Track Of The Day # 5 Xmas Rapping

So here it is, my one and onlt Xmas song for you. Kurtis Blow is our Track Of The Day. Can you believe this was in the charts 28 years ago?

Merry Xmas to everyone who reads this blog and a big, massive thanks for your all your support this year from Ageing B-Boys Unite!

Mike Allen Show & UK Fresh mp3's

A massive thanks to Mr Bobby Dazzler who has very kindly been ripping some old cassettes of Mike Allen shows.
Check these out, the links are below as are the performing acts.


Mike Allen - The Best Of 1985 Part 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/174609505/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT1.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174609509/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT1.mp3.html



Mike Allen - The Best Of 1985 Part 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/174621758/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT2.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174621760/Mike_Allen_1985_The_Best_of_PT2.mp3.html





UK Fresh At Wembley Arena, London, Saturday July 19th, 1986

Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/174673068/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT1.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174673071/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT1.mp3.html


Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/174811137/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT2.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174811139/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT2.mp3.html


Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 3
http://rapidshare.com/files/174895518/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT3.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174895522/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT3.mp3.html


Mike Allen UK Fresh 1986 Part 4
http://rapidshare.com/files/174910339/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT4.cue.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/174910342/Mike_Allen_1986_UK_FRESH_PT4.mp3.html




Acts performing at UK Fresh

Part 1

Word Of Mouth & DJ Cheese

Steady B

The Cosmic Crew
Captain Rock

Sir Mixalot

Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde

Lovebug Starski



Part 2

Captain Rock

Grandmaster Flash

Just Ice

World Class Wreckin Kru

The Real Roxanne

Mantronix



Part 3

Sir Mixalot

Word Of Mouth & DJ Cheese

Grandmaster Flash

World Class Wreckin Kru

The Real Roxanne



Part 4

Sir Mixalot

Afrika Bambaataa

Track Of The Day # 4 Cardova

I feel a bit funky today so how about some Meters?
You can't go wrong with them and this is one of my personal favourites, Cardova.
There's something about Zigaboo Modeliste's ('tis his real name) super-syncopated rhythm that makes this so sexy. And the plucking bass combined with the gentle caress of the organ? Fuggedaboudit.

Steinski - Origin Sources

Yep, it's another Steinski post.
It has become an almost lifelong quest for me to find all the more obscure samples from Steinski's 'Lessons' records.
As the internet has come into play it is now much easier to find such information. I have a couple of YouTube clips below which may be welcome to any fans.

If you have any more clips, mp3's or info on any other samples then please, please, please let me know!!

Thanks to Jake for kicking this particular post into effect!


This one used on The Payoff Mix (Lesson 1) is commonly misquoted as 'Have faith children, what does it all mean?'. It is not the most clearest of samples but the actual phrase is, 'And say, children what does it all mean?'.
Apparently New York City Mayor LaGuardia read out the comic section to the city over the airwaves in 1945 when the newspaper delivery men went on strike.(I can imagine Boris Johnson doing this!)

Fast-forward to 1 minute 25s for the scoop......





And this one is found near the end of the James Brown Mix (Lesson 2). As much as I love the 'iz' way of speak, I still don't understand it fully. If anyone could translate this specific passage for me then I would be as happy as Larry.
Chug-a-bug along to 2mins 33 if you have an MTV-like attention span. For all the cool kids out there I recommend you listen to the song in full though.

Steinski - The Motorcade Sped On

As this song was never released commercially (or officially) it didn't ever have an accompanying (sp.) video.
So it's with great pleasure that finally someone has made one. Actually two someones produced this and has been a long time in the making (13 years). For more on the back story see here.

With thanks to Andy Turits and Lyndon Lorenz.

Track Of The Day #3

Sonz Of A Loop Da Loop Era (a.k.a. Danny Breaks) - Breaks Theme

From Wikipedia.....

"Breaks, real name Daniel Whidett, is a drum & bass DJ, producer, and record label owner from England, also known for his experimental instrumental hip hop production and early music career as breakbeat hardcore artist Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era.

Whidett began recording under the alias Sonz of a Loop Da Loop Era during the early 1990s for now defunct record label Suburban Base, notably attaining a UK Top 40 hit with Far Out in 1991."

Hmm, so whadafuk is dis guy doing on dis blog?

Well, tucked away on the Flowers In My Garden EP is a track which slows the bpms down to a head-nodding level and gives Danny a chance to get back to his hip hop roots.

This song uses the famous Gangbusters break from the film Wild Style and drops some nice scratches over it such as Nice & Smooth, Sly & The Family Stone and MC Marvellous.

The rest of the EP is real hardcore breakbeat with a touch of jungle and a little rave-like but all tracks contain a good ratio of hip hop breaks (Lord Finesse, Fresh Prince, Main Source) and I would thoroughly recommend you seeking it out if you're a fan of the faster tempo.

It's not uncommon for a 'dance' act to have their roots in hip hop. Well, possibly not as much these days and possibly more often in the UK. Another which springs to mind is The Prodigy and it's musical genius, Liam Howlett. Liam used to perform in a little-heard UK hip hop group called Cut 2 Kill back in the mid-Eighties and although they had a few successful singles, he was cut out of the deal. He then concentrated on the Essex rave scene which was in it's early days.

I'd be very interested in hearing your views on this particular track as it seems to be treated like, to quote MC Serch, a step-child. The rave-scene think it's too slow and the hip hop crowd think it's shite because it's by a drum n bass producer.
Controversial.

