Top 10 Material....Easily!

One of these days I'm going to make a list of my top 10 songs.

I have tried to do this many times in the past but I soon realise how daunting this task actually is. Especially when I glance at my record shelves and let out an involuntary wince.
Of course there are songs that stay with you and will always stand the test of time but there is always something that catches you off guard and is a track that you've momentarily forgotten about that upon hearing it instantly gives you goosebumps. Or wood.

For now though I shall add Kid Frost's Terminator to the list.
I'm listening to it now as I type this and from the opening eerie synth sounds and vocoder, the hairs on the back of your neck instantly stand up. And you get wood.
What a great, great record.
I first heard this played by Mike Allen on his Capital Radio show one evening in 1985 and was smitten. As clear as day (and the fact I recorded it on cassette) I can still recall Mike playing it with his immortal words spoken over the intro....."this is Kid Frost...if you listen carefully you can hear the Sikorsky gunships.... be careful, he's out there...".

The fact that this made it onto Electro volume 9 just sealed it's fate with me and that volume is the best of the series in my opinion. Not just because of Terminator, you understand, although that does play a large part.

This was completely different to anything out there at the time and still holds up today. I love this.
I shall end with this brilliant review from "gresty" which can be found on the Discogs website.

"There are so many great electro moments from this period but if I had to name one track which epitomises it all it would be 'Terminator'. Listening to it today, it still sounds as fresh and tight as the day I bought it all those years ago. It stands head and shoulders above 90% of electro from the mid-80's and I would say only a handful of other tracks come close to it's genius (Mr. P, Synergy and Ervin German spring to mind.) Frost's rapping is tough, intelligent and original whilst the overall mood is dark and claustrophobic. Some of the electronics used, the fizzing, clicking industrial sounds, are way ahead of their time. One of the criticisms levelled at mid-80's rap is that of it was too corny but this track is seriously cool."

Download the 12" here:  http://www.solidfiles.com/d/4410abc484/KidFrostTerminator1985.zip

ABU Podcast #44 August 2014 DOWNLOAD

As I said, it was a live show last Thursday rather than a pre-record.
The focus this month was on the breakbeats and the records that had sampled them. I tried to cover the main ones but time was against me and I missed one very important break out. I could've slipped it in at the end but that wouldn't have given it the right feeling. That would've been a sad injustice to a criminally-important song.
Anyhoo, there were a lot of other goodies in there including a section on the 'Mardi Gras' break where I played the 'no bells' version(!) and also uncovered the mystery 'noise' which is only heard right at the beginning during the actual break.

Next week sees the return proper of the weekly Disco Scratch Radio Show. Every week Waxer will be in the chair giving you the full funk rock-shock that we've been fiending for. It's a new day. The DS head-honcho has vowed that this is a new chapter.
You may be aware that the DS Forum has now closed (due to lack of activity - mainly thanks to Facebook) which is sad but inevitable. I had a bit of a wobble about the ABU blog earlier in the year due to similar circumstances.
It's true that a lot more goes on on the ABU Facebook group than it does here. It's just so easy to post something on FB than it is on Blogger. And the audience is bigger.
If you want to know why I do then this should explain. I can post a video or question on the FB Group and I'll get comments within a few minutes. If I do the same here then I'll be lucky to get at least one reply in a week.
Again, sad but inevitable.

N.b. I was so caught up 'in the moment' that I inadvertently forgot to push the record button until 30 minutes into the show.

This is the main show:
http://www.sonicity.co.uk/Resources/44_Ageing_B-Boys_Unite!_Podcast_-_ABU!_DS_Takeover_Show_August_2014.mp3

After the show ended I played a few soul sister funky bits as a request for Mrs Waxer x.
http://www.sonicity.co.uk/Resources/44.1_Ageing_B-Boys_Unite!_Podcast_-_ABU!_DS_Takeover_Show_August_2014.mp3

The ABU Podcast August 2014 - LIVE TONITE!

This month's ABU show is LIVE on Disco Scratch Radio tonight. Hosted as ever by yours truly, Mr Repo, I will be examining the world of funk breakbeats with a host of tracks from the greatest decade of this genre - the Seventies.

