The B-Boys - "Girls - part 2" Repo's Remix

Here a little version of the classic Donald D track from 1985 that I've mooched around with. As usual a nice pair of speakers will bring out all the goodness or failing that a sturdy pair of headphones. Laptop speakers just won't do it!

The Perils Of Baggy Keks

You're an ageing b-boy and like other ageing b-boys you like to keep it real by rocking those jeans low. Yeah, we're maybe in our 40's but we still represent. This is how we roll, yo.
But beware the dangers of doing so especially if you are one Hector Quinones, career criminal, as he found to his cost.
Check out this story here. And the last sentence is just priceless.

Mike Allen-sampled track

 DJ Jazz T

I've had this great Mike Allen-inspired mp3 for a little while now and thought I'd share it.

"Where I'm From" is by Guildford's Diversion Tactics crew and is produced by The Last Skeptik and the UK ITF Champ, DJ Jazz T.
As you'll see, it's a great tale of yesteryear with a chorus from The Great Man himself.

Podcast Update

Due to weather conditions here in the UK, the Podcast has had to be put on hold for a short time.
There are various ways in which both Waxer and myself can make this happen but have no fear this is not over. Not at all. This is on like Donkey Kong and will definitely be worth the wait.

I know there are a lot of people holding tight for this and I speak for us both when I say we appreciate your patience.

Disco Scratch V. Ageing B-Boys - The Xmas Podcast

" I reminisce for a spell, or shall I say think back...."

Yes, yes, y'all, in one week's time the mighty Waxer from Disco Scratch shall be meeting the equally stupendous yours truly, Mr Repo from Ageing B-Boys Unite! to collaborate together on the first of hopefully many Disco Scratch Podcasts.
Being the holiday season and all expect the jingle jangle of sleigh bells, the chomping of many mince pies and possibly a special guest appearence from Santa himself* as we delve deep into the crates and bring you a selection of hip-hop classics from yesteryear and chat about the history of hip-hop from a UK perspective. Expect some nerd-like trainspotting as we dribble excitedly over codes and cryptic messages etched on run-out grooves and the redeeming points of The Phantom Menace.
Imagine the trailer to Rocky IV if you will. The bit where the two gloves come smashing together - one East, one West. POW POW! Who's who? That's not for me to say, but I'm already dashing about in the snow, doing pushups on  a wooden floor and sawing wood in freezing temperatures to bring you, the audience, tunes in their peak performance.

This will be recommended to all fans of the blog young and old. Well, not too young as some of the lyrical content may need parental advisory action. And not too old either as NO, WILL NOT TURN IT DOWN. Ageing B-Boys rock things at the drop of a dime, baby.

We need some interactivity from you heads on this in the form of feedback afterwards, too so get involved. And no moaning about the lack of freebies and competitions, either. Ageing B-Boys are thrifty mofo's, too.

If you have any requests feel free to let me know. Of course we will pay no attention to them and playwhatwelike cos Ageing B-Boys got it like dat, ya get me.

*will not actually happen.

Xmas News

Just a brief note to say there is something very exciting on the way between Ageing B-Boys Unite! and Disco Scratch.
More news soon but keep checking back as we've got a nice Christmas present coming for you.

But in the meantime here's the Audio 2 with A Christmas Rhyme from '85.

Westwood - You Absolute Arse

Just flicked on the radio - well digital channels on the tv - to catch a bit of Westwood on BBC Radio 1. Not to listen to any of his music you understand but to see if he would mention Derek B.
Well, after this man dj-ed in and around the same circles in the 80's as Derek and even featured together on Night Network's N-Sign Radio in 1988 both making and promoting British hip hop, this absolute arse of a man gave the grand total of 10 seconds to dedicate his feelings.
I say feelings but that's wrong. Completely. He merely passed on the news. He didn't express his sadness nor did he feel compelled to play one of Derek's tracks.
Now, I only listened to the last 15 minutes so maybe he did more earlier in the show. But from the sound of it the way he gave the news was that he had only just announced it there and then.
This guy is dispicable. Does he have absolutely no morals or ties to his original people? Does he think that now he broadcasts to a mostly different audience that they wouldn't be interested in hearing this news? Does he not think that by having so many people looking up to him that he should announce the passing of a legendary figure?
Or is it that he just couldn't care less?

I've lost a lot of respect for Westwood over the years and maybe I should've expected this but it still doesn't excuse it.

On the flip I've got to give big props on The Beat Genius for providing 2 hours of solid UK old school hypeness in the form of his weekly show on www.playvybz.com as well as playing homage to Derek the way it should be done.
And big shout to Waxer who was in the chatroom where we both had a good time wagging our chins to some choice music.

Derek B - Bullet From A Gun (1988)

As a mark of respect here is Derek's debut LP, Bullet From A Gun.