Listen to it here.

Ebay Madness #1

From time to time I see the odd thing on eBay that is pretty expensive and a little ludicrously priced. Such as it was today when my 'Wild Style' search brought up this little beauty.

I bought my first copy (Animal Records) in the very early Nineties for £15. And picked up another one shortly after in my local second-hand record shop for a couple o' quid.
Now, it's not as if these are very hard to find as they turn up on eBay quite regularly so I'm reckoning that "pop2.0" is using Mr Freddy Fresh's rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
Still, £150 clams is a hefty chunk of wedge for anybody.

Being an aficionado/sucker for all things Wild Style I seem to have accumulated the following:

Soundtrack - Vinyl - Animal Records - 1982

Soundtrack - Cassette - Animal Records - 1982?

Soundtrack - CD - Rhino - 1997

Soundtrack - Vinyl - Beyongolia - 1998 x2

King Kut / Fantastic Freaks At The Dixie - Vinyl - White Label - 1991?

Wild Style 25th Anniversary Edition - CD - Mr Bongo - 2007

Grandmaster Caz & Chris Stein - Wild Style Theme Rap 1 - Vinyl - Chrysalis - 1983

Wild Style Instrumental Beats - Vinyl - Beyongolia - 1998 x2

Wild Style Sampler - Book - 2007

Wild Style Movie - VHS - 1998

Wild Style Movie - DVD - Rhino - 2002

Wild Style Movie - DVD - Mr Bongo - 2003?

Wild Style Movie 25th Anniversary Edition - DVD - 2007

DJ Black Steal The Original Wildstyle Breakbeats Album - Vinyl - Music Of Life - 1990 (in my younger days I did something rather foolish and rather embarrassing with this)

Wild Style Poster - from Tom in Mr Bongo, London - 1998

Wild Style Lesson EP - Vinyl - Mr Bongo - 2007

Cripes. That's the first time I've ever listed my stuff and I'm a little shocked.
And one of my two copies of the Beyongolia issue soundtrack albums is still sealed. Oh yeah. Box-fresh and oh so sexy.

If anyone's got anything else they want to share (or sell, ahem) let me know.

**UPDATE 3rd December**


And I forgot to include:


Wild Style Record Bag

Wild Style T-Shirt

Also, check out this link and you'll see a much cheaper one on eBay. And still sealed, too.

And I've just bought another copy of the Mr Bongo 25th Anniversary Edition on CD. Well, I had to really at only £1.95 with a Buy It Now. For the love of Herc, somebody stop me before I buy again!

Track Of The Day #2

I finally managed to find a good copy of The Escapades Of Futura 2000 on mp3 the other day which means that I can listen to it digitally at last. My vinyl version can be safely tucked away and be given a rest from the 1200's.

I don't know why but this song is one I find myself continually drawn back to year after year. The phrase 'stick to your day job' comes to mind when Futura raps as his style wouldn't win any awards. That said, his unique delivery is one of the charms of this record.

What else makes this song so good is the fact that it was produced by The Clash who provide a really strong groove which screams old school - well it was 1982.

Here it is anyway. If a few of you are interested in the dub as well then let me know.

Beat Street Volumes 1 & 2

Oh yeah, this is what I'm talking about.

"Open the door, Lee, open the door"
"I got a rocket in my pocket"
"So what's up with that, punk!"
"Damn Spit!"
"One talkin' paint, the other one money and they're so fulla shit that it ain't even funny"
"Maybe I'll catch me a female"
"Look, a white one!"


So many classic quotes in this film. So what if it was a little bit 'Hollywood', it brought hip hop to little English towns and no doubt the smaller European provinces.
Who doesn't chapter-skip to the b-boy battle at The Roxy with Breaker's Revenge?
Who doesn't chapter-skip past the toddler-with-a-spray-can 'graf' on the train by RAMO ("Hip hop ya don't stop").

Directed by Stan Lathan (Def Comedy Jam, The Bernie Mac Show, Hill Street Blues), who was 39 years old at the time and possibly didn't fully understand the culture. There are some cringe-worthy scenes and the Rae Dawn Chong love interest sub-story didn't need to be there. But then we get the killer 'dance-off' (I hate that term, sorry) with Rock Steady's finest, Crazy Legs.
While we're on the subject, is Crazy Legs now spelt with two 'g's as in Crazy Leggs as I've seen recently in print? And also when the fluck did Grandmaster D.St become DXT? When? Why?

Here's the tracklisting for the soundtrack.

1 Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five - Beat Street Breakdown (6:48)
2 The System - Baptize The Beat (4:25)
3 Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force + Shango - Frantic Situation (5:08)
4 Juicy - Beat Street Strut (4:57)
5 Sharon Green Lisa Counts & Debbie D - Us Girls (3:55)
6 Cindy Mizelle - This Could Be The Night (4:51)
7 Arthur Baker - Breaker's Revenge (4:52)
8 Jazzy Jay Son Of Beat Street (4:06)
9 Juicy - Give Me All (4:32)
10 Tina B - Nothin's Gonna Come Easy (4:50)
11 The Treacherous Three - Santa's Rap (6:09)
12 Jenny Burton - It's Alright By Me (5:14)
13 Rockers Revenge - Battle Cry (4:53)
14 Ralph Rolle Phony Four MC's-Wappin (Bubblehead) (6:13)
15 La La - Into The Night (4:27)



Link here

And here's the password written small cos I likes to mess withs ya..... repo136saysyoubettereatyoureggsbeforeIbreakyourlegs

B-Boy 80's Adverts

Found these little gems on YouTube the other day.
Anyone remember any?

