The Annual No Half Steppin' Xmas Jam 2017

It's the return of the annual No Half Steppin' Xmas Jam live from Norwich tonight.
These always get rammed with plenty of ageing, balding, b-boys throwing their stuff down on the dancefloor whilst the acts do their thang and the DJs provide the soundtrack.

The usual suspects are on offer this evening and I'm looking forward to Waxer and I combining our forces working together as the Dynamic Duo of discs behind the wheels of steel and playing a great selection of 'knees-up hip-hop'.

Free entry as always. Kicks off at 7pm.
Sat-Nav enthusiasts, this is for you; The Rumsey Wells Pub, NR2 4AF.

Hip Hop Connection Magazine - Issues #5 & #6

In Full Effect! Bus' Dis!
Here we go in our continuing saga of digitizing the past with the next next two issues of Hip Hop Connection magazine - issues #5 & #6 from June & July 1989.

More articles focussing in on the who's who of hip-hop of the day (Big Daddy Kane, Lakim Shabazz, Monie Love, Ultramagnetic MCs) and a spotlight on some of the lesser-known acts, too (MC Einstein, Kiss AMC, Prince Lover Dalu, London Rhyme Syndicate).
July's edition has a graffiti special as it covers the Bridlington International Street Art competition with artists from all over Europe.

The sections I'm most interested in though are the Letters and the Connections pages. It's interesting reading some of the names and finding people I now know.
Talking of which, Issue #6's Connections has a certain Mancunian from a certain Mancunian group who had a vinyl release of their album as recent as last year (on Style Warrior Records)
Download issue #5
Download issue #6

Japanese Kold Sweat Tee

The LOVEGROVE designhouse is powering ahead and definitely Right & Exact lately.
There seems to be a brand new idea making it's way to fruition almost every week these days and it's never a duff one either.

Up for grabs at the moment is this excellent riff on the classic UK rap label, Kold Sweat but given a Japanese twist.
As always they're always only available for a brief time so if you want one then Put Your Brain In Gear and go to this link: https://everpress.com/kold-sweat-japanese-version
You're Borderin' Insanity if you miss out of this and you'll be Living In The Land Of The Lost so go now and get it.

Sumthin For The Regulars

This is a little freebie but strictly for the Blog Crew - those of you who visit diligently even though the posts these days are sadly thin on the ground. Yes, something for those who don't frequent Facebook and instead insist on keeping that time-sucking banality out of their lives - though I can hardly talk.

Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Graffiti was originally published way back in 1984 and never received the distribution it should have. Less sales meant that the book subsequently became sought-after and now goes for such astronomical prices as up to £350.

Thanks to the age of digital everyone can now have a chance to read it - well, just you select few, not that Facebook or Twitter rabble, yeah?

PDF version
https://www.mediafire.com/file/a9wmmo0sxfc7qgw/SH_HH.pdf

Epub Version
http://www.mediafire.com/file/88b6mwfkr9dupnb/Hip_Hop.epub

Halloween Podcast Flashback!

If you've never heard the infamous 2011 ABU Halloween Podcast then you're in for a ghoulish treat!

Get your lugs around the 13th episode.
Best experienced with snug headphones in a darkened room preferably with a roasting fire.

67 ABU Show October 2017

We're back! 
This Thursday sees the return of the ABU Podcast.
And not only that but we're being broadcast back on Disco Scratch Radio.
It's like old times!
Join us tomorrow for two hours for classic and new hip-hop, electro and funky breaks and a goodie bag full of other tasty treats that you will not hear on any other generic 'rap music' radio show.

Listen here from 9pm for the show.
In fact, you tune in to Disco Scratch Radio at any time now as the music runs 24/7.
Whenever you need a good hit of some hip-hop dopeness just go to DSR.
N.b. Go to the site NOW to find which of the audio links works best for you.

If you can't make i on Thursday then the link to stream/download the show will appear below as if by magic.....

Things to look out out for this month:

• Two songs from the 'Oi, That Ain't Hip-Hop' Dept
• An alarmingly-quick pitch-bend during a mix
• A hipster with a very envious 'vinyls" collection
• And of course, The Legendary ABU Guff Sound

ABU 67 Coming Soon

Oh yeah.....this.
Coming soon......

The Man Who Forgot He Was a Rap Legend

Think about the older generation of rappers. How many can you name that are living the lifestyle they once wished they had in their rhymes? Not many is it?
There seems to be this thing in hip hop that the younger ones don't seem to pay homage to the masters which is completely contrary in other music genres such as rock where it's seen as almost a rite of passage that you must know about those who came first.

One such artist from the old school seemed to disappear off our collective radar years ago in the mid-1980s after a modest career rhyming over the top of maverick producer, Mantronik's futuristic hip-hop beats.

T La Rock was a very affable type of guy with a commanding voice and complex rhymes for years and then...? Where did he go?
I must confess that I had no idea until I read this piece. And while very shocking it is also a great life-affirming piece of journalism which has given me even more respect to the man, Tee Elle Ay Ara Oh See Kay.

https://www.gq.com/story/the-man-who-forgot-he-was-a-rapper

A Stable Sound Episode 8: The Nautilus Special

Bob James' Nautilus is one of hip hop's best jazz-funk steals. It seems you cannot go wrong with this song whenever you try to sample it. It oozes the funk with it soft Rhodes keys throughout and then when the drums do their thing just raises to another level. Any part of it can be sampled and sound good.