Bullet From A Gun	5:41
Bad Young Brother	3:58
Power Move	4:05
Human Time Bomb	5:21
All City	4:21
Get Down	5:36
We've Got The Juice	4:37
Alright Now	5:00
Good Groove	5:52
Success	4:49

Breaking news....Derek B Dead

Unconfirmed reports coming in at the moment that one of Britian's pioneering rappers Derek B (Derek Boland) has passed away in hospital from a heart attack.
This is devastating news for any hip hop fan and mostly for the UK b-boys who grew up with his records.

Song I.D. Needed!

I was sent this mp3 from RUSE ONE who is trying to identify the track.
I've no idea myself. The only clues we have are that it is from a Westwood show from 1989.
At one point there is a Marley Marl scratch but it doesn't sound like him on the mic.
Someone must know this. Leave a comment with any knowlwdge you can drop.

Short Kuts 2

Some more 4-track fun from my Juice mag again. This is Short Kuts 2 and is a faster tempo than the first one. Samples from Hijack, Michael Keaton, Uncle Jamm's Army and loads more.
If you can work out some of the more obscure ones then let me know but I garauntee that you won't!

Short Kuts 1 Mix from Juice #5

Back in the early 90's (92/93) I used to produce a hip hop mag called Juice. It was a very basic black & white photocopied 'zine but had an added bonus. And that was a free mix tape with every issue.

I invited bedroom jocks from anywhere in the world to send in their efforts and was constantly surprised by the sheer amount. I had stuff from a lot of UK guys as well as Sweden, USA, Africa, Russia and Australia.
The reason for this post is that I was going through some old tapes and came across some of my mixes I hadn't heard for a while.

This track below is Short Kuts 1 and is taken from Issue #5 with a front cover by the writer Scenes who now runs a great blog himself.
Very Steinski-inspired as was most of my early output, hell even my recent stuff still seems to be an ongoing homage to the man.
My mixes were all made on a Fostex X26 4 track recorder well back in the days before music editing was an affordable practice on a home pc. Countless over-dubs were done time and time again to achieve my personal level of perfection with many rewinds and flipping the tape over to get particular timing issues sorted.
And when it came to the mixdown there was no automation, it was done live, baby! Slight adjustments to volume at certain points during the track, manually panning a sample left or right....I miss those days!

Now listening back, there are a few pieces of audio I wish I could remember where I got the sample from. Such as "Hello, I'm June Whitfield" or "There was a man he went mad, he jumped into a paper bag". Where did I find them??!

Itchiban Scratch & Batman?

A few of us have been chatting about original sound samples ("the cuts not the breaks") over here at oldschoolhiphop.com and one of the subjects that came up was Chris 'The Glove' Taylor's "Itchiban Scratch".

First Irish Craig mentioned that he'd love to know the origins of the track adding that he thought "a Jan & Dean surf record is in there somewhere". After a bit of research he comes back with a pic of the album cover of "Jan & Dean Meet Batman", feverishly posting it twice in his barely uncontrolled excitement.
Hmmm. Soon enough, the man Ramses hits us up with a little taster from the album in a track entitled "The Joker Is Wild" where we can witness
our first sample sans The Glove. Kapow!
I pick up the baton and give it big legs by getting busy on the internet like Broderick in War Games and sniff out a cheeky little link to the aforementioned album.

I smack the oshh bitches up with my proud linkage before I've barely heard the album myself. Then I proceed to have a man-cry whilst hearing a wealth of hidden beauties such as "Henry", "Have a cookie", "Hoshneecoeedo, doyshnot!" and many others whilst listening to the album soon afterwards.


I recommend getting yourself over to this particular thread because it's one of those 'where have I heard that movie dialogue before' things that you can learn from and importantly expel your own knowledge to.


Listen to "Itchiban Scratch" below and download it here




Listen to "The Doctor's Dilemma" from Jan & Dean Meet Batman. Spot the samples!



Download the rest of the Jan & Dean album here

Further reading: http://www.jananddean.moonfruit.com/#/meet-batman/4514844070

F- - - - The Police - The PC Version

Adam Buxton (of The Adam & Joe Show) provides a new take on the classic NWA song.

THE OLD SCHOOL RADIO HOUR

These podcasts are well worth spending some time listening to. Your host is "TG-The Analog Master of Disaster" who you may have met over on oldschoolhiphop.com which is where I know him from.
Have a look at the archives for shows with Mr Magic, Melle Mel, Jazzy Jay, MC Chill and others.
The first one I went for was a special on Beat Street and Breakin' with special guest co-host, Fast Break (who appeared in Beat Street).  

Check the archives here.

Also TG has made a video for Bon Rock's "B-Boy" song from 26 years ago. A strange choice, but Mr Rock seems happy enough to appear. The little b-boy - Little Vicious - is pretty fantastic as well.

Streetsounds Electro Volume 16 & 17

Remember #17 with the gatefold cover? Did you get you or your 'posse' name on there? Quite a memorable sleeve I think which further propelled the music out of the technical, space-age that it had so far been living in and into the harder, urban streets.

