The Inaugural ABUDS Virtual Movie Night - Trading Places

Shamelessly taken from Lord Waxington-Smythe's site.....

Tonight at 10PM (Saturday 14th December 2013), the chatroom will be open to all comers who want to watch the classic Christmas film “Trading Places”. After talking about it with Theory77 last week and listening to the intro music in the show, it got the old juices flowing and an idea popped up. So, Repo and I will be in the chatroom at 10PM tonight… So, grab your DVD/VHS/Betamax/Bluray or digital file (if you haven’t got it, go here: http://tinyurl.com/q8wt7pl (don’t tell anyone!), link & file will be deleted at 10PM).
There’s a thread on FaceBook if you want to weigh in, have a look on my timeline: http://facebook.com/discoscratch
Now at 10pm on the button we will be playing the movie and chatroom is open to all comers who want to be social about the film… hope to see some of you in the chat! Chatroom address is http://discoscratch.co.uk/chat grab your eggnog/tramp juice and meet us there! Peace out & merry Christmas!

So who's getting into the Christmas spirit? What better choice of film could there ever be!
Trading Places holds a special place in my heart as I was a big fan of Dan Aykroyd having liked his work on The Blues Brothers, Twilight Zone - The Movie and of course, Ghostbusters (yes, I know it came out after TP but in those days we got whatever was to hand at the local video rental shop). And the fact that Eddie Murphy was so great in it (and would go on to become my go-to 80's funnyman) didn't hurt either.
From the opening intro (Mozart's Marraige Of Figaro) to the feelgood ending this could be the ultimate 80's movie. This decade truly came up with some of the best films, didn't it? Or maybe it's just my rose-tinted specs....

Don't be late. 10pm is curtain-up.

ABU - Coming Soon....Guilty Pleasures

I want to give you some news of what I'm planning for an upcoming ABU Takeover early next year. And I'm making sure that I tell you, the Blog Readers, first. I say that because these days I am constantly neglecting my dear blog in favour of 'social networks' such as Facebook which sadly I go to more often.

So this is a kind of exclusive if you will. The plan is that I intend to have a theme going on for one of the shows and that theme is (.....drum roll....) Guilty Pleasures.

Now, before you get all pervy up in here I shall explain.
I want you all to get thinking and send in your favourite songs that you normally wouldn't admit to liking in a million years. The rub here of course is that we shall all, as a collective, be washing our metaphorical washing out in the street so there will be no shame in your game.

I want you to be thorough in your choices. Reach deep down and think about when you were at your school disco and you were dancing with Big Bev to that Nik Kershaw tune with the bizarre lyrics. Or perhaps you sported 'curtains' in the Nineties and spazzed out to some Madchester sounds? It needn't be hip hop either, just anything you wish.
Whatever your pleasure be sure to send it (or them) to me at ageingbboysunite.com rather than in the comments. Let's keep it a secret between you and me. For now. If you want, use an alias.

I'm aiming to do this special either January or February and I'm sure there'll be a lot of requests. I honestly don't care what you choose - if you like a song then I respect that. I will be choosing some for myself, too so be warned, I am a connoisseur of cheese.

ABU! Takeover/Podcast #36 November 2013

It's the return of the Ageing B-Boys Unite! DS Takeover/Podcast.
Broadcast tonight on Disco Scratch Radio at 9pm (GMT).
Featuring regular highlights; DJ Track Of The Month, The Roots Of The Roots, The Funk Trunk as well as electro, classic hip hop, breaks and some 80's pop, this is the one show you do not want to miss!

Live audio stream: http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio/

Chatroom: http://chatwing.com/discoscratch

ABU Stand-In Show on Disco Scratch - TONITE!

Disco Scratch is still having technical issues to I am opening a pop-up radio shop tonight at 9pm (GMT) for some funk 'n' hip hop sounds.
http://www.awdio.com/repo136 for the audio stream.

http://chatwing.com/discoscratch for the chatroom.

Peace,
Repo La Rock

ABU - The Album!

Over in the ABU Facebook group one of the members, Pom, came up with a rather brilliant idea just recently.
How about we pool our resources and see if we could create an album's worth of tracks?
Well, it has gone down well and we have a wealth of artists and producers wanting to get involved.

However as some ABU peeps are not on FB I must stress that this isn't exclusive to FB by any means. In fact a lot of you have been down with us long since Facebook was on the scene so I welcome you with open arms to come and get involved.

The basic criteria is.... keep that old school ethos. Electro, breaks, golden age boom-bap beats, human beatboxing, scratchin'...... maybe you have some unreleased stuff that you made years ago. As long as it is of decent quality then get involved.
I'm also thinking of having little skits all over the album so if you prefer that steez then go ahead.

The deadline is the last weekend BEFORE Christmas. Therefore I will give a special showcase /album launch on the December ABU Takeover Show on Disco Scratch Radio on Boxing Day evening.
It will be an mp3/download affair and there are some very fresh design bods working on the artwork so that you will be able to burn to disc yourself if you are that way inclined and have some cd-ready covers and inlays.

Drop me a line and send your stuff to ageingbboysunite@yahoo.com

FRESH!

Kool Moe Reepz

Sublime Wizardry - 'Can She Be Heard' VIDEO

Fresh out the box is this new video for the thumpingly-dope track 'Can She Be Heard' from the excellent Best Of The Bunch EP which was released recently on Show & Prove Records (and reviewed here). Sublime Wizardry are cutting a unique path through UK hip hop culture.
Make no mistake, this is rap for grown-ups.

Available from iTunes, Amazon & all other online stores.
Directed by Simon Mclennan http://www.artandvideo.blogspot.co.uk/
Show & Prove Records 2013
Don't forget to visit www.sublimewizardry.com for more info.

No Half Steppin' in Norwich TONITE!

Once again it's on!
Tonight from 8pm is the return of the monthly No Half Steppin' night courtesy of Sure Shot Productions. As always expect funky breaks, proper hip hop and futuristic 80's electro beats.
Residents CHROME and JUST-1 will be there as well as special guest dj sets from MR EPS and yours truly.

