.

(The above Paypal button has cut-off the information on the Single Ticket option. It should read: Single Ticket (One Adult or One Child).
The last date to purchase, should there still be tickets available, will be Friday May 31st. Don't sleep on this.

This is a non-profit event and should any profit be made it will go straight back into the kitty to buy booze! How you like them apples?

Wednesday, 5 August 2009

Kurtis Blow - America (1985)

From Wikipedia:
Born in Harlem, New York, next to a spaghetti factory, Curtis Walker got his public start in 1976 as a breakdancer and a block party DJ known by the name of Kool DJ Kurt. That same year he enrolled at the City College of New York and became a program director for the college radio station.
Also in 1976, he joined a group called “The Force.” Russell Simmons was a lead member of that group. The Force sponsored parties around Harlem until 1977, when Simmons moved the group to Queens, New York.
After becoming an MC on his own, Kool DJ Kurt changed his name, with the persuasion of his manager Russell Simmons, to Kurtis Blow (as in body blow). Kurtis began trying to sell
himself as “the number one rapper in Queens,” with Russell’s help.
For a short time Blow’s regular DJ was Simmons’ younger brother Joseph, who at the time was known as “DJ Run, the Son of Kurtis Blow.” He later changed his name and went on to become the first third of Run-D.M.C.

I hadn't heard this album in years until I rediscovered it the other week.
There's certainly some nice tracks in the bunch most importantly the epic title track with Kurtis getting political in the Reaganomic Era amidst the Cold War, anti-Russian hysteria of the time.

Check out the backing vocalists and musicans for some of these tracks as Kurtis wasn't messing about and went for the best he could find.

Also check out the early sampling technology used on If I Ruled The World where the bars of Troublefunk's Pump Me Up are just a tiny bit out of time. Or is that me?

You'll also discover upon opening the .rar file that I've reversed the track, MC Lullaby and you can finally hear what he said! I put this version at the end of the set so that the original still remains untouched.

Tracklisting:

A1 ..........America (6:17)
A2 ..........America Dub Mix (2:42)
A3 ..........Super Sperm (1:16)
A4 ..........AJ Meets Davy DMX (6:37)
A5 ..........Hello Baby (6:42)
................Vocals - Brenda K. Starr , Danny Harris , Davy DMX , Lyonne , Tashan
B1 ..........If I Ruled The World (7:10)
................Vocals - Alyson Williams , Danny Harris , Fonda Rae , Lisa Fisher
B2 ..........Respect To The King (1:57)
B3 ..........AJ Is Cool (5:51)
................Vocals - Alyson Williams , Fonda Rae , Lisa Fisher
B4 ..........Summertime Groove (5:44)
B5 ..........MC Lullaby (0:28)
B6 ..........Don't Cha Feel Like Making Love (4:16)

I still don't like it when Kurtis sings though. "Hello Baby" in particular.

"We begin bombing in five minutes"

1 comment:

ramses3rd said...: I've always had a soft spot for ol' Kurtis. This is a pretty solid album, personal faves are probably the two "AJ..." tracks (never really went for If I Ruled The World).

Fully agree with your comments about singing, back then you couldn't buy a hip hop album without at least two wack songs on them (I still weep when I think about the Twilight 22 LP).; 7 August 2009 08:54