Show #59 ABU Podcast April 2016 - TONITE!

We're back to burn from 9pm tonight on http://discoscratch.co.uk/

Jump on it!

The Making of A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders Album Cover

http://www.egotripland.com/uncovered-tribe-called-quest-midnight-marauders-cover-art-director-nick-gamma/
Quest fans lookee here.
Fantastic article on the making of the Midnight Marauders iconic album cover.

N.b. Don't nobody mention this to Prince Paul though.

THE HIP HOP SESSIONS - PHIFE TRIBUTE SHOW DOWNLOAD

The Hip Hop Sessions On Future Radio - REPO136 Ageing B-Boys Unite Guest DJ (April 2016) Phife Tribute by repo136 on hearthis.at

Last week I guested on The Hip Hop Sessions radio show with JUST-1 and we delivered a 2-hour tribute to Phife Dawg and A Tribe Called Quest.
It was an absolute pleasure to play some of my favourite records over the last 25+ years and I hope you enjoy/ed it.
Two hours of Tribe cuts plus a few breaks that were used throughout their back catalogue, too

The actual stream is here https://hearthis.at/repo136/03-the-hip-hop-sessions-on-future-radio-repo136-ageing-b-boys-unite-guest-dj-april-2016-phife-tribute/YEj/ if you prefer it like that.

We took it in turns to play a small selection of Quest records each.
Here's the way it went down......

The Hip Hop Sessions - PHIFE TRIBUTE SHOW
Tuesday 05 April 2016

Check The Rhime (instrumental)

JUST-1
01 Push It Along
02 Eugene McDaniels - Jagger The Dagger
03 Electric Relaxation
04 Infamous Date Rape
05 Roy Ayers - Feel Like Making Love
06 Keep It Rolling

REPO
 07 Earth, Wind & Fire - Brazillian Rhyme
08 Bonita Applebum (Why Remix)
09 We Can Get Down
10 Kool & The Gang - Who's Gonna Take The Weight
11 Pubic Enemy (remix)

Jazz Re-Recording (instrumental)

JUST-1
 12 Jazz (We've Got)
13 Can I Kick It?
14 Diamond D - Pain And Strife
15 Grant Green - Down Here On The Ground
16 1nce Again
17 Stepping It Up

REPO
 18 Cal Tjader - Aquarius
19 Description On A Fool
20 Lou Donaldson - Pot Belly
21 If The Papes Come (Remix)
22 The Hop

Midnight (Instrumental)

JUST-1
 23 The Chase Pt 2
24 Gary Bartz - Gentle Smiles
25 Butter
26 Find A Way
27 Scenario
28 Lyrics To Go
29 Bill Cosby - Martin's Funeral

REPO
 30 Buggin' Out
31 Award Tour
32 Oh My God
33 Check the Rhime
34 Reuben Wilson's - Inner City Blues

Raising Of The Bridge

Ladies and gents, it seems that something quite exciting is happening in the rap world.

We are all veterans of the infamous 'Bridge Wars' between MC Shan and Boogie Down Productions, yes? Well, MC Shan has never really put that particular beef to bed and instead has been brooding on it over the last (almost) 30 years.

In an interview with UGS Radio, Shan explains that he is hungry to continue their feud which began in 1985 with the track, 'The Bridge' which was produced by Marley Marl where Shan was misinterpreted as saying that Queensbridge was where hip hop began:

You love to hear the story, again and again,

Of how it all got started way back when,

The monument is right in your face,

Sit and listen for a while to the name of the place,

The Bridge,

Queensbridge

This of course started off a whole creative period of dis/answer-back records (which wasn't exclusively between BDP and Shan) and provided an unforgettable era during hip hop's Golden Age.
The funny thing is though that this whole beef began over the fact that an early record (12:41 'Success Is The Word') involving KRS and Scott La Rock was dissed by Mister Magic. They then released 'South Bronx' which was aimed primarily at Magic.

Recently though on this UGS Radio segment you can hear Shan continuing his bitterness and shoots some prepared lyrics at Kris:



Not surprisingly, KRS heard this and has recently delivered a great response, 'S.H.A.N. Still Huggin' A Nut', below:



Now, I don't know about you but this just injected a much-needed shot into the arm of rap and I for one cannot wait to hear Shan's response. The kid in me is secretly hoping that the old Juice Crew come out of semi-retirement and bring their skills to the battle.

Adult Rappers Documentary

Adult Rappers - Trailer from Fandependent Films on Vimeo.