Also, CHROME, alongside ILL INSPIRED will be filming the video for their recent single 'You Should Know' down there, too. Oh yes!

Downstairs @The Rumsey Wells, St Andrews St, Norwich 8pm - Midnight. And of course, FREE entry!

No DS Show Tonight.

Due to technical issues - such as the whole Disco Scratch site being eaten up by beings unknown - there is no radio show tonight. Not even a chatroom to do a pop-up ABU show either. Crazy.

Bucket of soz.

Reepz

Blogwatch

Apologies. There will be a better logo next time ;-)

A new feature just to keep you updated on ABU's fam and those who we feel need to shout about.

The always on-point Strictly Biz crew have a small upload for your ears. EPMD have always had tales about that 'Jane' bird, right? So my man Ric Flair has put a little zippy together with all their respective tracks and some of his usual wordz of wizdom. Check it out here.

Mike Cheque (who I think is the same guy I used to see on the OldSchoolHipHop forum way back when) runs the 'Fear Of A Wack Planet' blog and now and again comes up with some real dopeness.
He has posted a piece of SoundCloud audio with Big Daddy Kane in deep conversation. It is an arse-numbing 2.5 hours long so be prepared. Check it here. Or go to the source here.

The guys over at egotripland blog are one of many who are currently posting the latest in the Crate Diggers video series. If you haven't watched any yet then I'd heartily recommend them as not only do they allow you to see big-name dj's and producers' record collections but also you get to hear a lot of inspirational quotes - and not in a stoopid management-speak way either.
Check the latest one with DJ Scratch here.

My homeslice LG from the wonderful Style Warrior design blog is getting ready to produce another t-shirt reprint. This time around it will be the great Groove Records design. As always with Style Warrior, the designs are crispier than Gary Lineker's undercrackers and have been fully redesigned more closely to the original Groove logo than you could tell the difference.
If, like me, you are tired of wearing your old Groove bag around your sweaty armpits then this is the next best thing. Available in yellow (of course) or black, get over here and order one.
LG says if enough people click the "reprint" button on any design on the website then it may well come up again if you missed it first time around.

Lastly, I need to give a mention to Brighton's Theory77 who is busy making a niche place in hip hop's overcrowded market with some truly innovative and disturbing sounds. Having grown up in an independent video rental shop throughout his childhood, Theory always viewed the more lurid, gory horror vids with interest. These shaped him and everything since then has been in homage to these black, rectangular plastic boxes in a direct and sometime indirect way.
His latest album, Audio Nasties, is available on a limited edition cassette tape - yes, you heard right, tape! - as well as mp3 download. Check it here and get one for only 4 quid. It's a Billy bargain!
Full review coming soon.

If you have anything you want to promote then get in touch. ABU is very discerning so please be careful all you new jack wack emcees who think this is the right place for your 'sick new album'.

Peace,
Reepz

ABU Takeover - Halloween Special!

It's that time again and what's even better is that ABU Takeover night just so happens to coincide with Halloween night.
Tune in tomorrow and hear a spooky couple of hours of hip hop's best and cheesiest scary tunes from 9pm on Disco Scratch Radio.
If you are a Facebooker then there is an 'Event Page' set up if you're down with that. Otherwise get involved in the chatroom live from 9 til 11pm.

BTW the show will be a repeat of 2011's show, but y'all forgot that one, right?

Reeps!

Scott La Rock Documentary

An interesting insight into one of hip hop's many departed heroes - Boogie Down Productions' Scott La Rock.
Check it out here. http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2013/09/celebrity-crime-files-scott-larock-full-episode-video/

Super Disco Brake's Tee

Here's a great t-shirt up for sale on ebay.
Thanks to Zilla for pointing these out. They're produced by his mate, DJ Razorcuts out of Derbyshire, UK and are available in S to XL, plus ladies' fits and even a dope tote bag!
They may sell out soon but we are teased with a promise that there may be more on the way.
Check em out here.
Tell em ABU sent ya!

Ultimate Breaks & Beats Figure

Saw this the other day in an email from RapAndSoulMailOrder and it looks so, so dope!

Ultimate Breaks & Beats (also commonly known as UBB) is a series of 25 compilation albums released betweeen 1986 and 1991 on Street Beat Records. The tracks included on the albums contain music from 1966 to 1984 that specifically featured drum breaks.

This actually has a special meaning to me because volume 503 was the first UBB album I ever bought. I remember getting it via mail order from Mi-Price Records (from an ad I saw in Hip Hop Connection) and listening to the album thinking 'this is just crazy!'.
It took me a while to get into breaks as they were so alien to hearing loops which was how my mind and ears had been trained to listen to hip hop.
But when I did...I loved it. And to this day if I hear any of the breaks from this album - and what an album - Got To Be Real, Dance To The Drummer's Beat, Bongo Rock, Give It To You, Pussy Footer and of course, hip hop's own b-boy anthem, Apache, then it brings me right back.

So this little doll is one of those things that I don't really need, can't really afford but really want as I know it would look the business rocking on my record shelves as well as all the memories associated.
Well, with Christmas on the way...who knows!

ABU Live on The Hip Hop Sessions - TONITE!

I'm guesting tonight on the Hip Hop Sessions on Future Radio with DJ Just-1.
Be there at 10pm for some great old and classic hip hop, electro and breaks.

http://futureradio.co.uk/http://futureradio.co.uk/

No Half Steppin' - October 2013 Session!

This Saturday (19th Oct) is the return of Norwich's finest hip hop monthly event featuring regulars DJ Just-1 from The Hip Hop Sessions (Future Radio) and Chrome (Def Tex, B-Line Recordings) on the decks with 2 special guests M-PHATIC and SUPER JB from the Force 10 crew providing some b-boy beats.
No doubt Illinspired will be freestyling throughout the night keeping things rolling.
For anyone who hasn't been to one before, why not come down and join members of the ABU/DS crew!
Guaranteed to be a floor-filler of funky tunes and that classic hip hop, get down to the Rumsey Wells in Norwich at 8pm!