Cut Chemist is certainly one of the song's better fans and here is his Stable Sound Podcast which highlights Nautilus and brings together the many artists that have flipped it including Eric B. & Rakim, Jeru The Damaja, Onyx, A Tribe Called Quest and more.



https://www.mixcloud.com/Cut_Chemist/the-nautilus-special/

Albee Square Mall t-shirt

A name that's synonymous with late 80s NY hip hop is the Albee Square Mall - the Downtown Brooklyn shopping centre that was a meeting place and hangout spot for many youths.
Biz Markie even made an ode to his favourite retail spot on his first album, Goin' Off.

This very exclusive design (by LG) is available as a tee, hoodie or sweatshirt. However time is limited and you'll need to get your orders in by 28th Oct.

Another sureshot design from Lovegrove I'm sure you'll agree.
For more details go here but do it quickly.

Record Reviews - September 2017

We've decided to welcome hip-hop in 2017 here at Ageing B-Boys and begin reviewing what passes for rap out there in the contemporary world. No more hiding in the Golden Age. No longer will we snuggle our Street Sound Electro albums to our bosom whilst curled-up in bed at night.
It is time to embrace and face modern day hip-hop, like it or not.

That said, the reviews may consist of any new material sent either digitally (to ageingbboysunite@yahoo.com) or whatever I find in a charity shop. Whatever it is, it's all good - or in some cases, bad.

This is the start of a new monthly feature and in September's Record Review (I will try to think of a more snappy title in future) we'll be having a look at the following:
Whirlwind D - Falling EP
Deuce Ellis - An Electric Ride
DJ Supreme ft. Ice-T & The Icepick - Arctic II
ExP - RemarkableUnremarkable
The Shift - Boogie Down Under - Volume 1: An Australian Hip Hop Electro Funk Mixtape
DJ Jazzy Jeff Will Smith - Get Lit
Teenburger - I'm Gonna / We Never

Who? ExP
What? RemarkableUnremarkable (Album: Vinyl, CD, MP3)
Where Can I Find This? https://experimentality.bandcamp.com/album/remarkableunremarkable
Well, What's It Like?

Immediately this is a breath of fresh air with the feeling of honestly-written, from the heart lyrics.
Ben “ExP” Goodwin has a knack of spewing forth life-affirming, catchy hooks in this collection of tracks - originally KickStarted last year. He certainly seems like someone who likes to oversee his own projects at every opportunity having written, produced, recorded and mixed the whole album.
ExP's voice will sound familiar to some as he's also part of Tough Crowd. I find this sound very soothing being that he's from 'Up North' as the majority of UK rap seems to be spoken as if you're from the inner suburbs of Greater London. Also it reminds me of my sojourn of living in Yorkshire as a lad.
The beats while not being a groundbreaking, Large Professor-type affair are perfectly suited to the mainly affable, positive content.
Regular listeners to the Disco Scratch or Digging 4 Victory radio shows may well have heard a selection of these played by Martin Lovegrove. Speaking of which, Mr LG provided the wonderful artwork on this release.
Overall, a very pleasant listening experience that'll leave you feeling good. The love, sweat and tears can be felt abundantly throughout the album.
Available digitally and on gatefold vinyl and digipak CD as different multi-packs - some include lyric sheets and tee-shirt. Check out the Bandcamp link above for all details.

RATING:

Who? Whirlwind D
What? Falling EP (12" Vinyl, MP3)
Where Can I Find This? http://blinerecordings.bigcartel.com/product/whirlwind-d-falling-ep
Well, What's It Like?

The EP kicks off with nicely with 'Minutes And Hours' amid a background of various percussion making way to a heavy, chopped break leading to D's vocals. The production by CREASE is fresh and SIR BEANS OBE on the cut keeps the tone going with some deft chorus scratches whilst Whirlwind D speaks about the murky state of the world in his distinctive rhyme style.

'Falling Down' opens next with a very ominous 3-note piano sample and brooding synth setting the proceedings with a sombre monologue. This simple refrain continues throughout giving the song a strong claustrophobic feel with lyrics speaking of dark problems of life ("the road that I'm on makes my heart start to pound, the light evaporates, I'm falling down").
Specifik is behind the beat here with JABBATHAKUT and DJ TONES on the scratch.

The EP winds up with 'Nothing's Better' which has an official video (click here) and is the lead single from the EP.
The story here has D speaking on male depression
The clever use of wordplay is employed by guest MC UNCLE MIC NITRO describing that literally experiencing 'nothing' is better than choosing despair ("he chooses nothing, 'cause nothing's gonna make him better. He chooses nothing, 'cause nothing's better than depression").

Whirlwind D's latest project is a lesson for us all. His penchant for braggadocio rhymes has given way over the years to more adult subject matter and introspective thoughts never more so displayed as well as here as he touches on themes that can sadly affect the demographic of his audience.