**Don't forget to pause the Player at the bottom of the page first**


Weetabix Breakers





Right Guard B-Boy




Hersheys Chocolate Breakdance commercial circa 1984




Michael Boogaloo Shrimp Chambers Aqua fresh Turbo Ad





And lastly this one which can't be embedded so here's the direct link to YouTube.

K-Tel breakdance Commercial
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qgZfH5xKWc4

Mantronix (The Deluxe Edition)

How can you make a great album even better? By making it a Deluxe one, that's how!

I'm a sucker for rehashed products and constantly buy the same thing again even if it's only got a slightly different colour or bonus remix included. But with this classic Mantronix LP you get a whole barrage of unreleased shaznay.

If you bought all the 12" singles when they first came out then an O.G. such as yourself may already be familiar to the tracklisting. However if cd's and mp3's are the instigators of your musical whimsies then you are about to experience a series of spontaneous pelvic convulsions.

Radio mixes, Alternate mixes, A Capella versions, they're all here.

1.1 Bassline
1.2 Needle To The Groove
1.3 Mega-Mix
1.4 Hardcore Hip-Hop
1.5 Ladies
1.6 Get Stupid "Fresh" Part 1
1.7 Fresh Is The Word
1.8 Bassline (Club Version)
1.9 Needle To The Groove (12" Version)
1.10 Fresh Is The Word (12" Version)
1.11 Ladies (UK Remix)
2.1 Bassline (Radio Version)
2.2 Bassline (Instrumental)
2.3 Needle To The Groove (Alternate Version)
2.4 Jamming On The Groove
2.5 Needle To The Groove (Live Version)
2.6 Ladies (Live Version)
2.7 Ladies (A Capella)
2.8 Get Stupid "Fresh" Part 1 (A Capella)
2.9 Fresh Is The Word (Radio Version)
2.10 Fresh Is The Beat
2.11 Fresh Is The Word (A Capella)

Download here but remember if you ain't giving up props first, ABU ain't giving up the password. Alternatively, become a hallowed FOLLOWER of the blog/b-boy junkie (see right, near top of page) and get the pw mailed straight to you whether you like it or not. Huzzah.

Fresh for 85, kickin it live, you sissyyyyyy

Obama Gifs

With thanks to b3ta

Original Wedding First Dances

There have been quite a few 'surprise' first dance wedding movies turning up on the t'internet as of late. You may have seen the 'Dirty Dancing' one or even the Sir Mixalot Baby Got Back dance?
Well here's a few which are designed for the ABU crew in mind.


This guy can still throw down, although some more uprocking would've done it for me.






If only I had had the nerve to use Bam in my wedding dance.






And here are a couple of real ageing b-boys. My hat is well and truly doffed. 40 years old and still going strong.

Manhunt 2 Out At Last

So I finally got my copy of Manhunt on the PS2. I ordered it through play.com well over a year ago but due to the Ratings Board banning it the first time around I've had a looooong wait.

Was it worth it?

I''m not sure yet having only played one and a half levels in.

Firstly the audio is brilliantly effective and as creepy as it was in the original. If it has similar in-game bizarre and surreal comments from the other nut-bags as before then I'll be happy.

What I'm most peeved about though - and I was expecting this - is the fact that Rockstar have had to tone the 'killings' down from the finished game. What we're now given is a strange, messy, vibrant almost psychedelic cut-scene each time you perform a hit on someone.

This takes away from the fluidity of the game and makes the experience a little odd to say the least.

Anyway it's early days yet so I'll reserve further judgement until after Xmas when I'll have hopefully finished it - I'm not the world's fastest gamer any longer what with wife, kids, college and that to keep me busy.

What I love about Rockstar is the way they incorporate a lot of GTA references. For instance, looking at the game booklet, you'll note that the guy you control (Danny) lives in San Fierro, SA. Seem familiar? A quick shufty back to GTA San Andreas will rock your noggin.

Similarly in the original Manhunt game, it was based in Carcer City which had several mentions in GTA III, some during the in-car radio news reports ("....police chief Gary Schaeffer was cleared of corruption charges in a controversial decision by the courts. Let's hope those missing witnesses turn up safe and sound.").

Any fans of Manhunt/GTA feel free to add some comments. Even if you hate the game and think they're for sickos, then please tell me!

Hijack - The Horns Of Jericho (1991)

Arguably the best British album ever (although some might say that title goes to the London Posse's Gangster Chronicles - not me though, I'm all over the Southside crew like a cheap suit), Hijack upped the game with their long-awaited debut elpee back in '91.

Now this could possibly be due to Ice T's influence, or that they were signed to a major label, nay major American label, or maybe it's because they were just shit-hard. Look at 'em! They've got knives and balaclavas and that. They're saying, 'Buy this album, you spotty, white geek or else we'll come round and kick down your door and use our loud, shouty voices to scare you to death with tales about South London and Brixton hard nuts'.

How about that intro to the album? Gives me shivers each time I hear it. Weird, emotive, manic stuff.

My pick is Hijack The Terrorist Group which is a real rousing ball-cracker of a track which gives me the same feeling I experience when listening to PE's Welcome To The Terrordome.