Strictly Paul C

Some of you may be aware of the name Paul McKasty, also known as Paul C. Some of you may not be familiar. If you aren't then it's not entirely your fault as there is little information in existence about him. However you should go to this webpage and read it in it's entirety.

Paul C was a unique hip hop producer/engineer/beatmaker who was modest to the point of invisibility. He didn't need to shout about his achievements as his work spoke for himself. If you read the credits on the back of your dusty record covers you will see his name on everyone from Biz Markie and Ultramagnetic MC's to Eric B & Rakim and Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud.
Actually that's not quite true as he either used different aliases or was credited incorrectly as Paul "C", Paul C., Paul C. 1212, Paul C. McKasty, Paul Cee, Paul McKastee or even plain Paul. And these are just some of the nom-de-plumes you might find, there are more.

Now, my reason for doing this post is simple. Ric Flair from the wonderful Strictly Business blog has written a brilliant piece on Paul which you can read here.
And not only that. He has compiled probably the most in-depth and exhaustive list of Paul C productions you will ever find - 4 volumes to be right and exact - which can you download and fill-up your chosen media-playing device to bursting point.
Ric deserves a massive bucketful of props as to my knowledge this has not been tackled before. The tracklisting is immense.

Also worth mentioning is a labour-of-love film project which has been put together by Pritt Kalsi - who you may know from the King Of The Beats producer contest.
It's entitled Memories Of Paul C McKasty and going by Pritt's track record should be another beautifully-edited piece of killer celuloid.
I haven't seen it yet but will do shortly. You can see parts 1 & 2 here with part 3 coming next Sunday.

Strictly kings and better.

ABU Takeover on Disco Scratch Radio - Sept 2013

September's show was a little different in that ¼ of it was straight tracks and the remaining ¾ was me in the mix.
I performed the mix live a few days ago then added a few overdubs, effects and samples to hold it together.
At the end of the show is a first-play of Rock n Rolla which is a cut off the new Planet Of The Fakes' Please, Don't Feed The Animals EP (for more info see previous post with full review).

n.b. The next ABU show falls on Halloween night!


DSR138 (show #35) September 2013

01  Jurassic 5 - Ignition Sequence
02  Master O.C. & Krazy Eddie Featuring Peso, Tito And Main Attraction‎ - Masters Of The Scratch
03  Master Ace - Postin' High
04  Caveman - Pages and Pages
05  Hard Knocks - Thoughts Of A Negro
06  Gang Starr - Who's Gonna Take The Weight

Repo In The Mix
07  Masta Ace - Sitting On Chrome
08  ATCQ - Bonita Applebum
09  T La Rock - It's Yours (Instru)
10  Pharcyde - Runnin'
11  KRS One - Sound Of Da Police
12  Son Of Bazerk - J-Dub's Theme
13  Paul Nero - This Is Detroit Soul (Drum Break)
14  Alkaholiks - Make Room
15  Fresh 3 MC's - F.R.E.S.H.
16  Monkees - Zilch
17  Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Mistadobalina
18  Masterminds (Ft. Mr. Khaliyl) - Bring It Back
19  Supalover Cee & Casanova Rud - Do The James
20  Fu-Schnickens -True Fuschnick
21  The Turtles - I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're The Royal Macadamia Nuts)
22  Steinski & Mass Media - It's Up To You
23  Uptown - Dope On Plastic
24  Soundsci - The Ultimate (Breaks & Beats Mix)
25  Before I Let Go (Instrumental Edit)
26  MC Lyte - Paper Thin
27  Public Enemy - Night of the Living Baseheads (Anti-High Blood Pressure Encounter Mixx)
28  Digital Underground - No Nosejob
29  Kid Frost - Terminator
30  Jazzy Jay - Def Jam
31  Cash Money & Marvellous - The Mighty Hard Rocker
32  Kev E Kev & Ak B - Keep On Doin'
33  Biz Markie - Something For The Radio
34  Isidore Aka Izzy Ice ‎– Soul Man
35  B.R.O.T.H.E.R - Beyond The 16th Parallel
36  UTFO - The Master
37  Most Wanted - Calm Down
38  MARRS - Pump Up The Volume
39  Cavern - Liquid, Liquid
40  Eric B & Rakim - Know The Ledge
41  Seville - Keep It Movin'
42  Sugarbear - Don't Scandalise Mine
43  Young MC - Know How

44  Planet Of The Fakes - Rock N Rolla (from the new EP Please, Don't Feed The Animals)
45  Jorun PMC - Can't Won't Don't Stop/Magic Disco Machine (preview tracks)
46  Chrome & IllInspired - You Should Know (new 7" out now)


Listen directly to the show here:
http://www.sonicity.co.uk/Resources/MP3/35_Ageing_B-Boys_Unite!_Podcast_-_ABU!_DS_Takeover_Show_(DSR138)_Sept_2013.mp3

Record Review: Planet Of The Fakes - Please Don't Feed The Animals EP

I got the chance to listen to an advance preview of the brand new Planet Of The Fakes EP recently courtesy of Inzaine.
Oh yes.

There is always something unsettling - to me, at least - whenever I listen to a POTF record. Maybe it's the dark forces that seem to inhabit the vinyl or the the in-your-faceness of the Bomb Squad-influenced wall of sound. Every conceivable space in the frequency spectrum is heavily guarded by a snarling, speaker-shaking soldier of the underground Britcore battalion. The 'Fakes lie in wait under your bed while you sleep and come screaming out in the middle of the night with a barrage of audio ammo aimed at your ears.

The posse's large

With a confident hardcore sound at his side supplied commendably by Dirty Showbiz, head-honcho Inzaine has employed a tribe of talent to fill the vocal side of things. Just check out this line-up; Paranoia, Sire, Kraze One, Sinista, Invokal, Whirlwind D (Solid'n'Mind), Inzaine, Ambush, Mr Morph, Iceski (The Criminal Minds), Skitz, MC Gambit (Last Ressort), Invokal, Remarkable (Deliverance, Sublime Wizardry), DJ Kura and DJ HighFly.
It's not a case of chucking everything into the mixing bowl and just hoping for the best. It's more like chucking the best into the mixing bowl and hoping the heat it creates doesn't just burn the place down but tears the roof off the sucker as well.