Available digitally as well as on 12" vinyl with thoughtful artwork by JOHN DYER, this latest B-Line Recording release will continue the triumphs of a this distinctive home-grown record label.

RATING:

Who? The Shift
What? Boogie Down Under - Volume 1: An Australian Hip Hop Electro Funk Mixtape (Cassette Tape)
Where Can I Find This? All sold out. Download link on the way.
Well, What's It Like?

From the first tune my head was nodding along to what is essentially all new tracks to these ears being that they are all produced by Australian artists.
The music style veers from boom-bap, Electro-funky beats to more modern, slightly electronica-based hip hop and most have a good smattering of scratching in there. The mixing by long-time ABU associate, The Shift, really is top-notch stuff. It's a mixtape in the traditional sense in that everything is expertly blended seamlessly from one track to the next.
Originally available on cassette only - there has been a second pressing due to demand - this mixtape will soon be posted up for download for free.
I think, without a doubt, it's safe to say Volume 2 will surely be on the way.

RATING:

Who? DJ Supreme ft. Ice-T & The Icepick
What? Arctic II (7" Single, MP3)
Where Can I Find This? http://djsupreme.com
Well, What's It Like?

A slight departure from recent 'Soops' releases of late with it's use of rock guitar but still retaining that trademark hardcore sound that he conjures up with ease.
Supreme has tapped into what the UK rap audience love. No, wait. He always knew. It's essentially a loud, dramatic score over rumbling, crispy drums with the all-important, frenetic Hijack scratch chorus. Add to this the mighty and legendary hip hop veteran, Ice T on guest vocals then you know that this is no half-hearted show on display here.
Not content with giving us a top-quality tune, Soops also goes above and beyond and delivers a top-notch video to accompany it also featuring Ice T. Whereas many producers buy their bars from legendary emcees in some 'pay-to-play' effort who then move on whilst counting the dough, Supreme enlists a major player in the game who provides a slamming performance who's more than willing to go the extra mile appearing in the video (
Essentially it's not a lot different from the previously-released 'Arctic', so if you liked that then you'll probably love this, too.
This will be the opening track for the upcoming Supreme Legacy 2.0 EP due in mid-October.

RATING:

Who? Teenburger
What? I'm Gonna / We Never (Digital Download)
Where Can I Find This? https://teenburger.bandcamp.com/album/im-gonna-we-never-single
Well, What's It Like?
This 'Name your price' digital single by Teenburger is produced and arranged by Ollie "The Herbaliser" Trattles and has a great sound about it. Nice and bouncy beats with Ghettosocks & Timbuktu providing the vocals. I'm a sucker for a scratched chorus and this supplies one easily.
Taken from the upcoming album, Hivemind which seems like a sure-shot going by this teaser single.
All very Jorun Bombay-sounding which is no surprise as he has worked on their previous output.

RATING:

Who? Deuce Ellis
What? An Electric Ride
Where Can I Find This? https://deuceellis.com/an-electric-ride
Well, What's It Like?

So here's the scoop. Between July and August this summer the ABU Inbox was pelted with no less than 15 emails fired off from a guy named 'Deuce'. He doesn't know me, I don't know him. The Subject Lines of his communications ranged from intriguing ("FREE ALBUM DAY"), curious ("FRIENDLY BRIBE") to paranoid ("DO YOU HATE ME", "ARE YOU OFFENDED?").
That's 15 emails received without any response on my part. I've heard of aggressive-promotion but this was just weird. I decided to bite the bullet and have a listen to the album.
The first track, Vibes High starts off with someone hitting random keys on a piano and a toddler smacking his Fisher Price xylophone. It soon turns into a barrage of noise as if you have been thrown forcefully into a zoo and then an oddly-recorded voice comes in with a rather mediocre rapping style.
The same continues on the second track but luckily by the third song, Naked Language, the album seems to become a bit more listenable with some quirky rhythms and discordant synth stabs.
Continue on however and it gets a bit muddy with slow beats and disappointingly basic lyrics.
Every track begins the same with offbeat electronic drum sounds in an overlong intro until the meat and bones of the song finally come in.
There are 12 tracks in all but the final 3 wouldn't play for some reason. I'm sure I didn't miss much.

The press release makes it sound like Deuce Ellis is destined to become the next Prince but in actuality sounds completely up his own arse. He apparently spent a year away on a desert island making this collection of tracks. That doesn't sound pretentious at all.

In conclusion, no matter how terrible your album is, spam us constantly here at ABU and we'll eventually relent and review your work!

RATING:

Who? DJ Jazzy Jeff & Will Smith
What? Get Lit
Where Can I Find This? Not released but here's a Youtube clip
Well, What's It Like?