This indie-doc, Adult Rappers (2015), is a real eye-opener into the behind-the-scenes of guys who we mostly think of as having it all in the world of hip hop really are just like you and me. And maybe even doing worse than some of us.
All the artists here speak candidly about their early lives coming into the scene, influences, first songs..etc.. then begin chatting about what life is when they are on the road - which can sometimes be just playing to only four people at a club. Most of them have regular day jobs and do their music as a sideline or a hobby.
We see people such as RA The Rugged Man, Master Ace, Jarobi as well as others many maybe not as recognisable happily speaking to the camera and above all they all come across as just normal people.

J-Zone's experiences are particularly sobering where he talks of being in front of an audience; the total whom can be counted on one hand, and vows there and then that he will never go onstage again.

A lot of questions are raised regarding the validity of the profession especially when the culture is mostly seen as something for the younger generation. Evidence (of Dilated Peoples) asks, "You can keep rappin' but how long is someone else gonna pay attention?". Food for thought, indeed.


If you want to see the full doc then click here as it won't embed on the blog.

East Meets West!

A to the muthaf**kin' D!

Today our Oz fam and ultimate Wild Style enthusiast, Boogie Down Under's Dayle met the Queen herself, Patti 'A' in person.
He's currently on his family vacation and managed to slip over to Cali en route from San Diego to meet up with Patti.
Pictured above wearing homemade tees (made by Dayle) in that classic old hip hop typeface. Dope!

If you are on Facebook you may wish to view Dayle's group, The Wild Style Vault which is filled with collectors' items and rare artifacts from the film.

See also: http://repo136.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-holy-grail-of-wild-style.html

Hip Hop Deaths

Hip hop began in some of the roughest and poorest communities and violence has always gone hand in hand with it. Some artists have used this factor as a way of promoting their art which has sadly continued this progressive downward spiral and even glamorised it.
Therefore it is no surprise to learn that some members of the hip hop community have met a grisly demise as you will learn in this link.

http://theyreminisce.blogspot.co.uk/

A simple trip to Google with a name on this list can lead you to further information; some of which you'll soon realise make you wish you hadn't tried being Columbo (Buck 4 & Kuriaki, for instance) so beware.

Big shout to 'The Big Sleep' from Diggers With Gratitude for running this blog.

THE HIP HOP SESSIONS - PHIFE TRIBUTE SHOW

The hip hop world is still remembering the late Five Foot Assassin, Phife Dawg aka Malik Taylor who sadly passed away recently (22/02/16) aged only 45.
This was poignant to me in a number of ways, least of all because I am approaching the same age as he was.
Tribe were and will always be my favourite hip hop group because they encapsulated an energy that few ever did in the genre. Q-Tip sums up what they were totally all about in one short line from the song We Can Get Down when he says, "With a kick, snare, kicks and high hat, skilled in the trade of that old boom bap".
The smooth jazz samples accentuated with a crisp drum track were the trademarks of the group who didn't feel the need to change with the times when more rough and ready 'street rhymes' ('Gangsta Rap') was fast becoming the norm. Tribe stayed funky and sailed the waves of mediocrity with their phat flow.

Tonight I am in the studio with DJ JUST-1 and together we will be paying tribute to the sounds of A Tribe Called Quest on The Hip Hop Sessions. I hope you can join us.

http://futureradio.co.uk/ from 10pm Tuesday 5th April.

DJ Jorun Bombay - Funkbox Reload - Spring 2016 Edition

Here's the latest Funkbox Reload from Jorun Bombay.
Always well-produced shows these with great song selections throughout.
The competition prize of 'The Cypherny' 7" sounds fantastic although it's now too late to win it.
And personally I couldn't care less if the show used vinyl, Serato or laserdiscs. It's the end result that counts.

Download The ABU Podcast with DJ FORMAT

58 Ageing B-Boys Unite! Podcast - ABU! DS Takeover Show March 2016 - DJ FORMAT SPECIAL by repo136 on hearthis.at

The chatroom was crack-a-lackin', everybody was breakin', the highs were kickin' and the place was shakin' as this month's ABU! Podcast finally hit the airwaves last Thursday evening. If you missed it on need that all-important reeeeewind then here ya go, Swivel-Hips.

DJ Format was an absolute joy to speak to and answered everything I had in much more detail than I even anticipated. If you're not too clued-up on this Brighton resident - who has undeniably more DJ skills than fellow neighbour, Fatboy Slim - then take note.