Repeated listening essential

The title track Please Don't Feed The Animals is off and running with a gripping brass riff reminiscent of something out of The Omen. Damn right it's hardcore. There's an unrelenting baseline underpinning the uptempo beat with Mr Morph on the turntables coming in but not disturbing the groove or the vocals. There's so much to hear and with repeated listenings you catch a waka-waka guitar lick that you missed earlier or a spacey sound in the background. This is a layered production masterclass.

You may have seen the Rain Dance video already and this is the EP's beginning track. A nice production uses multiple vocals to build up the intro and readies you for the main course.
All the tracks are filled with a wealth of MC talent and Bouncin' Cranial Walls is no exception. Using a sample from what I could have sworn was A Clockwork Orange the cut then goes straight into crisp, clear vocals from Skitz who heads up this collab.

Living the wet dream…..

Last week I chose Rock n Rolla to play on the ABU Takeover show on Disco Scratch Radio which got a good reaction with people in the chartroom asking for more details. It's not difficult to see why.
Kicking off with a vocal sample from the film of the same name, we're not playing games here, son. When this drops on a large system you can expect broken bones, bottles and teeth due to the chest-pumping beat and cinematic samples.
If I do have a quibble - and I've tried very hard to find just one - it's that Ambush's (?) vocals sound like they were recorded over the phone as they have a different feel to the rest of the MC's on this cut. However it doesn't detract from the track at all and if anything makes his turn stand out more.

Hardcore Messiah

It's worth noting that all the tracks so far are keeping around the 110bpm area. While that's not considerably head-nodding territory it's still up-tempo. The one track on the EP that is destined to make you go nuts and dance like a spaz is the even faster Battle Of The True Born. Strictly uptempo business demands that frenzied scratching like Q-Bert with Parkinson's must be employed. Indeed it is and the intro is already melting your face as you are pogoing higher than your older cousins did at a Sex Pistols gig. Inzaine and Dirty Showbiz have gone all out to bring you a raw jam designed to bring out the goosebumps whenever you hear it.
Some older music producers have complained that you can't get a natural sound by using digital gear. Fuck natural, listen to the raw energy. Ice T once said the ends justify the means and with a sound like this then Abbey Road can go and do one.

This is a firm warning to those effeminate, skinny jeans-wearing wankers that are beginning to progress that rich-boy, 'hipster-hop' and that is that they should just put that microphone away and go back to Uni.

In the past I may have been guilty of being one of those that went along with the whole 'hip hop is dead' ethos but the last few years have seen a resurgence in quality product - mainly, I must say, from the UK - and we appear to be living in our 2nd Golden Age of hip hop.
Overall this EP is a finely-crafted work of hardcore sweat and tears. If Apple made hip hop they'd have a studio on the East Coast of England.


Respect to Inzaine.
© Reepz 2013


For more information:
http://www.rawmanticdisasters.blogspot.co.uk/p/britcore-rawmance.html

http://www.inzainium.com

https://twitter.com/INZAINIUM 

https://soundcloud.com/inzainium

Only 200 copies (full colour sleeve/insert) are available so you don't want to miss out on this slab of hardcore dopeness.

Also, check out the official video below for Rain Dance.

Disco Scratch Radio - DEATHHOP TAKEOVER SPECIAL - TONITE!

It's Thursday.... it's Disco Scratch Day! Tonight at 9pm is a special guest takeover show from Disco Scratch-regular, DEATHHOP. Best believe this will be as hot as Nando's Special Sauce. 2 hours of the finest beats and pieces anywhere on your (internet) radio dial.
Head over to http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio to listen in and get involved with other like-minded b-boys & girls in the chat.

Remember if you want to do a show, either live or pre-recorded, we'd love to hear from you. There's a few more coming soon so holla!

Winamp: http://shoutcast.zfast.co.uk/tunein/discoscr-stream.pls

iTunes: http://shoutcast.zfast.co.uk/tunein/discoscr-stream.pls

VLC Player: http://shoutcast.zfast.co.uk/tunein.php/discoscr/playlist.pls

Windows Media Player: http://shoutcast.zfast.co.uk/tunein/discoscr-stream.asx

Real Player: http://shoutcast.zfast.co.uk/tunein/discoscr-stream.ram

QuickTime: http://shoutcast.zfast.co.uk/tunein/discoscr-stream.qtl

Bash Street Hoods

Who remembers reading The Beano?
I used to, then I was soon a Whizzer & Chips man. Every Saturday my dad would take my brother and I down the local paper shop in Yateley (next to the parade where I'd go and get my early vinyl (Nik Kershaw's The Riddle, Ray Parker Jnr Ghostbusters) over at Simon's Records) and we'd choose our comics and a quarter of Kola Kubes or Sweet Peanuts. And it probably all cost less than a couple of quid I bet. These days if I buy comics and sweets for my kids I'd be very lucky if I get any change out of a tenner.

Ahhhhh, there used to be so much choice! Sweets would take ages to eat and I'd take all day reading about the adventures of Mustapha Million or Shiner. And then what about the Holiday Specials? Those big, bumper editions that came out every summer just in time for the 6-weeks off.
And of course the big Annuals that you'd get for Christmas. I remember one year I was about 11 and I'd discovered where my mum and dad had hidden the 1983 Whizzer & Chips Annual - in one of the cupboards in the kitchen. I carefully carried a chair over to the worktop, climbed up and stood there with the cupboard door open, guffawing as I secretly read a few pages! I did this for a number of mornings before my folks got up but I was the fool though as by the Big Day I'd just about read it all.


All cheers and applause go to the mastery of one Justin Richardson who originally posted this pic up on the Official ABU Facebook Page.   
Love this!

ABU Guesting On The Hip Hop Sessions - TONITE!