Now whilst I'm well aware that a band cannot really viably still be making the same music they once made at their peak some 25+ years ago, it should be perfectly acceptable to expect to hear some elements of what made you love that band all those years previously.
With Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince/Will Smith's possible next single things have taken an awkward turn. Instead of continuing to their original fans they have decided to appease the younger crowd and make their music sound like some EDM-by-numbers club hit. Latest youth slang? Check. Banging dance beat? Check. Huge buildup and drop throughout? Checkity-check.
There is a complete lacking of any soul in this track and it could have been intended for any other number of pop tarts who currently hang around the present top 40. Jeff adds the odd scratch here and there but he's not giving 100%. FP is capable of a lot more. A whole lot more.
I've always been a diehard fan of the duo and am secretly hoping that they put out an album of stuff that could be 'He's The DJ...' part two. But they won't.
It's all quite embarrassing really and this parent just doesn't understand.

RATING:

If you have any product you want ABU to have a look at please send information to ageingbboysunite@yahoo.com. Anything sent for our attention may be reviewed in the next Record Review depending entirely on our mood.

The Golden Age Of Hip Hop Pull-out

A little while ago - April 2016 to be exact - British music magazine, Q, did a special commemorative hip hop pull-out within their main mag.

This well-written and researched feature is criminally short - 21 pages - but produced with love and knowledge. The '20 Albums of The Golden Age' list is totally on point.
Some of the historic photos littered about show the fun that used to exist in abundance. They're great.

You can download the PDF file here

Enjoy!
Reepz

P.s. this is a blog-only feature. This means no promotion on Facebook so the only people getting to read it will be the regulars. I'm wary of the fact that I put too much emphasis on Facebook and am beginning to leave the blog alone. It is not so!
More blog-only content coming soon...

6 Music 'Hip Hop Hooray' Day

One of the BBC's digital radio stations, 6 Music, is broadcasting a day of hip hop music with songs and documentaries.
This Saturday (12th) the station will kick off with a DJ Shadow Essential Mix featured during Nemone's Electric Ladyland at Midnight.

Who needs Photoshop? This is dope, right?

There is a documentary ("Looking for the Perfect Beat") which was originally broadcast in 1990 on Radio 1 by Jeff Young. I distinctly remember this because at the time Radio 1 would have documentaries every Saturday lunchtime and this was one I recall being quite excited about.
I've even posted this previously on the blog complete with my shabby cassette cover.
You'd best catch this on the rewind as it's on at 4 in the morning.

Mary Anne Hobbs has a look at how Los Angeles has become part of the scene in "The West Coast Influence" at 7am.
This show is 3 hours long so I'd expect to hear a good bit of history from back in the old Egyptian Lover, Wrecking Cru, Radiotron days rather than just Cypress Hill and The Pharcyde.

And who would've thought that they'd be getting goosebumps over the possibility of listening to Alan Freeman? Yes, he's on at 4am on Sunday with "Rap It Up" which "explores rap music from its origins onwards".
Having previously been aired in 1994 this will be right up my street because as most right-minded folks know, hip hop died after this year. Suck it up, you know it's true.

For the whole schedule check this link.
It's great that a station such as 6 Music known for their love of specialist music away from the norm are doing this so hats off to them.

Art of Rhyming: Eric B. is President Broken Down

We all know or at least acknowledge that Rakim is the master emcee, right?
His rhyme style is legendary, masterful. The way he plays with words is skillful to the extreme.

Have a read of this breakdown of his style and you'll appreciate The R more than you ever thought possible.

Check the whole article and - forgive me for using an over-played internet exclamation - your mind may well be blown.
Written with eloquency, the whole being of Rakim is explained beautifully.
http://www.thetroyblog.com/2017/07/10/art-of-rhyming-eric-b-is-president

DJ Jorun Bombay & Flexxman - Funkbox Reload July 1st Weekend Edition

Bit late posting this but it's another sureshot from the (sometimes a little bit too smug) Jorun Bombay as he delves into his crates to bring us a tightly-packed and edited 60 minutes of some great hip hop tracks that you probably forgot about as well as his own unique remixes along with some classic breaks.




Tracklisting
World's Famous Supreme Team - Hey DJ (Jorun Bombay Edit)
Duke Bootee - Broadway (instrumental)
Doug E Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew - All The Way To Heaven
Heatwave - Ain't No Half Steppin' (Tape Echo Scratch)
T La Rock & Mantronix - Bass Machine
Run DMC - Dumb Girl (Jorun Bombay Edit)
LL Cool J - Dear Yvette (Jorun Bombay's Glockenspiel Edit)
Worse 'EM - Triple M Bass (Jorun Bombay's Extra Cuts Edit)
Liquid Liquid - Cavern
The Monkees - Mary Mary
Run DMC - Mary Mary
John Davis & The Monster Orchestra - I Can't Stop
The Bar-Kays - Do You See What I see
Mandrill - Suzi Cesar
Dyke & The Blazers - Funky Broadway
Big Daddy Kane - Wrath of Kane
Ricky Williams - Discotheque Soul Pt. 2
James Brown - Soul Pride
Jorun Bombay - Bombay Lager Lite Beer Commercial (Parody)
Jorun Bombay & The Rampagers (Em, Ox & Phill Most) - You Ain't heard Nuthin' Yet
SoundSci - Write On
SoundSci - Entrapment
Freddi Henchi & the Soul Setters - Funky To The Bone
Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor
Kid Dynamite - Uphill Peace of Mind

Mantronix Return!