The album begins with LA's Wreckin' Cru and they've moved on from their electro roots of Juice or Surgery and have embraced sampling technology with Cabbage Patch. And the always futuristic productions of Mantronik are on show here with Cold Gettin' Dumb II.

The Classical Two recruit the help of Teddy Riley in a song which more than demonstrates the origins of the New Jack Swing sound he would later be crowned the king of.

ELECTRO 16 (1987)

Tracklisting:

A1 World Class Wreckin' Cru - Cabbage Patch
A2 Classical Two - New Generation
A3 King Tee w/ Keith Cooley - Payback's A Mutha
A4 Just-Ice - Cold Gettin' Dumb II (Remix)

B1 Ultramagnetic MC's - Travelling At The Speed Of Thought
B2 MC Shy D - Rap Will Never Die (Part II)
B3 2 Live Crew - 2 Live Is What We Are
B4 Marley Marl - He Cuts So Fresh
B5 Faze One - Pleasure Seekers

"Step back off my track, my mellow"






ELECTRO 17 (1987)

Tracklisting:

A1 Kid 'N' Play - Last Night
A2 M.C. Chill - Nightmare On Chill Street
A3 Rooftop - Caught Out There
A4 Masters Of Ceremony - Cracked Out
A5 Newcleus - Huxtable House Party
A6 Tray-Bag M.C. - At A Jam
A7 2 Live Crew - What I Like

B1 MC Mitchski "The Rappin Comedian" & M.B. "The Human Radio"- Brooklyn Blew Up The Bridge
B2 7A3 - 7A3 Will Rock You
B3 King Tee And Mixmaster Spade - Ya Better Bring A Gun
B4 C.I.A. - My Posse
B5 Spoonie Gee - The Godfather
B6 Doc Ti - Block Party
B7 B.O.S.E. - Bass Overdrive

"Your hair's so bald, I can read your mind!"

Track Of The Day # 7 Krush Style

This is a little obscure track from the obscure label, Sound Makers.
From 1986 is today's track of the day, namely Krush Style by JD Krush. It's little known but is a real heavy, crushing drum machine smash of a tune.

Sound Makers only released 4 songs which was the aforemoentioned Krush Style, Just Having Fun by Doug E Fresh, Doin The Cos by Greg G & T Money and the Cash Money track Scratchin´ To The Funk by Doctor Funnkenstein.

Listen to the track below and download it here.

Afrika Bambaataa - Bambaataa's Theme (Unreleased Version)

Did you know that there was another version of 'Bambaataa's Theme' that was never released?
Let me know what you think.





This is the 'official' mix that you're probably more used to.

RIP Roc Raida

It is with great sorrow that we have to say goodbye to yet another talented creative soul from this earth in 2009.

Grandmaster Roc Raida (Anthony Williams) died today from as-yet undisclosed details, although there are rumours that there may have been complications from a vehicle collision.

RR was most famously known for his turntable skills within the New York dj group The X-Ecutioners who at one time consisted of Rob Swift, Roc Raida, Total Eclipse, and Mista Sinista.

Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Patrick Swayze, John Hughes, Jade Goody, Sir Bobby Robson, Natasha Richardson, David Carradine, Wendy Richard, Keith Floyd, DJ AM, Ted Kennedy, Les Paul........



Please listen to Built From Scratch and raise a glass to such a talented man.

Track Of The Day # 6 "Reckless"

I got this in my head yesterday and it's been there ever since. So I want to share it with you.
Such a brilliant drum arrangement and before Ice got well in touch with his gangsta side, here is Ice T & David Storrs - "Reckless". Hook up your headphones so you can really appreciate the bassline.

DJ Wildthing EP - 5 tracks

This is a really superbly put-together set of tracks using modern technology on some classic electro songs by DJ Wildthing. I'd never heard of him until someone mentioned him over on the DS forum but this is definitely worth listening to.

Tracklist:

1. Baker's Revenge
2. Lesson EE Pt II
3. Renegades Of Funk - Zulu Funk Edit
4. UK Fresh Mix
5. Hobo Scratch 05 (Scratch Mix)

Check DJ Wildthing's website here


"The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire...!"

The Juice Crew Movie

It appears that there is an upcoming film all about Marley Marl's Juice Crew. We're talking Hollywood here!
So far The Vapors is going to feature Roxanne Shanté, M.C. Shan, Tragedy, Biz Markie and Tyrone 'Fly Ty' Williams. Cuba Gooding Jnr is to play the man Marley Marl. And there's a strong rumour that Nas will play Kool G. Rap.

So who's going to play Biz Markie? Master Ace? Craig G? Are we going to see Grandaddy I U and Diamond Shell on the silver screen?
And if there's going to be the story of the crew with the juice then surely they've got to have the Bridge Wars? Who's gonna be KRS?

This makes me want to watch Krush Groove all over again. "No more auditions!", "Box.....!!".