What happened to them? They came, they conquered, they got dropped from Warners/Syndicate, and then started releasing effing crappy Garage bollox that's what (Do You Really Like It? 2001- chorus refrain "we're lovin' it, lovin' it, lovin' it" - yes, you know it. You do love it, too).


You want a tracklisting? I got ya tracklisting right here, Jack:

A Side
1 Intro / Phantom Of The Opera (4:50)
2 The Syndicate Outta Jail (3:46)
3 Daddy Rich (Part 1) (5:59)
4 Back To Brixton (3:38)
5 Airwave Hijack (Part 1) (3:31)

B Side

1 Hijack The Terrorist Group (4:52)
2 The Badman Is Robbin (3:03)
3 I Had To Serve You (3:12)
4 Don't Go With Strangers (3:38)
5 Brother Versus Brother (3:01)
6 The Paranoid Schizophrenic With Homicidal Tendencies (1:22)
7 The Contract (Featuring - Huntkillbury Finn , The Icepick, Shaka Shazam) (4:19)

Download the album here .
Password repo136isabadmuthashutyomouth

The Home Of Hip Hop Is In Doubt

The building popularly known as the 'birthplace of hip hop' has been bought by a New York City property developer.
1520 Sedgwick Ave in The Bronx, N.Y.C. was where DJ Kool Herc threw his first parties which introduced his style of mixing breakbeats.

Who knows what will become of the building now? A new office block? Car park? A Spar?

Anyone with an interest in British dance music knows the score about a similar situation. The Haçienda nightclub in Manchester which was, to all intents and purposes brought into existence by the late Factory Records supremo, Tony Wilson in 1982.

This was a legendary building which saw the cream of Manchester's musicians get their first break and showcased many others. It was also a brilliant nightclub which benefitted greatly from being able to draw the crowds from the massive Acid House boom as well as the 'baggy', 'Madchester' scene with acts such as The Happy Mondays.

What's this doing in old school hip hop Blog though, I hear you shout? Er, well, New Order famously went to New York to record with Arthur 'Breaker's Revenge' Baker in the early Eighties and after having all their equipment stolen decided to go all 'Electro'. Love - 15 to Benzini.

Anyway, the upshot is, Manchester had bad men with bad haircuts who shot everyone with big guns and brought their gats into the Haçienda thus it was closed down by po-po. And in 2007 it was turned into luxury flats. An ill feeling was had by all.

©Benzini 2008

BBC Radio 1Extra - The Basement

With it being exactly 20 years after hip hop's 'Golden Age', BBC 1 Extra have been looking at depth at a few classic albums.
Check the website and you'll find the likes of PE's "Nation Of Millions...", Eric B & Rakim's "Paid In Full" and this week it's Slick Rick's "The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick".

1988 - Jeebus, I was a little lad of 17 when I put "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" on my turntable for the first time. My whole bedroom was completely covered in posters from magazines, mostly PE, including a couple of massive bus shelter size ones, as well as some point-of-sale stuff like a big red and black PE logo.
Now all I have on the wall is a framed Wild Style poster and some graffiti chocolate wrappers in a picture frame. No Public Enemy whatsoever. It was that damn Edward Furlong in Terminator 2 that did them in for me.

Click here and relive your youth like the sad old bastards we are.

Streetsounds Electro 6 & 7

As promised, Vol's 6 & 7.

My picks are:

Electro 6 - "The Original Human Beat Box" as the beatboxing STILL sends a shiver down my spine.

Electro 7 - ....hmm, difficult one, but at a pinch it would have to be "Itchiban Scratch" with all the weird samples and nursery rhymes; this was definitely going against the grain at the time.




Electro 6 Tracklisting:

A1 UTFO - Roxanne, Roxanne
A2 The Real Roxanne With UTFO - The Real Roxanne
A3 Captain Rock - Cosmic Blast
A4 Roxanne Shanté - Roxanne's Revenge
A5 Whodini - Freaks Come Out At Night

B1 Egyptian Lover - My House (On The Nile)
B2 Bobby Broom - Beat Freak
B3 Doug E. Fresh - Just Having Fun (Do The Beat Box)
B4 Doug E. Fresh - The Original Human Beat Box



Electro 7 Tracklisting:

A1 Egyptian Lover - Girls (Remix Long Version)
A2 The Unknown DJ - 808 Beats (Club Mix)
A3 Knights Of The Turntables - Fresh Mess (Jam ... Your Radio)

B1 Roxanne Shanté - Queen Of Rox (Shantë Rox On) (Street Version)
B2 The Fearless Four - Dedication
B3 Chris "The Glove" Taylor - Itchiban Scratch
B4 The B-Boys - Stick Up Kid



Download Electro 6

Download Electro 7

Streetsounds Electro 4 & 5

Been a bit slack as of late due to college commitments. However here's 2 volumes of the essential Electro series for you to chew on. Or listen to. Whatever.

I'll put up 6 & 7 soon as well.

Electro 4

Electro 5

Classical Music Meets Hip Hop DJ

The title pretty much says it all.
They pull this off because each guy is very good in their field. Neither gets in the other's way which makes the whole performance really professional.

Coming soon, a dj and a guy with a kazoo.

9/11 Anniversary

I had the great fortune to visit New York City in February, 1998. The weather wasn't brilliant but that didn't matter because the experience far outweighed a bit of rain. It was like being on a gigantic movie set; busy, bustling, energising. Everywhere I looked it seemed I'd seen it before in some film - and I probably had.
One day I visited Wall Street. I went by subway and was very disappointed in the state of the trains - they were so clean!
I remember looking up at the Twin Towers and just feeling the awesomeness of these huge iconic buildings, the power was just immense.

