Ageing B-Boys Unite!: Juice Fanzine

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, 28 July 2010

Juice Fanzine

Around 1992 I began producing my own home-made hip hop magazine.
It was called Juice and the first issue was a few A4 sheets stapled together embarking on a more 'newsletter' territory.
This was before home PC's were big, and even before I had a word processor. In fact I did the early issues on an electric typewriter.
All the images were cut out of other magazines and some logos were created by friends - mainly those with a 'writing' bent. The cut 'n' paste action was done literally with scissors and a Pritt Stick. And I went through stencil transfers like nobody's business.
I managed to speak to a few artists such as the Krispy 3 and Katch 22 - who I interviewed at the Kold Sweat studios - and met some good people in the process. Some would become life-long friends. One in particular who would introduce me to the ways of the spraycan and night time adventures along train tracks....

This was a great time to be doing this - and I think I subconsciously knew it was the right time - as it was hip hop's Golden Age and the music was pouring out at a tremendous rate. In fact there are some classic jams in this issue's Review section. Little did I know how they would come to be revered in years to come.
I remember that I was into the music so much with such an undying appetite because there was really so many well-produced tracks around that I could never do this at any other time. This fanzine was of it's time for me. Never again will I have the voraciousness for hip hop in it's current form. And the time it took to put it all together could only be painstakingly done with a passion.

The readership wasn't high and was probably in the heady heights of 100 sales. The promotion was low-profile yet I got mentions on local press and radio as well as a shout on Kiss FM's Max & Dave's rap show.
The magazine was bought either direct from me or from my local specialist record shop, Dance 2 Records in Guildford. I heard from someone a few years ago that one copy sold for a lot of money in Japan on ebay.

As well as the magazine, I produced a 90-minute cassette tape which consisted of remixes and dj mixes and whatever else I could find to put on it.
Some of these were my contributions under various guises while others were from the Juice readership.

It all lasted for 2 years until another interest came into my life and sadly the mag was put on the backburner.

I have digitized the last issue ('Numba') 6 and the tape that came along with it.
Quite a few people have requested me to do this so I hope you enjoy it. And if you were involved with it at any stage please get in touch, it'd be great to get in contact again (and find out if you still have your copy!)

Tracklisting:

Link-a-rama

Download The Mag
Download The Tape

2 comments:

martinlfinch said...: Yo Ben, i have a feeling i stumbled across this mag once, obviously haven`t got it now.

Any chance if you have any copies floating around that you could send me some? Obviously print me off some, i`m not expecting OG copies, unless you are feeling very generous? haha.

Agent Finch....; 30 July 2010 21:46
Anonymous said...: Nice one... gotta check this... Disorda; 11 August 2010 14:26