Well, Kurtis Mantronik is back anyway (MC Tee has other interests these days) and is rocking the boards like he hasn't been doing in years.
To be honest, I hesitated in pressing Play because my memories of the man had sadly faded in disappointment since his last big 'return' to music.
What's that? You don't remember? Well, allow me to retort.

Cast your mind back to 2013 when Street Sounds released their long-(emphasis on 'long') awaited compilation album, Crucial Electro 4 - the last one in this legendary series was Crucial Electro 3, some 26 years previously in 1987. A nicely-packaged bookend to the series, yes, but alas there was the bonus mix.
The CD release of Crucial 4 contained two discs; one unmixed album and one mixed album. So far, so fresh? Well, kind of.
The unmixed selection were great slices of classic Electro cuts such as Looking For The Perfect Beat, The DMX Will Rock, What People Do For Money and Disco Four's Get Busy. The mixed version however came complete with updated versions of some tracks which seemed an odd decision.
The actual mix was a sound to behold. I'm imagining at the time that Mantronik's mind was elsewhere when putting this together, like wondering what he was having for dinner that evening or worrying about Jesse Pinkman and Walter White's final nail-biting conclusion.
Wherever it was it certainly wasn't on the matter at hand as can be evidenced on the frankly terrible mess that he ended up proffering to Morgan Khan.

Digital DJ-ing is part of hip hop culture and whatever your personal feelings on the subject it is definitely here and is definitely staying. The things that can be done digitally can be quite astounding when done correctly. Sadly there is no such display here. You simply have to hear it to believe it. If I had to sum it all up in one word then shoddy would be that word.
It's like listening to a load of ideas that were going to be tried out in draft form before discarding as they obviously didn't work. Maybe Mantronik simply handed in the wrong version and Morgan was too humble to question it?
Cough.

Anyhoo. where were we? Yes, that's right, Kurtis is back and I can happily say that he can rightfully don his crown as King Of The Beats once again as not one but two brand new beats have been dropped on our laps in one day.
Both are extremely hard-hitting slabs of dope production employing familiar chopped funk breaks and vocal samples that just scream out to be played on a heavy sound system.
The tempo is pretty slow on both and the arrangements could easily have given way to a double-time drum n bass tune after the drop and I was actually waiting for the style to switch on both.
But it didn't and I'm grateful that Kurtis kept it hip hop. Fresh is definitely the word

'Ballsack Swinger' is one of the greatest titles of a song ever. Fact.


R.A.W. like Kane!

ABU Podcast #66 - 1970s Special DOWNLOAD

Here's the latest ABU Podcast and as promised it's a 1970s special.

It was a blast going through tons of old tunes, and trying to pick out stuff was extremely difficult as there was just so much choice - there will definitely have to be another one.

Listen in the Player above or click the Download option (also in the above Player).

The tracklisting is below but I recommend you listening 'blind' and seeing if you can guess the audio first.

Cheers,

Mr Repo

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Welcome along to this edition of the ABU Podcast #66.

We're trying something different this time and taking an excursion way into the past, right back to the 1970s. So expect a trip down Memory Lane as we delve into some long-forgotten television theme tunes - some you may remember and others you may well have forgotten for good reason.

The 1970s is having somewhat of a renaissance recently and I'm more drawn to the spooky side of it. So that involves the worrying public information films that used to be shown very frequently during kids' tv and also the emergence of a musical genre called Hauntology which is a modern throwback to the unnerving synthesizer pieces you may have heard during those PIFs.

Anyway, sit back and enjoy the show. I've given this a 5-headphone rating so you'll enjoy more in a quiet darkened room with a pair of headphones on. Preferably with a can of Tizer and some Spangles.

01
John Leach - Sun-Ride (Theme from Ask the Family)
Album: Ole Jensen And His Music - Chappell ‎– LPC 1047
Year: 1970

02
Mike Mansfield - Funky Fanfare
Album: Flamboyant Themes Volume II - KPM Music ‎– KPM 1038
Year: 1978

03
Placebo - Balek
Album: 1973 - CBS ‎– S 65683
Year: 1973

04 
Play Safe - 'Frisbee'
Public Information Film
Year: 1979

05
Bernard Herrmann - Theme From Taxi Driver
Album: Taxi Driver - Original Soundtrack Recording - Arista ‎– AL 4079
Year: 1976

06
Tany Turens - High Life (Theme from Stop Look Listen)
Album: Rockin' In Rhythm - Regency Line ‎– RL 1021
Year: 1975

07
Franco Micalizzi  - Affanno
Album: Violence! - Cometa Edizioni Musicali ‎– CMT 1005/13
Year: 1977

08
Ted Heath Orchestra - Johnny One Note (Theme from John Craven's Newsround)
Album: Big Band Percussion
Year: 1961

09
Syd Dale - Marching There And Back (BBC Screen Test Theme) (1970)
Album: Strictly For The Birds - Programme Music ‎– PM 007
Year: 1975