Listen to Steinski's 9/11 tribute track.

Immense....

View from the Ferry

Outside Madison Square Garden - feel the energy

And that's me.....

The sound of da police

The Brits Are Coming!

I was sent this email today.


Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 1:34 PM
Subject: Message from the Queen of England

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas , which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
(You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as "colour", "favour", "labour" and "neighbour." Likewise, you will learn to spell "doughnut" without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (Look up "vocabulary").
3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.
4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not ready to shoot grouse.
5. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
6. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.
7. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut and fried in animal fat.
8. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.
9. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full Kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).
10. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable.
11. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776). Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!


n.b. Before I get any anti-British emails, please take the above with a pinch of salt. View it in the same way as you view Monty Python and Benny Hill.

Streetsounds Electro 3 (1984)

So here we go at last with Electro 3!

Divine Sounds' Dollar Bill kicks off the album and is cut up by Mastermind just a little in the intro. In fact the refrain, "what people do for money" is what I've always known this song as rather than its other title. It's a cautionary tale of what a little cash can make ordinary citizens do with such stories as Hollywood, hard times and robbery, Green Card issues.
A sampler was used for the 'fresh' scratch which is quite impressive as this is still 1984 and it must've cost about half a million quid. Or something.

A synth line comes in just before the 8-minute mark to denote the start of The Imperial Brothers. Now this is electro. I love this track with its classic 808 beats and those handclaps. There's some nice scratching using many of the hooks and bits that were around at the time. And Herbie gets into the mix, too with some brilliant editing introducing Jam On It. The production on Newcleus' track is so good that you can't dismiss it with its use of the 'chipmunk' voices that may have had a detrimental effect in the hands of anyone other than the founder of Jam-On Productions, Cozmo D.
Cozmo is still around and can be heard on Global Funk Radio on a Friday Night.

Side 2 begins with an ode to the Zodiac signs courtesy of the Boogie Boys. I personally would have been happier with Break Dancer which was also on the Zodiac 12" as this is a real b-boy jam.
Soon enough we hear the intro of King Of The Beat from Pumpkin which is actually a really simple song; drum, scratch, minimal vocals and snatches of synth. Not to detract at all from it but its a real testament to Pumpkin that he was able to create such a great record with it's simplicity.

Davy DMX's One For The Treble (Fresh) is the sort of song that doesn't ever get old. There's a lot of good ideas here from the nice, moving bassline to the filtered scratches and clever drum programming. The Rap Mix I was never a fan of as the track didn't need anything other what Davy had already done.

Herbie cuts in the Fresh 3 MC's Fresh just as Davy is cutting up Fab 5 Freddy and further proves his prowess on the GLI. The Fresh 3 MC's; whatever happened to them? We need more backwards rap!

And so ends Streetsounds Electro Volume 3. The Electro age is still young but growing more confident. The names still suggest a dawning, more futuristic space age with Newcleus and Zodiac that will always be ever-present with the Electro tag. Drum machines and synths still punctuate the air with only slight touches of 'real' sounds from Davy DMX's snatches of Bob James.

Electro 4 will soon come with yet more forays into space. Watch this.......space


Download Electro 3

Phat Friday 05/09/2008

It's back!
Apologies for the lack of Phat Fridays (and posts in general) but my PC is not the fastest and my connection is beyond bad (128 kbps at the time of writing).

CLASSIC


1988 - JVC Force - 'Strong Island (Blue Mix)' - A classic song but in a slightly different mix.

SLEPT ON


1992 - K-Solo-'Letterman' - Kevin Madison was always tucked away within Erick & Parrish's Hit Squad crew but real heads knew what time it was.

BREAK TO THE BEAT; THE VERSION EXCURSION


1974 - Bob James - 'Nautilus' -

One of the greatest breaks of all time is this. Originally on the album, One this is one song that can be heard as the source of many famous hip hop tracks as well as being just a classic break in itself. Pure class.
This one's for Waxer....

SeeqPod - Playable Search

p.s. Any suggestions for future entries or advice on how to get a faster internet connection email me!

Steinski Dance Invite #2

Here's another special and unique club night audio flyer from the king of the cut-up, Steinski. This is around 1991/92 as originally broadcasted on London's KissFM.

Download mp3 (roughly 3mb)

Shameless eBay plug

I'm selling a few items on eBay (UK) at the moment. Please bid generously. If you win, mention this blog and I'll chuck in a free, not-to-be-missed gift!!

Clickness with the quickness right here!

Fresh 98

Who remembers Fresh 98? It was in East London almost ten years ago to the day. My memories are: seeing other hip hoppers on the tube all going to Fresh, waiting in a queue for ages on a hot sweltering day, a security guard who looked like Queen Latifah getting riled every 20 seconds, the bloke in front of me being given free tickets to get in while I had to stump up my £20, meeting some of the Fat Lace crew for the first time, seeing The Ruf again for the first time in ages, badly wanting to buy a Mos Def t-shirt as it was based on the Run DMC logo, b-boy crews from all over Europe busting moves randomly, witnessing the sheer awesomeness of MC Supernatural, Tony Vegas in a little room performing to a small appreciative crowd, having to peg it out of the event to get the last train home and missing Busy Bee's performance.

Where you there? Do you remember who else was on the bill?

B-boy Jedi's!