In the spirit of the British tabloids' showbiz section, here are 20 fun facts that you never knew about Format!*
May not actually be 20.
May also be slightly fabricated.

1. DJ Format's real name is Matt Ford which is almost the same thing! Amazing!
2. He was born in Southampton but his love of nude sunbathing led him to reside within the plentiful, naked-friendly beaches of sunny Brighton. Brilliant!
3. He contributed to the ground-breaking turntablism series, The Return Of The DJ with the cut 'n' paste track, Vinyl Overdose for volume 2 in 1997. Breathtaking!
4. Due to a lifetime of working out BPMs whilst DJ-ing, Format can no longer count higher than the number '8' and therefore needs a calculator on his person at all times. Astonishing!
5. He opened for DJ Shadow during his nationwide tour of the UK in 2002. However Shadow stole all the blue Smarties from Format's dressing room whilst in Skegness and sadly now the pair only communicate to each other via hidden messages in The Times crossword. Startling!
6. Format has worked with a host of US MCs such as Abdominal, Sureshot La Rock, Edan and Chali 2na and Akil of Jurassic 5. Mind-blowing!
7. Whilst Format continues to makes 'new' music he also reaches back into the past and dips from hip hop's rich musical history creating a sound fondly referred to as 'Throwback Rap'. Stupendous!
8. A keen beatboxer, Format perfected his craft during his nightshifts at Southampton's oldest retailer, 'Carpets, Carpets, Carpets' where he would provide a percussive backing to the Radio 4 Shipping Forecast. Awesome!

A big shout to Dan at xx for his help and please check out this link to win tickets to see DJ Format spinning at the Funk The Family Festival 28th May.


Tracklisting below:

01  Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett - Oddball (Synthesizer And Percussion, 1974)
02  DJ Format - B-Boy Code, Pt. 2 (Ft. Fatski) (Music for the Mature B-Boy, 2003)
03  DJ Format - Stealin James Part 1 (12", 2007)
04  Audio Two - Top Billin' (instrumental) (What More Can I Say?, 1988)
05  Jacek Lech & Piotr Figiel Ensemble - Miłość Niekochana (Bądź Szczęśliwa, 1974)
06  2 Live Crew - Trow The D (2 Live Is What We Are, 1986)
07  Simon Harris - 100BPM (808) (Beats, Breaks & Scratches Vol 01, 1987)
08  Demon Boyz - Northside (Recognition, 1988)
09  DJ Format - Horse Power (Statement Of Intent, 2012)
10  DJ Shadow - Lesson 4 (B-side to Lifers Group‎ - Real Deal 12", 1991)
11  Beyond There - The Positive Step (The Return Of The DJ Vol 2, 1997)
12  EPMD - D.J. K La Boss (Strictly Business, 1988)
13  DJ Format - Kool Is Back (7", 2015)
14  DJ Format - The Turning Point (If You Can't Join 'Em...Beat 'Em, 2005)
15  Claude Denjean - Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (Moog! Moog! Claude Denjean and the Moog Synthesizer, 1970)
16  James Brown & The Famous Flames - Bring It Up (The Unbeatable James Brown, 1967)
17  DJ Format - Here Comes the Fuzz (Music for the Mature B-Boy, 2003)
18  Big Jullien and His All Star - Talk (Riviera Sound N° 1, 1970)
19  DJ Format - The Long Goodbye (feat. The Nostalgia 77 Quintet) (Statement Of Intent, 2012)
20  DJ Format - Mayor Of A Ghost Town (Statement Of Intent, 2012)
21  DJ Format - Spaceship Earth (feat. Edan) (Statement Of Intent, 2012)
22  Malta Bums - Mister DJ (7", 1973)
23  DJ Format - Vinyl Overdose (The Return Of The DJ Vol 2, 1997)
24  DJ Jeff - Change the Scratch (The Return Of The DJ Vol 2, 1997)
25  DJ Format -  Kool & The Gangstarr Generation (7", 2015)
26  The Simonsound - Baker's Dozen (Reverse Engineering, 2010)
27  The Simonsound - It's Just Begun (Reverse Engineering, 2010)
28  Virgin Stigma - Now You're Gone (I'm a Man) Groupie Girl OST Polydor (1970)
29  Drugs Beats - The Worm (House Shoes & Street Corner Music Present: The Gift Vol. 10, 2015)
29  Mr. DJ (feat. Sureshot La Rock) (Statement Of Intent, 2012)