10
Ruby - BART (BBC Schools 'Dots' intermission music)
Album: Ruby - PBR International ‎– PBRL 5001
Year: 1976

11
Hoyt Curtin - Hair Bear Bunch Theme
Year: 1971

12
Laurie Johnson - The New Avengers (1976)
Album: The Avengers & The New Avengers / The Professionals - Unicorn-Kanchana ‎– KPM 7009
Year: 1980

13
John Scott/ The Saint Orchestra - Return of the Saint (1978)
Single: Pye Records ‎– 7N 46127
Year: 1978

14
Lonely Water (Public Information Film)
Year: 1973

15
Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet - Manège (Theme from Picture Box)
Album:  N° 4 - BAM ‎– LD 098
Year: 1965

16
Unknown - Theme from Near And Far
Year: Unknown

17
Dudley Simpson - The Tomorrow People Theme
Album:  The Tomorrow People Original Television Music - Trunk Records ‎– JBH017LP
Year: 2006

18
Theme from Sapphire & Steel
Year: 1979


19
Ron Grainer - Tales of the Unexpected Theme
Single: RK Records ‎– RK 1021
Year: 1979

20
Godiego - The Birth Of Odyssey / Monkey Magic
Album: Monkey - BBC Records ‎– REB 384
Year: 1980

21
Richard Denton and Martin Cook - Tomorrow's World
Album: Hong Kong Beat & Other BBC TV Themes - BBC Records ‎– REH 385
Year: 1980

22
Sparks - Number 1 Song in Heaven
Album: No. 1 In Heaven - Virgin ‎– V 2115
Year: 1979

23
Space - Magic Fly
Album: Magic Fly - Pye International ‎– NSPL 28232
Year: 1977

24
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Technopolis
Album: Solid State Survivor - Alfa ‎– ALF 85664
Year: 1979

25
Barry DeVorzon - Wonder Wheel (Main Title)
Album: The Warriors (Music From The Motion Picture) Waxwork Records ‎– WW010
Year: 2016/1979

26
Andre Previn - Executive Party
Album: Rollerball (Original Soundtrack Recording) - United Artists Records ‎– UAS 29865
Year: 1975

27
John Baker - New Worlds (Theme from Newsround)
Album: BBC Radiophonic Music - BBC Radio Enterprises ‎– REC 25M
Year: 1968

28
Ian Humphris - Theme from Words and Pictures
Year: 1970

29
Joe Campbell - Mr Men Theme
Year: 1976

30
Brian Cant Meets The Fabreeze Brothers

31
The Persuaders - Grange Hill
Album: Scored 1 - 0 - JTI Records ‎– JTI 001 LP
Year: 1996

32
Door Chain (Public Information Film)
Year: 1976

33
Gelg - Look Around You (Opening Titles)
Year: 2002

34
Peter Moss - Think Of A Number Theme
Year: 1977

35
Alan Hawkshaw - Its All At The Co-Op Now (1972)
Album: 27 Top T.V. Themes & Commercials - Columbia ‎– TWO 391
Year: 1972

36
Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
Album: Music Has The Right To Children - Warp Records ‎– warplp55
Year: 1998

37
Never Go With Strangers (Public Information Film)
Year: 1971


38
Actress - N.E.W. (2012)
Album: R.I.P
Year: 2012

39
We Are The Champions
Year: 1973

40
Focus - House Of The King
Album: Focus 3 - Polydor ‎– 2344-038
Year: 1972

41
Stepasaur - Stepisode 5
Year: 2015

42
Charley - Mummy Should Know (Public Information Film)
Year: 1973

43
John Carpenter - Assault On Precinct 13 ( Main Title)
Album: ‎Assault On Precinct 13 (The Original Motion Picture Score) - Record Makers ‎– Rec-12
Year: 2003

44
Brian Bennett - Discovery
Album: Fantasia - Bruton Music ‎– BRI 10
Year: 1980

45
Telltale - Rainbow
Album: Songs From The Thames Television Children's Programme Rainbow - Music For Pleasure ‎– MFP 50087
Year: 1973

46
Solid'N'Mind Featuring MC Whirlwind D* & Johnny F ‎- An Original Break
Single: Liberty Grooves ‎– LIB 001
Year: 1990

47
Juice MCs - Spydaman
Single:
Year: 2017

48
Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)
Album: Music Man -  RCA ‎– PL13602
Year: 1980

49
Sunburst - Theme From Paramount TV Series Mork & Mindy (Mork & Mindy Rock)
Single: Logo III Records ‎– Logo 5/79
Year: 1979

50
John Gregory - Six Million Dollar Man
Album: The Detectives -  Philips ‎– 6308 255
Year: 1976

51
Charles Fox - Wonderwoman
Album: Superfriends - Warner Bros. Records ‎– 56582
Year: 1978

52
Corniche ‎- Theme From Chips
Single:
Year: 1979

53
Rhythm Heritage - Theme From S.W.A.T. (1975)
Album: Disco-Fied - ABC Records ‎– ABCL-5174
Year: 1976

54
Ennio Morricone  - My Name Is Nobody
Album: My Name Is Nobody - Cerberus Records (2) ‎– CEM-S 0101
Year: 1979

ABU Show #66 TONITE

We're back on the podcast tip tonight.
And we're rolling with Disco Scratch Radio again as well.
Life is good.