Here's a flyer from a club night organised by one of the hardest working men in uk hip hop, PRONE. Admiral Ackbar's busting some nice moves while the Sith and the Rebel Alliance look on in unity.

He did a similar one for a Breaks night in Reading but with LEGO. I'll try digging that one out.

"Legends of Style" Exhibit (30 August)

Another one for your diaries on 30th August (see DMC event post below). This is the "Legends of Style" Exhibit which features many old school writers such as STAY HIGH 149, SNAKE 1, RIFF 170, BUTCH 2, PART TDS, PESO 131, NIC 707, CHAIN 3, NOC 167, T KID 170, MIN ONE, DUSTER UA & TACK FBA.
It also features DJ Kay Slay (formerly DEZ as featured in Style Wars) and The Fearless Four!

It's being held at:

Alphabeta 70 Greenpoint Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11222
feat. legendary NYC subway graffiti artists of the 70's & 80's.
Opening: 7pm - 12am. Exhibit runs through to Sept. 26, 2008.

Sounds like a unmissable event, although I unfortunately can't attend as I'm washing my hair that night. And I live 3500 miles away.

Anyhoo, for more info speak to Joshua Ivory by phone: 914.882.1166 or email: joshuaivory@hotmail.com

Tell 'em I sent ya and he'll throw in a box of special edition SEEN-flavoured Gummi Bears. Yum.

Strange Album Posters

Has anyone ever heard of this guy?

A mouse? That ain't nothing to be bragging about, son.

How did the record company think that this face would shift units?

??


Ta-Dum-Tish.

"I'm comin' up, so you better get this party started".

Don't think my old dear's got a rifle stashed at her place, no.







And here's a couple of Star Wars-themed 'motivational' posters.

Marley Marl Is One Hell Of A Man

You old school heads might enjoy this bit of digging from Marley Marl. I never knew the original source of Biz's "Something For The Radio" and it was quite a surprise when I was sent this.

Props to Mark Harris.

The 2008 DMC USA Finals (Aug 30)

I don't really check for the DMC events anything like I used to. Probably mid-nineties when the team events started was when I began to drift although I'm not entirely sure why my interest waned as these were exciting times for turntablism.

Beginning back in 1985 in London, the event's first winner was Radio London's/Dave Pearce's dj, Roger Johnson. It was strictly a mixing-only affair and it wasn't until the following year that DJ Cheese tore the place apart and set about making the civilised crowd go nuts with his 'shoe' antics causing a disgruntled runner-up, Holland's Orlando Voorn to snatch the mic from the events MC and founder Tony Prince and exclaim, "What is this, a Mixing Competition or a Scratching Competition?"

From there we've seen such luminaries as Cash Money, Germany's DJ David (with his b-boy moves), Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike and DJ Apollo as The Rock Steady DJs (and returning the following year as The Dream Team, Cutmaster Swift, DJ Craze, The Scratch Perverts, A-TRAK, DJ NOIZE, and of course the UK's own, Chad Jackson.

The purpose (and title) of this particular blog post is to show you the talents of one particular dj. Competing this month in the USA Finals is a boy by the name of DJ A-Kidd. I say boy because he isn't yet a man - in fact he is only 7 years old. And if that's not a kick in the b*lls to ya, his dad, DJ J.P. Gunnz is competing at the same event!

Check out a demo from the little guy below.

And these two, DJ Sara (8) and DJ Ryusei (6) from Japan have got skills!

Some Electro Classics

About time I laid some treats for y'all. Here some songs that really have that X Factor when we talk about real old hip hop. Was 1985 a good year for electro??

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Freestyle - Don't Stop The Rock (1985)

A1-Don't Stop The Rock
B1-Don't Stop The Rock (Instrumental)

Download

Quite possibly my favourite electro song. Before I owned a copy on vinyl I had to make do with the version on Electro 10 as it was mixed on top of DJ Born Supreme Allah.

More info
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NYC Cutter - Dj Cuttin' (1985)

A1-Dj Cuttin'

Download

This was Marley Marl, wasn't it? Whatever, it was a super-tough track for me in 1985. It's just those claps that get me.

More info
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MCA & Burzootie - Drum Machine (1985)

A1-Drum Machine
B1-Drum Machine (Psycho Dust Version)

Download

Before the Beastie Boys got better-known, MCA was getting down with Burzootie to produce this nice bit of wax. Arthur Baker had a finger in this pie, too.

More info
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Fresh 3 Mc's - Fresh (1983)

A1-Fresh
B1-Fresh (Instrumental)

Download

"F-R-E-S-H, fresh, fresh, fresh, yo that's fresh!" Who doesn't remember this simple little chorus?

More info
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Word Of Mouth - King Kut (1985)

A1-King Kut
B1-King Kut (New Remix)
B2-King Kut (Bonus Beats)

Download

Competing with Don't Stop The Rock as my all-time favourite, this track needs no introduction.

More info
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Lil Jazzy Jay & Cool Supreme - B Boys Style (1985)

A1- B Boys Style (Vocal)
B1- B Boys Style (Instrumental)

Download

This just reminds me of summer. Its such a great song!

More info

Phat Friday (15 August)

It's Friday......... so here's my three Phat Friday songs for you to mull over, wherever you be. This triplet is a bit of a nice selection even if I don't mind saying so myself.