Hello all you funky monkeys.
Just a quick word to say that I will be guesting on DJ JUST-1's The Hip Hop Sessions show on Future Radio tonight at 10pm.
I'll be playing some stuff that you will definitely enjoy so why not listen in?

http://futureradio.co.uk

Sublime Wizardry - Best Of The Bunch EP

If you are asked by the almighty Public Enemy to support them at a show then what does that tell you? It tells you that you have been hand-picked by one of the greatest bands (never mind hip hop bands) of the last 1000 years to be worthy of sharing the same stage as them because they like you.
Luckily for Sublime Wizardry they took this as a cue to go all out and proceeded to ensure that Chuck could happily nod his head in the wisdom that he could proceed on stage to a nicely warmed-up, hyped crowd.

To understand the attraction of SW you only need to listen to their latest EP, entitled rather introvertly 'Best Of The Bunch' which should give you a good idea of where they are musically.
Kicking off with an immediate ball-grabber is the wikka-wikka, dj-led All Day Sucker which shows off the deft skills of DJ Tones as he cuts up a storm whilst simultaneously reminding you that the dj IS the heart of hip hop.
Europeans seem to have a strong sense of how to make a tense, moody track when it comes to hip hop (or Br*tc*re) and this is exemplified no more so than on the cut When The Chaos Comes with its' repetitive menacing brass tone hitting you with more excessive force than a copper at a G-20 summit protest.
As long as you're enjoying your hip hop hard then Ironball Throwdown will give you a chubby of gargantuan proportions with a slamming guitar lick wailing over a rock break. There's some great old school samples hidden in the mix and this breaks up the beat nicely.

You'll notice that I haven't made reference to the lyrics yet and that is only because I always check for the music and production in a track first. The Remarkable 1 and The One Native Son can chuck out deep lyrics (Can She Be Heard) or flip the script and rock it on some old school level just as easily.

Sublime Wizardry wear their old school credential on their sleeves and make no effort to conceal the fact that they're not new jacks ("we're bringing back that old school feeling, positive vibes and the hip hop healing"). The overall feeling of this EP is that they can rock it however they want but on their own terms with a sound they can be proud of. It's hardcore, make no mistake but the guitar-samples (Merlin on the production) lend it the mildest whiff of a pop-sounding feel - and that's not meant as put-down. In fact it has the potential to blow up on the charts with it's crossover appeal and no way feel as if it's selling out.

Brighton has always been seen as the more chilled-out version of London - or maybe that's just me - with more of an edge to create music. The work on offer here displays the lads' eclectic tastes in music and is always moving, never wanting to stay put in one fixed style as can be heard from one track to another; funky, old school, hardcore, poignant or party-rocking boom-bapness. Is that the climate? The natural aroma of the soothing sea air? Whatever it is it's a change from the ocean of wanksta gangstas that continue to misappropriate our culture and steer it on boat chartered to the Land Of Shite making it unrecognisable to many of us.

Available now on Show & Prove Records, you should pick this up if you want to stay ahead in the game.

More details:
http://www.sublimewizardry.com/shop-2 Buy! Buy! BUY!
www.facebook/sublimewizardry.com
www.soundcloud/sublimewizardry.com (try before you buy!)
www.twitter/@SublimeWizardry

August 2013 ABU Takeover Show - Download

Here's the August ABU show from the other day.
As expected it was all strictly old school & breaks.

If you didn't catch it live then here it is.......
Thanks as always to everyone for tuning in and supporting.

And, yes.....note to self, never let your guard down.
Don Kiddick.

Download:
http://www.sonicity.co.uk/Resources/DSR135_ABU_Takeover_Show_Aug_2013.mp3

August 2013 ABU Takeover Show - TONITE!

It's the last Thursday of the month and I will be presenting a special show on my ABU Takeover for Disco Scratch Radio tonight celebrating the 40th birthday of hip hop.
Plus last weekend was an event commemorating Wild Style's 30th Anniversary (more details about that to come) so I couldn't let this month slide by without a special mention on the show.

The show begins at 9pm but there will be audio running before that for the earlybirds.

Live stream: http://www.awdio.com/repo136

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

Tonight's Disco Scratch Radio session

Waxer is away for this evening so I will be assisting in providing tonight’s audio entertainment for Disco Scratch Radio.
Be sure to listen in at 9pm as there will be two dj mixes being dropped tonight; both are essential listening for different reasons……
And like Radio Norwich, tonight’s slogan is ‘more music, less talk‘.

Mix 1

DJ Moneyshot Presents Solid Steel And The Hour Of Chaos

Mix 2

To be revealed.........



To listen live go to:
http://www.awdio.com/repo136

and the chatroom is:
http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio

Hip Hop Is 40

Yes, today hip hop is 40 years old - as are most of it's fans these days ;-)

The birthplace of hip hop is generally regarded as 1520 Sedgewick Avenue , the Bronx, New York City. This of course was where Kool Herc held his first party which was to unveil to the world the process of spinning two copies of the same record to create a continuous loop for the dancers (b-boys). This party took place on August 11th 1973.

The "Cindy C" mentioned above as one of the "special guests" is none other than Herc's sister, Cindy who the party was actually organised by.

Some say hip hop is dead. I say they're just not looking hard enough. It's all around us, sometimes not appearing anything like it once was but it's there. The real hip hop will forever remain because we grew up with it and it is such a part of us that it will never die.


Further reading:

This is very recommended. From the Hip Hop & Politics blog
http://hiphopandpolitics.com/2013/08/09/kool-herc-we-are-still-here-on-the-block-as-hip-hop-turns-40-this-weekend/

Crucial 4 - An Honest Album Review

Okay. To begin I am taking off my rose-tinted specs because I want to be as open as possible here. I am not affiliated with Street Sounds in any way whatsoever and was not given a copy of the album for review purposes so this is wholly independant.

So, I recently listened to the whole of Street Sounds' hotly-anticipated CRUCIAL 4 cd.
Beginning with Mantronik's/Mantronix' own Who Is It this has been remixed exclusively for the album ("Crucial Electro 4 Version") with a 'modern-day' hip hop type beat which is thankfully only sporadically used although there is a bit of wobbly bass throughout. Extra razor-sharp edits are employed and being a fan of this technique (hell, I loved it on the first Mantronix album) I enjoyed the use. The main song hasn't really been messed with too much so no drastic changes here.