More details here

N.b. Just to make it clear that Roxanne Shanté, M.C. Shan, Tragedy, Biz Markie and Tyrone 'Fly Ty' Williams won't actually be acting as themselves in the film but professional actors will be doing that.

Disco Scratch Forum

Just a reminder to everyone to get your asses over to Waxer's Disco Scratch Forum.
It's the number one spot for all your strokey-beard stories and chin-waggin adventures about the UK old school hip hop scene.

----------- click here for the Forum ------------------------------------------------


And if you haven't done it, your help is needed to fill in the blanks on the DS Database for every little conceivable piece of UK hip hop history or anecdote you may have cooped-up in yer craniums.
Some examples of items you'll find are Groove Records, Streetsounds, Westwood, Bombin', Bad Meaning Good, UK Fresh 86 plus many more.

----------- click here for the Database ---------------------------------------------


To paraphrase my man Scenes, you should be on it like Lisa Riley on a cheeseburger.


n.b. If you're the kind of person that likes to SEE what you're blindly clicking on first then here are the URL's in full.
All this trouble....just click on the damn link, y'idiots. Some people.....

Forum - http://discoscratch.co.uk/forum/index.php

Database - http://discoscratch.co.uk/dsdb/index.php?title=Main_Page


Love & hugs,

Ben
x x

Flash - Still Rocking

Who said old school is old hat?

Every summer in Crotona Park in the Bronx there is a succession of (free) block party jams featuring the REAL old school of hip hop.

Hosted by Grandmaster Caz, these jams bring back the spirit of the party funk of the 70's with such legends as Grandmaster Flash, Kid Capri, Grand Wizard Theodore spinning the breaks. Yes they still continue even today - and why not?

Here's a vid of Flash cutting and scratching from a recent jam.

Waterloo Hall Of Fame

I was down in London last weekend to visit the first day of Notting Hill Carnival. I met up with some of the old crew on the train and proceeded to scooch along to some of the sound systems.
In attendance was Mark the old school master, Dynamite Duane, Jazz Jon (Justin), and the legendary Guildford writer, RELIC.
At Waterloo Station REL wanted to show me a new Hall Of Fame which I hadn't heard about as I haven't been in the city for some time now.
About 2 minutes out of the station there is a tunnel running under it which is covered in some superb pieces. I was a bit taken aback as there was a phenomenal amount of art everywhere.

I recommend anyone checking it out as it's really close and easy to get to, especially if you've got a Travelcard.

Below is a short vid I took on the day. Apologies for length but I'll take more footage next time.....

Streetsounds Electro Volumes 14 & 15

All volumes up to 11 had 'Electro' on the side, Volume 12 had 'Hip Hop Electro' and Volume 13 dropped the 'Electro' making it less prominent by placing it in the left-hand corner.
There's hardly any electro as we know it here and it has made the shift towards more sampling with Breaking Bells ("Take Me To The Mardis Gras") and South Bronx ("Funky Drummer") paving the way.

Street Sounds Hip Hop Electro 14 (1986)

Herbie Laidley on the mix.

Tracklisting:


A1 Awesome Foursome - Monster Beat
A2 Tricky Tee - Leave It To The Drums (Here Come The Drums) (Club)
A3 T La Rock - Breaking Bells (Club)
A4 Mixmaster Gee And The Turntable Orchestra - The Manipulator (Extended Version)


B1 Divine Sounds - Me And My Posse
B2 Fresh Force - She's A Skeezer
B3 M.C. Chill Featuring Beatmaster T - Downbeats
B4 Skinny Boys - Rip The Cut


"You big dummy!"



Street Sounds Hip Hop Electro 15 (1986)

Mastermind on the mix.


Tracklisting:


A1 Duke Bootee - Broadway
A2 Skinny Boys - Awesome
A3 Kurtis Blow - The Bronx
A4 Boogie Down Productions - South Bronx

B1 Just-Ice - Cold Gettin' Dumb

B2 Faze One - Layin' Down A Beat (Censored Version)
B3 The Move - Greedy Girls (Extended Version)
B4 Captain Rock - Bongo Beat
B5 Faze One - Stronger Than Strong (Remix)


"I'll only use this type of style when I choose it"

Old School Block Party @ Trafalgar Square 4/09/09 11 pm

Funk Trafalgar @ Trafalgar Square 4/09/09 11 pm

A quick piece of breaking news....FunkMasterFlanagan will be attempting to get the centre of London on their feet and on the floor for an old school jam.
Yes, this Friday 4th Sept at 11pm for one hour only Trafalgar Square's 4th Plinth transforms into a oneshop stop of fun, funk and foolishness in an historic event.

"As part of the Anthony Gormley “one and other “ exhibition. I ( dan "funk master" flanagan) will be standing on the plinth blasting out tunes - provided and backed up by the those extremely party leading, butt shaking, excruciating funky cats from discoscratch.com , True Ingredients and energy super heroes from Student Switch Off and will be leading a fancy dress funkalong in aid of Teens Unite Fighting Cancer."