This time the show is all about the 1970s; the good, the bad, the frightening, the funky.
There's theme tunes from kids shows you may have forgotten about and some you may wish that you had. Even the more 'adult' shows that you probably weren't meant to watch and should've been in bed at the time.

As the theme is the 1970s then expect some Public Information Films ('PIFs') such as Lonely Water and Play Safe ("JIMMMYYY!!") scattered throughout.
Futurism was a big thing when I was a kid growing up back then. By that term I mean that there was a lot of excitement for the future and big expectations. Films reflected this such as Rollerball and THX 1138 and were typical of the era in that they depicted a rather dystopian future.

There are also a few selections of contemporary music which comes under the genre of Hauntology. These songs hark back to the Seventies with nods to classic synth sounds and a fusion of soundtrack and library music evoking a feeling of childhood nostalgia.

There is not a great deal of actual 'hip hop' in today's episode as obviously it didn't really exist (in recorded form at least) back then. (Did someone say Rappers Delight? Come on now, let's not split hairs, shall we?). But there are a couple of kids' tv-inspired/sampled tunes thrown in for good measure.

Catch us tonight at 9pm.

Listen (select your player here)
http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio

Chatroom
https://discord.gg/7z3Qk46

Hip Hop Connection Magazine - Issue #4

'COMIN' CORRECT'

Here we go with issue #4, from May 1989.
For one reason or another KRS-1 has failed to make it to the front cover - probably off on one of his many lectures, spouting dodgy info about hip hop's past, perhaps.
Anyhoo, Red Alert is asking De La Soul to 'call me, yeah?' as he waits next to one of the giant props from Simon Harris' 'Bass....' music video. Above him are the short-lived and criminally-underrated Black, Rock & Ron playing Twister without actually owning the game while The Wee Papas continue to squeeze every ounce of photo opportunity out of the recently-sprayed Artful Dodger backdrop (see MC Mell 'O' on the back cover).

A quick glance at the first page to see where Normski's been pointing his lens this month and already I'm sounding the **DOUBLE DENIM KLAXXON** as Cash Money & Marvelous pose with a copy of HHC.
1989's big hype, Stezo, launches into the picture along with the sorely-researched "DJ". DJ who? HHC don't seem to give a flip.
Latifah's happy as she tells us the amount of comfortable shoes she's wearing whilst Londoner/Yankee Monie Lover Lover just flicks V's to persons unknown behind her.
An odd pose ensues as Monie (again) stands with DJ Pogo (and Mell 'O'?). Perhaps accepting a cup of tea from Josef Fritzl wasn't the best move. Hurry up or you'll be late for Grandpa's Party.  
And ending the set are the Jungle Brothers who would seemingly rather be in bed with a hot cocoa than about to perform yet another rendition of 'I'll House You' to students who now think they know what rap is all about. Yo man, I'm chilly fresh, boyeeeee....etc..

Some excellent history in the 'Strictly Business' news section as we learn about a new hip hop documentary to be shown during the teatime slot on BBC1 called The Lowdown.
Details are brief and there is no mention of kids sneezing and suddenly learning that they can beatbox, sadly. #Trauma
'Street '89' gets a nice mention. This is a big street festival in Bridlington and some big names are appearing - Bio, Vulcan, Nicer, T-Kid, Goldie, Chrome Angelz...... wow!
I'm pretty sure I have footage of this on an old VHS somewhere.

HHC is beginning to leave the training wheels behind and riding a Chopper/Grifter/Burner (whatever 1989 bike works best in this analogy) as it has a good smattering of competition prizes up for grabs.
Promo copies of 'Stop The Violence', De La Soul promo poster, Mell 'O' 'Comin' Correct' single....

I'd Forgotten All About That Dept: Cash Money was in court (a British one) for assaulting his UK Tour Promoter. Sheesh, play it kool, Cash.

An indispensable playlist from that nice, avuncular Afrika Bambaataa features such classics as Prophets Of Rage by Public Enemy, Give The Drummer Some by Ultramagnetic MCs and Baby Don't Lose My Number by Milli Vanilli.
Dett, as we would all be saying back in '89.
Turn the page and we get a better list. This time it's ten original breaks from James Brown and the songs that sampled them. YES! It's like listening to ten Break To The Beat Version Excursions in a row on Tim Westwood's Capital Rap Show.

I'd Forgotten All About That Dept Again: Apparently there were TWO Beastie Boys albums about to surface. The first was going to be unreleased vocal tracks with new production - for "new production" read 'house backing'. The other was to be the as-yet unnamed 'Paul's Boutique'.
Thankfully only one of these came to fruition.

Oh yes!

A Stezo feature mentions that he's also a carpenter. Very handy in case his career as a top-choice rapper never panned out.
A rather informative 'Dictionary Of Hip Hop Slang' gives us the definition of such terms as 'Chillin' Out', 'Burner' and 'Wack'. It also describes some "New School" slang, as well. For example, 'Bus' This, 'Clockin', 'Flavorvision' and 'Lampin'. Actually, this is just a day in the life of what comes out of Flavor Flav's mouth on any given day.