On the whole, the content of the first disc is great with some of my personal favourites included such as DMX Will Rock (essential), Knights Of The Turntables (brilliant faux-history lesson) and Marley Marl Scratch (a turntablist's delight). In fact the only let-down is the El Bruto's Bankster Edit of Divine Sounds What People Do For Money (the original is also included). The title is indeed correct here in which it is not remixed but rather edited (including some aforementioned razor-sharp edits) and seems a bit out of place in this collection.

Now, the actual Crucial Mix itself. Mixed by the man Kurtis Mantronik with what is suspiciously like a copy of Ableton or similar dj mixing software without a hint of vinyl being manipulated (i.e., scratching).
The trouble with digital dj-ing is that if you're not careful you can put together a mix with unnecessary embellishments and become over-reliant on technology thus making you become lazy. With the previous Crucial albums there was an onus on mixing - creatively - and what is happening here is that Kurtis is using looping, filters and other effects a lot more than is needed. However it is 2013 and as technology has moved on then perhaps then so has the need for this type of mixing.
There are some odd pieces in this mix it must be said, the first being a very strange edit in which Knights Of The Turntables mixes in out of Marley Marl Scratch where MC Shan is actually cut off mid-sentence which comes across as very amateur. There's a terrible part in Monster Beat where the tempo increases like an out of control runaway train - I didn't know how fast it was going to get but it sure as hell wasn't subtle. And then after yet more unnecessary looping in the mix it segues into the oddly-edited (by Chad Jackson) yet totally appropriately-titled Looking For The Perfect Beat which is only 4 BPMs slower than it's original 119 yet feels tortuously stretched - probably as a result of hearing the previously 'chipmonked' track.

Crucial 3 (1987)

I can't help but think of the beauty and jaw-dropping inventiveness of my favourite Crucial in the series, volume 3 from 1987. The segue from Alice I Want You Just For Me into Can You Feel It? Bassline into Bite This and then Megamix II? Or how about Hold It Now, Hit It into South Bronx where it seems that KRS is commenting on (the late) MCA?
Now that is some genius mixing courtesy of Mastermind on the GLI.

I don't want to come off as a Street Sounds hater here because that's not the point. But when you are kept waiting for much longer than is necessary for a proposed release (floods in Europe?) and then finally get to listen to what is quite frankly a poorly-executed mix by someone who has (had?) the intuition to know better. Considering there are probably hundreds of people who would've loved to have had a crack at doing this Crucial Mix I wonder what went wrong?

Of course you could never have EVERY track included on this album to please EVERYONE but from what is here I am happy with (re-edits notwithstanding).

So to conclude, hardly the "groundbreaking" album we were expecting as far as mixing goes. A pale imitation of its' namesake mates and probably best not to put it in such classic company. This album reminds me of an Electro album SS put out almost ten years ago entitled The Definitive Electro & Hip Hop Collection' which although had a great selection also had a rather dodgy mix. However that mix was still better than this even though it was done by an ex-Kiss FM RnB dj.

One has to ask though was this album necessary? When put up against the three other volumes it cannot compete. Was it strictly for the 'fans', the ones who blindly follow SS regardless of it's quality who command a freakishly god-like devotion to the cultish Mr Khan?

Maybe next time some more stringent quality-control wouldn't go amiss to make it a return to how essential and crucial listening these albums actually were.




Further reading:

Street Sounds Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/streetsounds/

Discogs Crucial 4 reviews
http://www.discogs.com/reviews?release=4729400

Style Wars on the Big Screen

I received a nice email from Cynthia who runs OpineLA, a 'what's on' blog for anyone wishing to visit the city of Los Angeles. She linked me to a story she'd written in that LA had recently had a

big-screen showing of the documentary with a panel led by Catherine Keener (a key fund-raiser for the restoration project) comprising of various people including Henry Chalfont and also SKEME.

Sounds good, right?
Imagine you'd never seen Style Wars before and this was your first time. Yep, this was Cynthia.
Talk about a wonderful opportunity! She says she absolutely loved it - the lines, the people (Skeme & his mother!), the fans, the whole spectacle.
She was originally switched on via my home-made SW Soundtrack which can be found here.

To read the whole article on OpineLA just visit this link here and get ready to feel a little jealous.

ABU July Podcast 2013

Yes, it's the summer shutdown but I went ahead anyway with the end-of-month ABU show last week. Albeit in a live style and fashion.

This month there's a selection of West Coast electro, East Coast boom bap, hip hop beats, smooth funk and rough as arseholes funk, a bit of BBC Radio 2-influence going on for good measure (haha).

Enjoy!

July 2013 ABU Live Podcast

Tracklisting is below in the Comments.

Grange Hill Kicks

Just found this scan I did last year. It's from my Grange Hill Annual (1985, I think...).
Look at those prices..... I wish.

Graffiti Rock 30th Anniversary Campaign

 Can you believe it - 30 years?

This piece of video history should be as revered in the hip hop connoisseur's dvd collection as much as say, Wild Style or Beat Street.
This was a great attempt at creating the world's first hip hop television show and featured such stars as Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee and Special K of The Treacherous Three, The New York City Breakers showing their carefully constructed moves as well as many others in the scene.

To commemorate this milestone, show creator Michael Holman wants to re-release a beautifully remastered version including a full-length documentary; Graffiti Rock: The Untold Story. There will also be many behind the scenes paraphernalia, photos, interviews, articles, press releases that until now have been locked away from the public.

The way this is all to be achieved lies with us - the good people of this culture. Michael wants to obtain a specific amount of cash to make this work - $50,000 to be exact - and he is doing this by creating a 'Kickstarter' campaign.
Go to the Kickstarter page here and you will see all the details of what will be yours if you contribute to this fantastic cause. Anything from a special Graffiti Rock postcard sent straight to you up to obtaining 'Executive Producer' status with your name in the credits including private dinner, personally signed special edition 7" vinyl by Kool Moe Dee and much more.