There is support from Mello, Silver Bullet and The Cookie Crew.


More details here on Facebook.

What is The Fourth Plinth?

There is a live webcam here.

The FUN Gallery Returns

If you know Wild Style then you know Patti Astor. If you know Patti Astor then you know The Fun Gallery.

Briefly, the FUN Gallery was co-founded by Patti and opened in 1981 in the East Village of New York. As well as providing a platform for other New Wave artists it also featured a healthy selection of legendary graffiti writers such as FUTURA 2000, LEE, Fab 5 Freddy, DONDI, Lady Pink and ZEPHYR amongst others.

What the gallery was also notable for was the inclusion of two particular artists, namely Jean Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring.

Any visitor to the gallery might find themselves rubbing shoulders with b-boys and rock stars as it became a melting pot for hip, young New York in the early 1980's.

Sadly it closed down in 1985 due to rising rent and many other galleries all providing more of the same.

However Patti is bringing the FUN Gallery back for a short time, not in NYC but in LA. See the pic above for details.

Ultimate Trax Volumes 1 - 3

Here's the latest installment from Bobby Dazzler. He's ripped some of the DJ Battles from the Ultimate Trax series which came out on Champion Records in the late 80's
Features full-length mixes from DJ Cheese, Chad Jackson, Whiz Kid, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Streetsahead and CJ Mackintosh.

My personal pick is DJ Jazzy Jeff. You can't fault his technical skills as he's so fluid and perfect.

"We are the best as you can see so eliminate the possibility"

Streetsounds Electro 12 & 13

ELECTRO 12 (1985)

Tracklisting:


A1 Grandmaster Flash - Fastest Man Alive
A2 Fat Boys - Beat Box Is Rocking
A3 Sir Mix-A-Lot - Square Dance Rap (Rodeo Drive Mix)
A4 Ghetto Style With 2 The Live Crew - Trow The D.

B1 Ultimate III - Ultimate III Live!
B2 M.C. Chill - M.C. Story
B3 Celebrity Club - Girls (Rulin' The World)
Featuring - Royal Silk
B4 Whodini - Funky Beat


A nice edition with an almost 100% success rate. Herbie's in the mix again and tears it up on GM Flash's track. And the blend when he brings in MC Story over Ultimate III Live is nothing short of genius.

"Don't whip her too hard cos her jeans are tight"



ELECTRO 13 (1986)

Tracklisting:


A01 Grandmaster Flash - Style (Peter Gunn Theme)
A02 Afrika Bambaataa & Family - Bambaataa's Theme (Assault On Precinct 13)
A03 Hashim - Uk Fresh '86 (The Anthem)
Featuring - MC Devon
A04 Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde - Fast Life
A05 Aleem - Get Loose
A06 Masquerade - (Solution To) The Problem (The Definitive Dance Mix)
A07 Sir Mix-A-Lot - Square Dance Rap (Power Mix)
A08 Captain Rock - Return Of Captain Rock
A09 Information Society - Running ("The Nest" Remix)
A10 World Class Wreckin' Cru - Mission Possible


B01 Lovebug Starski - Amityville (The House On The Hill)
B02 Joeski Love - Pee-Wee's Dance
B03 Just-Ice - Latoya
B04 M.C. Chill - The Prophecy, Part 1 (In The Beginning)
B05 Eric B. & Rakim - Eric B. Is President
B06 MC Boob - Bring The Beat Back (Vocal)
B07 Real Roxanne, The (Bang Zoom) Let's Go Go
Featuring - Hitman Howie Tee*
B08 Roxanne Shanté Queen Of Rox (Shantë Rox On) (Street Version)
B09 Easy Mike - The State We're In (Vocal)
Featuring - MC Sure Shot
B10 Mantronix - Ladies
B11 Family Quest - Sleepwalking


Electro 13 was, in case you didn't know, the kind of 'companion' to UK Fresh 86 as it featured all the acts (or rather, the majority) who appeared at the two shows.

Kicked off (again!) by GM Flash and Mastermind dazzles with his styles on the 1's and 2's.

Then to go from the classic Bambaataa's Theme to the very 'meh'-sounding (IMO) 'official' anthem from Hashim puts me off a bit. Never really liked this track even though it does mention Mike Allen. Just sounds like a quickly done piece to cash in on the event itself.

One of my favourite Mike Allen tunes is The Information Society's Running. But let me make this clear that it has to be THE NEST REMIX. Not the instrumental and certainly not the vocal mix. I'm pretty sure that the 'percapella mix' is used here though.

Although I've never been a big fan of Lovebug Starski I did buy the 7" of House On The Hill from WH Smith as I was inticed by the promise of a "free black hole" upon purchase of said record. Call me a bit naive but I was slightly miffed when I realised that THAT circle on the front was it. If you want more tales of my naive record-buying habits and subsequent frustrations then it should come as no surprise to you when I tell you that I bought "He's the DJ....I'm the Rapper" and almost returned it back to the shop when I couldn't initially find the "free scratch mix album". Shhh, don't tell anyone else, okay?