CLASSIC

1990 - Gang Starr - "'Jazz Thing'" -

No doubt about it, this is a classic in the true sense of the word. I remember first hearing this on Westwood's Capital Rap show and it was such a monumental record it got a rewind by Tim. In fact he didn't so much rewind it as just play it again straight after it ended!
I just love the simplicity of Premier's scratches which match Guru's rhymes and the groove perfectly.
Unfortunately this song didn't appear on Step In The Arena which came out at the same time. It is available however on the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack as well as Gang Starr's Greatest Hits album.

SLEPT ON

1982 - Futura 2000 -"'The Escapades Of Futura 2000'" -

With production from The Clash this record shows just how close early hip hop and punk rock were in the beginning of the 1980's. Many people don't like Futura's flow but I disagree. He talks about his viewpoint of the burgeoning New York graffiti scene and to dismiss this record just because he was a writer who can't rap is a disservice to the man. The Clash execute a great old school hip hop break-sounding rhythm and add a nice bassline.
Apologies as this is the dub version - I couldn't locate the vocal mix but you get the idea.

BREAK TO THE BEAT; THE VERSION EXCURSION

1974 - Isaac Hayes - 'Hung Up On My Baby' -

As a tribute to Isaac Hayes who unfortunately passed away this week I thought it fitting to include a record which is not only a classic break but also a top tune in it's own right.
Taken from the soundtrack of (Three)Tough Guys, this is some sweet funky soul used to absolute perfection by The Geto Boys on 'Mind's Playing Tricks On Me'.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Richie Rich Kiss FM Electro Show (1985) *UPDATED LINK*

This mp3 is a show from 1985 featuring Richie Rich on the wheels of steel. It was broadcast on Kiss FM when they were still a pirate station on 94FM.

Richie Rich mp3

128kbps, 42.9MB, 46mins 57secs

And this is from another Kiss FM dj, Colin Faver (b. 1951) from the same year when he used to deal in hip hop before changing to 'abstract dance'. He can be found these days over on Solar Radio http://www.solarradio.com/

Colin Faver mp3

Phat Friday (08 August)

It's Friday......... so here's my three Phat Friday songs for you to mull over, wherever you be.

CLASSIC

1991 - ED O.G. & The Bulldogs - "'I Got To Have It'" -

This is a nice smooth jazzy track that has that great loop that draws you in throughout it.

SLEPT ON

1997 - DJ Jeff -"'Change The Scratch'" -

Another one from Volume 2 of the Return Of The DJ series, this features a simple style of scratching but Jeff is on point.

BREAK TO THE BEAT; THE VERSION EXCURSION

1977 - In Search Of Orchestra - 'Phenomena Theme' -

I heard this again recently and this just rocks! This is the longer version than on the UB&B series and much better for it.

Listen to the groove.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Old School Book Review

As the years pass by, reflections on the early years of hip hop in literature have started to become commonplace in your local book shop. From the creator of Wild Style, we have Charlie Ahearn's offering, Yes Yes Y'all, which is a seriously good read littered with copious amounts of photos of many ghetto celebrities of yesteryear as well as rare flyers of jams back in the day. The accounts are taken from interviews with people such as KK Rockwell, Lisa Lee, DJ Breakout, Bam, Afrika Islam, Henry Chalfont, Frosty Freeze (RIP), Lovebug Starski and many, many more.


The Birth of Graffiti by Jon Naar is a great book for real graffiti heads. This is a follow up to his previous The Faith of Graffiti (1974) which bypasses the usual route of books of this style whereas there are is no emphasis on big burners, masterpieces or any of the main 'stars' of graffiti. Instead Naar focuses on the early days of NYC writing (most of the photos were surplus to his original book so are from the same era) and presents the reader with shots of New York in the early Seventies and lets you breathe in and just soak up the decay and beauty of the city in fine detail.

Just out recently is Grandmaster Flash's The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats - A Memoir which "offers a firsthand look at the early days of the hip hop revolution and documents his own musical journey, detailing his rise to stardom, financial disaster and cocaine addiction, and redemption with the love of family and friends".

Also available is Back in the Days by Jamel Shabazz, The Breaks: Stylin' and Profilin' 1982-1990 by Janette Beckman, Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-hop Generation by Jeff Chang and Hip Hop Files: Photographs 1979-1984 by Martha Cooper to name just some.

I'd love to what books you've read, good or bad. Or are you waiting in anticipation of a particular figure to drop his autobiography?

Rocking The City

I just want to spread the news of a website I've been scouring extensively recently by the name of http://www.rockingthecity.com/ It's a British site full of articles, stories, and rare photos of the London graffiti scene from the mid 80's and beyond.

Anyone with a even a passing interest in graf should have a look. I've been enjoying reading the stories from many of the original UK writers of a time when the scene was in it's infancy. And the photos are possibly the only artifacts you'll see of a long-gone age of creative UK writing energy.

The only downside is that due to the sheer amount of pictures, Rocking The City warn "Don't try looking at these pages without broadband coz it'll take you ages".

Simon Harris - Bass How Low Can You Go (1988)

So who remembers this little beauty, then? Showing yer age, you are!
As you may know I am a fan of the cut-n-paste hip hop genre so this ditty from Music Of Life's big cheese was a no-brainer when it came out twenty years ago.

However there was a remix which kicked Simon's rear all over the place and that was the "Bass Below Zero Mix" by DJ Streetsahead. Check it out if you can.

And talking of DJ Streetsahead, his remix ("The Final Mixdown") for James Brown's Payback 12" from the same year is a monster. I need to find that again.