The way I see this is that $50,000 is pretty small potatoes when you're a big-name rap star such as Jay Z so he could peel off a couple of notes and make it happen in an instant.
The way these Kickstarter campaigns work is that they have only a specific amount of time to run before they end. At the moment there is only 8 days left to raise another 30k. Will it happen? I really hope it does.

Mike Allen Design Homage

Big thanks to Steve who sent these to me "in honour of Mike".

Beat Street 'SPIT' T-shirt Design from Style Warrior

There's a new tee on offer from the wonderful Style Warrior.

This UK brand as you should know is headed by Martin 'LG' Lovegrove who has been putting in work for a number of years now and continually puts out some great stuff.
The latest one is a nice throwback to the still-watchable Beat Street movie from 1984 and has that SW twist. Damn, lousy SPIT!

Available in either white or green and in a range of sizes to suit all, head over to the website here and order yours now - they are always in limited quantities and once they're gone, they're gone.

And speaking of LG, check out his great interview on the HBA Music Archeology Show (#61) where he plays some cool tunes and talks of the early days, Electro 7, his dear old mum, 4our Pillars and Mr Soft. Not to be missed.

Pour One For My Homie

I learned the sad news earlier that fellow Blogger and mix-maestro supremo, WARZ, is now bowing out of the scene.
After leaving an indelible mark ON society with his brilliant Style Warriorz Revenge blog and subsequently his already legendary Takeover shows on Disco Scratch Radio, he is dipping out of the blogosphere and silently drifting off into the sunset.

Reading between the lines I think that this is just the end of the line for the name WARZ and no doubt we will see him return under a new guise in the hopefully not too distant future. Hopefully.

I have grabbed a few gems from SWR (Shadow, battle breaks....etc..) over time and truly cherish these. Thank you for bringing these for us all.

Keep in touch, homie.

Reepz

My personalised burner by WARZ

Style Warrior Tee - Hammerite

Mr LG has a new design up for your vote on his Style Warrior site.
As you can see it's along the same lines as his previous CarPlan t-shirts in that again this design is strictly for the old UK graf heads.

For more details visit http://stylewarrioruk.wordpress.com/2013/06/20/vote-smooth-hammerite/ and vote for it to get it in to production. It'll cost you approximately the same as a couple of issues of Viz Comic, a few beers and one deluxe Planet Poppadum takeaway. Probably.


Nb, don't forget that LG will be doing another of his Takeover shows on Disco Scratch Radio NEXT Thursday (11th July).

WARZ is Back On Disco Scratch Radio This Week

It's true to say that when Style Warriorz Revenge's own WARZ first appeared on Disco Scratch Radio with his initial Takeover show things did tend to get a bit out of hand.
We, the audience, were pretty much gob-smacked into a sense of surprise and wide-eyed amazement as the manic introduction got under way. And that was just the beginning.
Now I'm not saying that WARZ has a lot to live up to, but he DID set the barometer higher than Snoop Dogg at an All-U-Can Eat Chronic Outlet.

This Thursday, people. You know the score, 9pm - 11pm.
And be there in the chat to witness the fitness of m'man, WARZ.

http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio 

Beattrix - Take It Back to Bring It Forward Album Review

Now. I must explain that I don't review albums very often and that is down to either laziness, bad product or laziness. My inbox groans from idiots sending me links to their latest album which not only sounds like a whiny-voiced twat-monkey rapping over beats produced by his cat but the fact that most of the time I can only hear 'samples' and not the full thing.
You must understand that this blog is for people that appreciate the old school of hip hop and the entire ethos of that culture. So don't send me albums, or rather links to an album that barely contains any element of music that I would even consider 'hip hop'. I'm old and cranky and have no wish to start becoming a fan of you if you don't even have one track that contains a dj scratch.

So, with that initial rant over I can get on with this. The new album Take It Back to Bring It Forward by Beattrix.
First off, this is a proper album. What I mean by "proper" is that it is not a 'mix album' nor is it some cheaply-made piece of tat (although there can be gems in tat) but in fact is a talent-filled slab of 14 tracks-worth of dopeness with a plethora of emcees on hand to give emphasis to the beats.

Boom-bap is the name of the game with each cut designed to keep you either nodding heads, wriggling toes or spazzing-out over beat-driven goodies such as the Mykes-collab Spin That Wax or the solo Fun Times with its' horn-led percussive b-boy beat.

Whilst listening to this album I was really feeling the production. Take a track such as Look Around which features Mykes again on vocals and the layered samples begin to take on a life of their own, from the Quest vocal snatch to the bluesy harmonica tone that provides the chorus.
In all begins however with the intro track which is Beattrix himself demonstrating his scratch and beat skills with a Tricky Tee rhythm and copious amounts of samples stacked on top to show us in the age-old and always mesmerising manner of a hip hop dj why props should be given with a quickness.

Whenever I listen to a song it is always the beat that catches my attention first with the lyrics being second place. Always has been. So that's why Take It Back to Bring It Forward is such a nice listening experience, whether it's the party groove of Can't Do It Like Me or the proper funky breaks in Lines You Walk.

The track Verbal Diarrhoea seems to have been cooked up in the grand groove oven and served hot and smoking on a plate accompanied by funky potatoes and veg with assorted soul food filling up the remainder. Anyone with an interest in those DJ Format / Abdominal collabs would do worse than to check this cut out.

Overall, a solid album with emphasis on the beats and a nice choice of vocalists.
It's from the UK, it was mastered by No Sleep Nigel, it's dope and it's available on iTunes for under a fiver so nip over there and get yourself a copy!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/take-it-back-to-bring-it-forward/id374103444

ABU Podcast #31 June 2013

So here is the ABU Podcast for June 2013 and it's number 31 for all the collectors out there!
Listen to it right here or right-click and save it for later.
Tracklisting as ever, is in the Comments below.