And were Family Quest actually at UK Fresh 86? Or was this just a sly attempt to flog Morgan Khan's own-label group? Ageing B-Boys are cynical B-Boys.

"The reason we got style is 'cos we got it like that!"

Girls Love The Way He Spins

But they don't like the way he acts.
In this ad for Native Instruments Traktor Scratch Pro, Grandmaster Flash talks to some piece of non-descript bum-fluff. I say 'talks' but in fact throughout the 1-minute promo the sum total of Flash's input consists of the words, "oh God" and "shit!".

Whatever, it's all money in the bank for Flash as he seems to be reaping rewards for his contributions to hip hop at last. With this and the forthcoming DJ Hero software he can afford to spash out a bit. Or resume his crack habit again.
Ooo, too soon?

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"

Waxer's Disco Scratch Forum & Blog

Waxer has been ducking and diving around the UK hip hop scene for a number of years now. Predominantly mooching in the south of England, Steve fell in love, like many a British ageing b-boy, with the sound of Electro which introduced him into the whole scene. With Planet Rock and Adventures on the Wheels Of Steel banging his eardrums he soon progressed to the art of dj-ing and vinyl collecting (mmmm, the smell of new vinyl and the oh, so gleaming protective wrapping. You want me to peel you off? You like it don't you? But slowly, yes, so slowly. Let's not get it all over and finished, let's savour the moment. I'll just make a slight opening and let my fingernail just glide into your slit and feel the corners....sorry I don't know where I'm going with this.)

The hallowed Electro series from Morgan Khan's Streetsounds was soon in his collection and he began hitting the lino. And soon he was also hitting the lines writing KRIM with his cousin, TAME. Following this, Waxer bought the legendary Gemini MX-2200 mixer (as used by Cash Money - I've still got mine somewhere!) from the equally legendary 4 Star General when it was still downstairs in a shop in Carnaby Street (General George, anyone? Who rocked Troop?!).

He was also a follower of the great Mike Allen and religiously listened to his shows each weekend catching the freshest jams of the mid-80's on London's Capital Radio, recording them on the same ten cassettes over and over again. Hindsight's a bitch, ain't it?


As the 1990's approached, Waxer was moving on and dj-ing for small events with modest audiences (ten people? I think we've all been there at some point!) and accumulating his posse and rolling deep under the new moniker of DJ Radiate whilst spookily looking like Marshall Mathers. From here he went stella and rubbed shoulders with some real hip hop talent............

But I digress, you can read the whole story in full here. It's certainly a stonking read and I await to see the obvious film adaptation ("Waxer - A Life In Vinyl") with Eminem in the title role.

The amount of similarities between Waxer's and my early hip hop life are so close that we could be cousins. Ironically enough as I'm now living in Norfolk, 'cousins' is not a term I'd like to shout about too much in this county.... ("...you fill in the pond with concrete, you plough the family into the field, you blow up the tree, and use the leaves to make a dress for your wife who's also your brother" - Alan Partridge)


Now one of the reasons I'm mentioning Waxer here is because he runs a fantastic blog over at http://discoscratch.co.uk/ and on the forum for this month only there is a chance to grab many old UK classic hip hop singles and albums. Each day will bring about a new slice of wax so you best mosey on over there.
Sign up for the new forum and get chatting because this has the potential to be MASSIVE. I'm urging everyone who reads this blog to check it out because at the moment Waxer feels like he's back in 1990 dj-ing in a pub in Havant. Let's get busy and show your faces!


Disco Scratch - The Blog http://discoscratch.co.uk/

Disco Scratch - The Forum http://discoscratch.co.uk/forum

Disco Scratch - The History http://discoscratch.co.uk/history

Your Own Model Subway Train!

Always wanted to put your name up on a train but were always too chicken to go to the yards? Or are you too old to shimmy that drainpipe, cut through that fence and run from the cops? Whatever the case, download this pdf which has an elavated (view) of a train that you can print yourself onto paper or card and fold up Blue Peter stylee.

Look Ramo...a WHITE one!

Magazine Scans part 5

On the back page is the lyrics to Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew's "The Show". I still think of these mis-printed gems each time I ever hear this song. For instance, have a look at what Street Scene thought Doug's DJ's were called.

News of graffiti doc, 'Bombin' (featuring Brim, The Wild Bunch and an early appearence of the great Goldie). Has anyone heard of the Steinski track?

Magazine Scans part 4

This feature on Steinski was a big inspiration and fueled my desire to find out all the breaks used on the "Lessons". Twenty-four years on and I'm still not there yet!

I think this was expensive even for 1985!

Magazine Scans part 3

Magazine Scans part 2

Magazine Scans part 1

Here are a few scans from The Street Scene magazine which you may or may not know was from Streetsounds big cheese, Morgan Khan back in 1985.