It's all live and it starts at 9pm.

http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio/

Peas,

Lord Reepington

Grandmaster Flash on Now Playing @6Music

 I listened to this last night. Quite interesting in parts as Grandmaster Flash talked to 6Music's Tom Robinson (who used to be gay, and happy to be or something, and liked singing about it) last Sunday.
It's only up until this weekend then it's gone. I've made a copy and I'll upload it once I have time if you miss this.

Tracklisting:

    Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five - The Message
    Chic - Good Times
    Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think
    Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force - Planet Rock
    Roy Ayers - Running Away
    Doug E. Fresh and The Get Fresh Crew - The Show
    Herbie Hancock - Rockit
    Prince - I Wanna Be Your Lover
    Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love
    Donald Byrd (Fallin' Like) - Dominoes
    The Sugarhill Gang - Apache
    Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five - Freedom
    Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope)
    Parliament - Flashlight
    James Brown - Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose
    Ray Charles - What'd I Say
    Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)
    Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart

    Grandmaster Flash in the mix
        UB40 - Red Red Wine
        James Brown - The Payback
        Soul II Soul - Keep On Movin' (Club Mix)
        Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long
        Barry White - It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me
        Suzanne Vega - Tom's Dinner
        Jade - Don't Walk Away
        Marvin Gaye - "T" Plays It Cool
        Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)
        Universal Vibrations - No Light No Sound
        AC/DC - Back In Black
        Run‐D.M.C. - Walk This Way
        The O'Jays - For The Love Of The Money
        Blondie - Rapture
        Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait (Powermix)
        Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music
        Montell Jordan This Is How We Do It
        Indeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
        The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight

 (I know, but UB40 works really well, I thought!)

Check it here.
Listen to it soon!

Steinski's Fear

I just read a post that inspired me to listen to Steinski's Nothing To Fear mix.
Any cut 'n' paste freak will tell you that this is one of the greatest audio mixes on the planet.

It's available from the man himself, Steinski, on his website. Mr Stein is a great believer in free speech and free music as well. Which is handy as you may be well aware of if you read anything by him on his site.
Don't forget to check out Freddy Fresh's review about the mix on Discogs, too.

Graffiti: Kings on a Mission (BBC Radio 4 Doc)

Thanks to Cold Chillin' Craig for spotting this today just before it was broadcast!

In 1974, one of America's most celebrated cultural figures declared graffiti as "the great art of the 70s".
Back then, thousands of teenagers were vandalising New York, in particular the subway system. Yet Norman Mailer described their "passion", their "cool", their "masterpieces in letters six feet high".
Who were the teens behind the "tags" - now the veterans of the scene? Why did they create this movement? Were they even thinking about art, politics, protest - or simply writing their names on trains?

BBC Radio 4 meets some of those who defied the law (and their parents) and diced with death including pioneers such as Riff 170, Jester, Coco 144, Flint Gennari, and Tats Cru. Their efforts have been replicated far beyond New York - in art galleries and in the hands of Arab Spring protesters - and yet their aspirations were largely apolitical: they were chasing fame and the acceptance of their peers.
The programme explores the city's complicated relationship with graffiti, which it appears to condemn and celebrate in equal measure. Former artists - or "writers" as they prefer to be known - revisit their old haunts and discuss why they believe they had a right to "tag", "bomb" and "destroy" New York with markers and spray paint.
The programme paints a vivid picture of a city that became a canvas at a time when, according to Norman Mailer, "it looked as if graffiti would take over the world".

Produced by Steve Urquhart
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4

It's still available to listen to for a year.
Failing that it will be here on my server forever (when saying the word 'forever' I always say it like CAP from Style Wars utters it. But meh, that's just me).

Wild Style Breakbeats 7" Kay-Dee Records

The 45 revival continues in brisk fashion within hip hop with this brand-new release from Kenny Dope's Kay-Dee Records.

A beautifully-packaged bunch of 7" vinyl - seven copies - housed in a 7" book from the classic Wild Style movie containing rare photos and text from director Charlie Ahearn is on pre-order right now.
You might be mistaken for just thinking that this is just another rehash of what is already available. You'd be nearly correct in that assumption. However these are specially-extended versions of all the original breaks created for the film with Lenny Ferrari and Chris Stein respectively on drums and bass. The beats have been freaked with by the magnificent Kenny Dope (Masters At Work) to made them feel bigger with extended intros and edits.