The live Disco Scratch shows are now over for the summer but there are plenty of Takeover shows to come in the meantime. This Thursday (4th July) is the very welcome return of Warz. If you heard his initial Takeover recently then this needs no introduction. All you need to know is that this boy knows his stuff and is a fiend on the edits - my kinda style!
The following week (11th July) sees LG in the mix. He had a really great Library Breaks & Beats show last time so really looking forward to anything he provides.
Then after that I will be doing a live show (18th) and who knows what happens in the coming weeks..... we shall have to wait and see.


www.sonicity.co.uk/Resources/31_Ageing_B-Boys_Unite!_Podcast_-_ABU!_DS_Takeover_Show_(DSR127)_June_2013.mp3

Summer Madness 2013 - TOMORROW!

Right then, are we all set for tomorrow?

Don't forget wristbands and your drink(s) of choice. There'll be a couple of big ice buckets to deposit your booze to keep it cool.
For the Sat-Nav enthusiasts, punch in the postcode which is CT10 2JJ. The original '3 The Hard Way' banner will be placed up at the front gate so you will know where to go.
Thinking caps on as the official Summer Madness Pub Quiz will be in E.F.F.E.C.T.
Also the Rapaoke & Scratchaoke will be in session so think what tracks you might want to show your skills at.
And remember as we said, it's a family affair so leave your Nines at home and bring your refills to the battle (BBQ).
Get your kids on the decks playing a variety of tunes in the afternoon - although the management reserve the right not to allow any moody dubstep.

It's almost time!

 

 

Summer Madness THIS SATURDAY!

That's right, there's just THREE days to go until the inaugural ABU & Disco Scratch summer bash which is taking place in Broadstairs, Kent.

It's just a tenner a ticket which will give you access to home-cooked, fresh from the butcher, lovingly-BBQ-ed, majestic grub, luscious surroundings, similar-minded hip hop folks, the ultimate no-attitude time to be had by all.
Their is a trampoline and waterslide for the younger ones and don't forget about the hip hop quiz - names will be picked out of a hat to ensure fairness.
And of course the music. Your kids are encouraged to either bring records of their own or we can check our vast ABU/DS library if you prefer to pick out tracks.
Their will be Rapaoke and Scratchaoke games to participate in. Exercise your mic or finger skills and win the adoration of the crowd!

TICKETS ARE ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL THE END OF THIS WEEK'S DISCO SCRATCH RADIO SHOW.
That means that 11pm Thursday 20th June will be your very last chance to get your ticket.
Both myself and Waxer would really love to see as many of you as possible here.

And to those who have already bought their tickets.....see you there!

Ticket Choices:

Single Ticket (One Adult or O) £10.00 GBP Family Ticket (2 Adults + Kids) £30.00 GBP One Adult & One Child £15.00 GBP

We pride ourselves on being by the people for the people. This event is for you and others like you. It is by no means a money-making venture (unlike certain other events happening at a similar date being led by a charismatic, cult leader with a horde of brainwashed followers!)

This Saturday... No Half Steppin' (June 2013)

The 3rd Saturday of the month is always No Half Steppin' night @ The Rumsey Wells, Norwich.

This month features a DJ Battle which will be interesting. Not a scratch DJ affair but just a bit of fun featuring previous dj's bringing their 5 best records with them.

Kicks off at 8pm, don't be late!

Super JB's Great Electro Mix

Heard this nicely-blended mix of classic and not so run-of-the-mill tracks form the Electro era by SUPER JB (of Norwich's Force 10 crew) just the other day.
It's not a long mix and clocks in at just a little over 30 minutes but manages to keep all cylinders firing along nicely.

Online Patti Astor Interview

Here's a really great view into the world of ABU's own 'Auntie' Patti 'A'.
For anyone who hasn't read her book 'Fun Gallery... The True Story' (which can be purchased HERE) this is an interesting insight into her world and what she's up to now - she lives in a trailer park on the beach in California.
She even has some nice words to say about her latest online fans!

Read the interview here

My Facebook profile pic on left

This Thursday - Lovegrove's Library Special on Disco Scratch!

It's all change on Disco Scratch Radio again this week.
This Thursday (30th May) there will be no ABU Podcast due to technical issues. However LG has stepped in to save the day with a 2-hour selection of breaks & beats & bobs.
Tune into Disco Scratch Radio at 9pm for what I can guarantee will be a unique listening experience!

To listen, go to LG's Awdio page here.

Scroll down the main radio page for the chatroom.

ABU Podcast #30 (DSR118) April 2013

Better late than never.... here is the link to last month's ABU Podcast if you didn't catch it live.
This month features a Book Review of Patti Astor's 'Fun Gallery - The True Story' conducted by myself & Waxer. Also an EXCLUSIVE play of Agent Finch & Specifik Ft. Whirlwind D's brand new 'Broadway'.
Brap.

01  MC Lyte - Lyte As A Rock
02  Big Daddy Kane - Raw (Remix)
03  Rola - Big Beat
04  UTFO - The Real Roxanne
05  DJ Shadow - Walkie Talkie
06  LL Cool J - Eat Em Up L Chill
07  Boogie Down Productions - I'm Still #1 (Numero Uno Re-Recording)
08  Funkdoobiest - The Funkiest
09  Das EFX - Mic Checka (Remix)
10  Gaston & Purcell - Mr Handman
11  Sanny X - Splashdown
12  Dream Warriors Ft Gang Starr - I Lost my Ignorance

Album Spotlight - Brand New Heavies - Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol 1 (1992) Requested by LG
13  Bonafied Funk (Feat. Main Source)
14  Death Threat (Feat. Kool G. Rap)

Book Review
(Patti's Choices)
15  Dooley-O - What You Know About Hip Hop
16  Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
17  Chrome - You Know Who I Am (DSR Exclusive Version)

WORLD EXCLUSIVE FIRST-PLAY
18  Agent Finch & Specifik Ft Whirlwind D - Broadway

The Funk Trunk
19  Fatback Band - Keep On Steppin'
20  The Meters - Little Old Money Maker

21  World Class Wreckin' Cru - World Class
22  Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Gals II (Remix)

Roots Of The Roots
23 The Specials - Too Much Too Young

24  UMC's - Blue Cheese


Download the show:
http://www.mediafire.com/?drkjm8czp4vjdd0