I've put up some of the more interesting articles and some other bits. Enjoy.

Don't forget to click for a bigger picture.

DJ Superix - Ultimate Ultimate Ultimate

This is a great mix by DJ Superix.

He uses all of the tracks from the Ultimate Breaks & Beats series and cuts them up and adds some examples of where they've been sampled. He's no slouch either and all the cuts come correct and he never misses a beat.

I've only got part 2 here but that's good enough. If anyone has got the first one please let me know.

"Listen, I don't care who you are. Go out and BUY this record. Okay, okay, okay..."

Back from holiday

So here I am just had a week away on holiday in Cornwall with Mrs Ageing B-Boy and the l'il B-Girls and I return to find much comments on the recent Style Wars post.

So, in turn:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

password?

Straight and to the point. I admire your stance. Check the top-right of the blog under NOTE.


tracey shaw has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

quality, I really like this, I saw something like this on http://www.hire-a-graffiti-artist.co.uk It maybe the same person or a different graffiti artist ? I dont know it all looks good to me lol. xxx

It's all my own work. Thankyou.


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

what the fuck is the password!?

Woah there, chief. I know I said I liked your no-messing style but let's be a bit more civil about this, shall we? Ask nicely.


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

real great idea! dope

I'm glad you found the password at last. Thankyou.


dsfggsfgsdf has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

NOTE:

Unless otherwise stated all files will use this password to unpack them:
www.repo136.blogspot.com
And remember, a little thanks makes the Ageing b-boy, a Happy b-boy......

Nicely done, dsfggsfgsdf. I bet your signature's a scream.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

I can't expand the file, it says the structure of the archive is damaged... i'm on mac osx

As much as I love Apple and indeed crave my own Mac, I'm afraid I cannot help you here. Thanks for calling. Who's next on the line?


Lovegrove has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

Aargh, you beat me to it... I needed just a couple of tunes to complete the whole set.

Good job here though, thought the web address voice over was a bit annoying... I listened to it while working (one earpiece), so only heard it over one track... does it appear more than once?

I think the addition of a few audio samples from the documentary would have made it perfect!

Ta very much.

Your comments have been duly noted. I did the voice ident to kind of personalise it so that anyone ripping me off would have that there (in the voice of CAP MPC) "foreverrrr!".
I love the idea of adding some audio from the film, too. Who knows I may make a re-mastered version soon.



End Level Boss has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

The p-word ain't workin dunny.

"Dunny"? Is that an insult? Did you mean to say 'dummy'? I'm confused, please explain.


End Level Boss has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

Just tried it with Unrar-X - works like a charm!

I'm glad. Thanks, err, dunny.


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

PLEASE GIVE MEEEEEE PASSWORD !!!!!!!!!

Is that you, again?!


palli has left a new comment on your post "Style Wars - The Original Movie Soundtrack":

Password plz!!

And here we go again.......

The King Of Pop 1958-2009

There's not much more to say that hasn't already hasn't been said, written or reported about the sad, premature death of arguably the world's greatest entertainer, Michael Joseph Jackson.

Anyone watching the Memorial Service live on television from the Staples Center in Los Angeles yesterday would have to have had a heart of stone not to have been moved by any of the performances or personal anecdotes. And most especially from seeing the anguish of Michael's 11-year old daughter, Paris' and her truly heartfelt words.

Even my wife, who is a staunch Jacko-cynic was teary-eyed by the event.

I don't think we will ever witness an event quite like it again in our lifetime which just shows you how much of an icon Jackson was. And will continue to be.

Clearly I could not let this momentous occassion slip by without adding my own personal tribute. And so I have compiled some of the many mixes that have hastily been posted up on various blogs.


CHRIS READ - MICHAEL JACKSON THE LEGACY
J.ROCC - MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE
DMC MEGAMIXES - MICHAEL JACKSON

DJ PREMIER - MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE MIX

MISTER CEE - MICHAEL JACKSON MIX ON HOT 97
DJ BEE - MICHAEL JACKSON NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE


I also give you two of my personal favourite Michael Jackson songs.
From the 1971 Jackson 5 album Maybe Tomorrow is the classic, old school, funky breakbeat, "It's Great to Be Here" heard -amongst many other places- on Bambaataa's "Death Mix".





And in my opinion one of MJ's most beautiful songs is "Human Nature" originally on 1982's legendary "Thriller" album and sampled by Nas on his debut album for the track "It Ain't Hard To Tell".

n.b. props go to the always amazing Underground Hip Hop Blog

Ultimate Breaks Volume 26

I don't mind telling you that this is a bit of a special moment.

I've been waiting for volume 26 of Ultimate Breaks & Beats for something like 18 years.

This is the 'lost' 26th edition of the legendary breakbeat series of albums from Street Beat Records and contains that same dusty funk that you know and love right down to the Kev Harris artwork and Louis Flores edits.