Anyway check the vid below and play spot-the-hip-hop-celeb. Even Westwood shows his mug! Actually, is that Dave Pearce in the baseball jacket just before the Big Dog at 2min:55s?

Thought Of The Day # 1 - Sam Cooke

Now that Summer has suddenly turned up on our doorstep, puffing and panting spouting feeble excuses of, "sorry I'm late", I've been taking the opportunity to listen to a few sunny tunes.
One in particular was the great Sam Cooke's What A Wonderful World.
Now I don't know about you but I can't help wondering if Sammy could have spent just a little more time in class listening to his teachers instead of chasing skirt.

Phat Friday (25 July)

It's Saturday here but somewhere in the world its still Friday......... so here's my three Phat Friday songs for you to mull over, wherever you be.

CLASSIC

1991 - Naughty By Nature - "'Hip Hop Hooray'" - A sure party-rocker if ever there was one.

SLEPT ON

1997 - Tommy Tee -"'Aerosoul'" - Tucked away on Volume 2 of the Return Of The DJ series, this tune just stood out to me mainly due to the wicked use of 'Style Wars' dialogue and great scratching.

BREAK TO THE BEAT; THE VERSION EXCURSION

197? - The 9th Creation - 'Rule Of Mind' - You'll recognise the first few bars from that 3rd Bass track off the second album. The other 9th Creation song you're thinking of is 'Bubblegum'!

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Chevy Chase - graffiti artist?

I'm currently reading Chevy Chase's biography and it mentions some highly interesting facts concerning the early 1970's graffiti art scene.
Did you know that his half-brother, John Cederquist, used to belong in two major crews; RTW (Rolling Thunder Writers) along with (Eric)HAZE, MIN ONE, REVOLT & ZEPHYR; and The Soul Artists.
He used to write CRUNCH - and here's a factoid for y'all, go and check your copy of SUBWAY ART, flip to the back cover and there it is, second one down, in the middle.

Tickled me, anyway.
 

Mike Allen Special on 1Xtra (2005)

This a bit of a special one here. Way back in one of my earlier posts I mentioned that I'd love to hear again the one-off show that Mike Allen did for the BBC's 1 Extra digital radio station in October 2005. The other day my prayers were answered as I was sent the whole 2 hour show.
A massive, massive shout goes to FatLaces71 who provided me with this.

If you haven't heard it before, you're in for a real treat as The Boss waxes lyrical about how he actually got involved in the Capital show in the first place. There's also a smattering of anecdotes as Mike name-drops and forgets key facts but its just so good to hear him again after all these years. He plays some tracks but unfortunately no real obscure cuts, rather just big, more well-known ones. But that's a minor quibble.

Click here for the history lesson

Hardnoise Interview & Live Jam (1991)

Hardnoise were a UK rap act that became legendary on the underground by their first 12" entitled "Untitled" in 1990.

Released on Simon Harris's (-ex UK Yo-Yo champion, I kid you not) Music Of Life label, this record tore up, and continues to today, jams everywhere with its mixture of TLP1's fast lyrical style, DJ's Son, Nyce 'D', Mada & AJ's furious scratching and Gemini's wicked mic technique.

The next 12" was just as good but continually overshadowed by their debut. Mice In The Presence Of The Lion b/w Serve Tea Then Murder is absolutely solid and gave their labelmates, Hijack cause for concern, I reckon.

Hardnoise were just as elusive as the aforementioned Hijack and I have for you a rare interview I recorded off Kiss FM's Max LX & Dave VJ from 1991.

Also for your downloading delight I have a short set from the group appearing at London's Dingwalls nightclub. This was originally broadcast on Richie Rich's The Rap Academy in 1990.

And lastly, if you don't have UNTITLED on vinyl then the least you can do is treat your mp3 player to it. There's a d/l to an .mp3 below.

Also, TLP1 is still about. Check his Myspace page. And DJ Mada ain't sitting around with his hands in his pockets either, check his out here.

Download Interview here

Download Dingwalls jam here

Download UNTITLED here

Coldcut's In The Mix (1990)

This is a Steinski-esque mix from the Coldcut crew called 'Once Upon A Time'. I taped this from London's Kiss FM (Sept 12th 1990) when the station was still newly legalised. The actual mix was made earlier back when it was still a pirate.

Download Once Upon A Time

Phat Friday (18 July)

It's Friday so here's three songs for you to mull over, wherever you be.

CLASSIC

1985 - Word Of Mouth feat DJ Cheese - "King Kut" - Originally released on the Beauty & The Beat label and subsequently on Profile. Cheese borrows heavily from Run DMC's "Jam Master Jay.

SLEPT ON

1986 - Beastie Boys -"Scenario" - This song was supposed to be on the Licensed To Ill album but never made it. Heavy use of reverb all over the track and not dissimilar to Schoolly D's "P.S.K." Anyone who's seen the film, 'Pump Up The Volume' with Christian Slater (1990) may remember him playing this as his role of the pirate dj.

BREAK TO THE BEAT; THE VERSION EXCURSION

1969 - The Winstons - "Amen, Brother" - Arguably the second most sampled funk break in history (Funky Drummer being #1) and found on the flip to "Color Him Father" on the original 7". A whole genre of music was created on the strength of its 4-bar break. Think about that for a moment. A whole new genre of music was created on the strength of 6 seconds of music!

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Steinski Press Release - We'll Be Right Back (1986)

This is the press release given to the media by Steinski's then record label, Island Records back in 1986. And a pretty rare photo of the man, too.