As I said it does look mightily impressive and of course is a must for any old school collector. However as you might expect it has a bit of a price - around the £60 mark.

The book features the following elements:

- 13 songs total, spread out over seven 45s(each with a different label color)

– Re-edited and Re-Eqed extended audio versions of each song, from original reels

– Extensive liner notes in a 28-page book, including dozens of images – from “Wild Style” director Charlie Ahearn, among other sources – as well as interviews with Fab 5 Freddy, Chris Stein and GrandWizzard Theodore

– The 14th side (the B-side of the seventh 45) features unique etchings with different “Wild Style” graphics

– Unique “Kay-Dee Casebook” packaging – all seven 7-inches fit into a book as self-contained pages

Purchase now at Juno Records online.

Props to Jamez for spotting this.

ABU Piece by BANZAI

Here's a short - and I mean, short - time-lapse video by the brilliant ABU-logo designer Dave BANZAI.

Reeeeeeeespect!

Mike Allen Special on 1Xtra (2005) RE-UP

My old Mike postcard

I received an email from Simon recently who was looking for the great Mike Allen 'comeback' show he did on BBC's 1Extra station almost TEN YEARS AGO.

I originally posted this back in 2008 but has since disappeared like a lot of good stuff does in these internetz. So I've re-upped it especially for Simon and also for anyone who hasn't yet heard it.

My mind being the rusty old shadow of what it once was means that I have forgotten a lot of it myself so I shall be giving it the once-over again just to refresh the noggin.

Here's the new link.

Big shout again to fatlaces71 who originally passed me the link 6 years ago.

Pip-pip,

Old Man Repo

ABU July 2014 Podcast Download

Here is the link for last night's Boombap Special.

Download it, share it, get the word out......NOW.

http://www.sonicity.co.uk/Resources/43_Ageing_B-Boys_Unite!%20_Podcast_-_ABU!_DS_Takeover_Show_July_2014.mp3

Boom to the Brap

And for those that like to groove, below is the tracklisting:

ABU Show #43 July 2014
01  KRS-One - Outta Here
02  MC Craig "G" - Take The Bait
03  Showbiz & A.G - Fat Pockets (Remix)
04  King Tee - Bass (12″ Remix)
05  Party & Bullshit - Notorious B.I.G
06  Main Source - Fakin the Funk
07  Rakim - Heat It Up (Wiz Remix)
08  Kenny Dope - Supa (The Boomin' Mix).
09  The New Style - Scuffin Those Knees
10  Ads
11  Dr Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg - Deep Cover (Soundtrack Mix)
12  Master Ace - Go Where I Send Thee
13  ATCQ - Oh My God (Remix)
14  The Scaffold - Theme From Liver Birds
15  Brian Bennett - Theme From Robin's Nest
16  The Electronic Concept Orchestra - Mah-Na, Mah-Na
17  The SimonSound - Tour de Mars
18  Marley Marl Ft Craig G - Droppin' Science (Bonus Beats)
19  Gang Starr - Jazz Thing (Video Mix)
20  John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom
21  Common - Soul By The Pound (Trump Remix)
22  Public Enemy - Shut Em Down (Pe-te Rock Mixx)
23  The Funk League - The Boogie Down Bombers (Feat. Diamond D, Sadat X)
24  Jazz Spastics - Dumb! Feat. Yesh (Jeep Mix)
25  Ron B  - Stitch By Stitch

Roots Of The Roots
26  Nu Shooz - I Can't Wait
27  Cameo - Word Up

28  Tuff Crew - What You Don’t Know
29  MC Alikazam - You Write, You Never Bite
30  Eric B & Rakim - No Omega (Remix)
31  Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Good Life (Group Home remix)
32  House Of Pain - Jump Around (Pete Rock Remix)
33  Roxanne Shante - Big Mama
34  KRS-One - Return Of The Boom Bap

EDIT: Link previously only played 54 minutes of show. It is now amended. Cheers!