We begin with the rather lyrically disturbing Joe Tex track "You Said A Bad Word" in which he dubiously remarks to a girl that he won't tell her mother about her cursing if "you do what I tell you" whilst simultaneously sniggering.

You'll be singing "Su-per...Casanova...naaaa, na, na, na, na, na, na", when you hear it. Fact.

Moving quickly on is a nice old school break, "Ever Ready" by Johnnie Taylor and then a great break I never even knew existed. I wasn't even aware that Herbie Luv Bug had gone digging in search of inspiration for Salt N Peppa's "Push It". Well listen to "Keep On Pushing" by Coal Kitchen and you'll hear for yourself.

The epic "The Jam" is a slab of psychedelic sloppy funk from the p-funk-ish Graham Central Station. I remember finding this at a car boot some years ago and hearing the MARRS break for the first time. 'Twas mindblowing I tells ya.

Those yearning for the days of the Soul II Soul massive will dance in glee for it was this track that introduced that famous beat (05.09s) which was soon sadly plundered by everyone with an Akai sampler back in the early 90's (Jimmy Nail, I'm looking at you).

Troublefunk is the sort of band that every hip hop dj will have at least one of their records in their box. And we have a beauty here in the form of "Let's Get Small" with it's monster use of percussion. Eagerly used by such champs as KRS-ONE, Coldcut, LL Cool J and a staple in Kid Capri's repertoire.

Now apparently an original 7" copy of "Sexy Coffee Pot" by Tony Alvon & The Belairs goes for a price so high that only DJ Shadow and Keb Darge can fork out the cash for it without their bank manager shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

The title comes from the story that a coffee pot was the inspiration for the world's first webcam. The coffee pot was located in the so-called Trojan Room within the old Computer Laboratory of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The webcam was created to help people working in other parts of the building avoid pointless trips to the coffee room by providing, on the user's desktop computer, a live 128×128 grayscale picture of the state of the coffee pot.

It's true. The internet never lies y'all.

However why anyone would deem a coffee pot to be 'sexy' is beyond me. Although on second thoughts the Computer Laboratory probably consisted of mainly blokes with bad hair and zits and the only offering of females would be Beryl the cleaning lady.

And so to end this volume is probably my pick of a very good bunch. Hank Carbo's "Hot Pants Part 2" is a mid-tempo shigger-fragger which you'll know instantly as being 'that Big Daddy Kane break '. Marley Marl is a frickin genius.

It's worth remembering that this album was originally produced in 1991 in the midst of hip hop's Golden Age™ so a lot if not most of the subsequent tracks in which these breaks were used are some of hip hop's greatest moments.

A.

1. Joe Tex - You Said A Bad Word

2. Johnny Taylor - Ever Ready

3. Coalkitchen - Keep On Pushing

4. Graham Central Station - The Jam (Remixed)

B.

1. Trouble Funk - Lets Get Small

2. Tony Alvon - Sexy Coffee Pot

3. Hank Carbo - Hot Pants (part 2) (Remixed)

Breakbeat Lenny R.I.P.

Check here for more info about the individual editions and short history of UBB.

R.I.P. IZ THE WIZ

It is with great sadness that I announce that the legendary IZ THE WIZ has passed on.

A lot of people like me knew of him through first watching Style Wars in the 1980's. He struck me as someone who delved a bit deeper into graffiti scene. Quite literally in Style Wars, when he spoke of his trips far into the subway system; "a city under the city" as he remarked.

I was quite alarmed when I saw him again in the dvd release for Style Wars more recently as he was looking very frail. More shocking was when he commented that he would give up all his past fame for full health as he talked about his many years of breathing in the toxic fumes of the paint.

The following is from http://www.at149st.com/ .

"IZ THE WIZ is without question one of New York City's most prolific writers.

IN aka KILL 3 is credited with the most extensive all-city bomb in NYC during 1975 and 76, but IZ was the longest reigning all-city king in NYC history, taking the title many times throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

IZ was well known for his throw-ups in the mid 1970s on the IND and BMT subway divisions. In the late 1970s he broadened his focus by working on top-to-bottoms, burners and scenery whole cars on the presteigious 2 and 5 lines of the IRT subway division.

During this period he silmultaneously maintained all-city throw-up king status. He painted for a variety of top level crews. He has served as president of The Master Blasters and the Queens division of Prisoners Of Graffiti. He has also painted for The Odd Partners, The Crew, The Three Yard Boys and others too numerous to mention.

IZ appeared in the documentary film Style Wars and portrayed a transit police detective in the film Wild Style.

Aliases: IZZY, CI (CRAZY IZ), IKE 327,

Started: 1972

Primary affiliations: TMB, POG, TOP, 3YB, TC

Local origin: Queens, NY

Main lines: ALL CITY"

After struggling with kidney failure for many years, Iz passed away on the 17 June 2009.

I therefore posthumously dedicate my Style Wars soundtrack to him.