Ultramag and Dolby D articles have a nice story within them but the Wee Papa Girl Rappers is actually the better of the bunch. The girls give in-depth views behind why their album failed as well as a poorly-received American tour. Actually feel a bit sorry for them now as I don't think I even read this interview at the time. Well, it's the Wee Papas, innit? Durr! See, I can't stop myself even now.

Denmark's Cutfather & Soulshock were quite big on the scene for about 5 minutes and their article gives a bit of history behind what you only probably know as 'those funny Europeans from the 1989 DMC Championships'.

Remember radicalism in hip hop? Black Radical Mk II was certainly a good example of this especially in British circles. Reading his interview makes me yearn for these days again as I think about what the content of a lot of rap consists of nowadays. Monsoon was a fantastic tune.

This week's HHC upload contains yet another retro 80s poster to print-out and Blu-Tack onto your bedroom/garage/shed wall. It's the hip hop supergroup that kicked it in the mainstream as well as on the underground - Run DMC. FatDookeyGoldChainTastic!

There's an in-depth feature on DJ Red Alert in which he "remembers the 'old school". Wait a minute. "Old School" in 1989 was only 10 or so years ago.
It's actually a very good read.

At this point I'd like to request a bit of quiet. Can someone turn the lights down as well, please?
And now, a drum roll... for it is with great pleasure and immense joy that we can finally bring you the much-awaited 'Connections' page.
In case you are not aware of what this is, let me explain.
Before the internet existed if you wanted to speak to complete strangers from around the world then you had to use pen and paper and plenty of stamps. These people were known as 'Pen Pals'.
HHC decided to cash in on the many requests of friendship coming into their offices so introduced this new feature.

The late 1980s saw hospitals' A&E departments adorned with unfortunate superglue experiments from young hip hop fans

Imagine a kind of less romantic, double-entendre-filled forum but with more hip hop slang.
You would write a very brief bio and name your favourite artists and if someone liked the look of it then you might get a reply or two. Some foolhardy folk even sent in a photo of themselves (with the de rigeur hand-on-chin pose - what IS that all about?).
In later issues there would be many graffiti writers requesting the swapping of photos of recent bombing missions with like-minded spraycan aficionados. In hindsight this was a rather foolish considering you gave your home address details.

The HHC Letters page is bubbling away this month with topics ranging from Westwood's radio show being too late/early, Just-Ice's double standards, those pesky Troop/KKK rumours, irate non-Beastie Boys fans, hopeful lyricists, and the usual sycophants.

The record reviews are very Brit-centric this month and why not. In fact out of 14 reviews only 5 of them are from the US which was a very brave move on HHC's part.

1989 really was De La Soul's best year. Their debut album was released and they went meteoric, with good reason.
HHC devote a full four pages to them and they take the time to break down the making of 3 Feet High and Rising. Sure it's nothing groundbreaking and you've probably heard it all before but I have to emphasise that back in '89 this was mostly the only place that we could get any hip hop news.

So there we go, that's issue #4 done and dusted.
More fun and frolics soon in the fifth issue where we'll see more innocence of our youth portrayed through the readers' letters page, chuckle-worthy efforts on the Connections page and, most importantly, if KRS is back on the front cover. Fingers crossed, eh?

DOWNLOAD ISSUE #4 HERE

Public Enemy - Nothing Is Quick In The Desert FREE ALBUM

Nothing Is Quick In The Desert (2017)

Public Enemy have just released their latest long-player. It is their 14th studio album since 1987's Yo! Bum Rush the Show.

You know by now the deal with PE - hard, chaotic beats and shouty, political raps.
Well, the hardcore rhymes are still there courtesy of Chuck D but the beats are only just adequate. Gone are the swirling, exciting, all-enveloping wall of sound that was their trademark in which to handle Chuck's voice and instead are more mediocre, run of the mill rhythms.
Sadly PE will never live up to their evocative early days purely due to the loss of the Bomb Squad. This is such a shame as every new PE album could be so much better with the right production.

Of course there are shimmers of promise and occasionally it feels as if the group have found the right sound (Smash The Crowd) but these are sadly few and far between.

Strangely I cannot find a complete list of credits so am clueless as to who produced 'The Desert..' and would love to know who did what - as well as the guest spots.

Man Plans God Laughs (2015)

On the whole this is a good effort and a definite improvement on 2015's Man Plans God Laughs which was an ordeal to get through.
DJ Lord continues to fill in the gaps with his great turntablism but here's an idea, how about giving the DJ a break and letting him have his moment to shine for 4 minutes? It would be a welcome change from the heavy aural assault of Chuck D's gravelly barking.
And while I'm on that tip, remember when Flavor would have his solo track? Bring that back, too as Flav only occasionally punctuates sentences throughout the whole album. What gives?
Later in the album Flavor begins Sells Like Teens Hear It and it feels like he's got his own track until Chuck's distorted vocals come back in. Oh well.

PE have made this album available for free (although apparently Chuck alludes to this being for a limited time only) on their Bandcamp page. You can download or just listen which is handy.
Go here to do just that.

Hip Hop Connection Magazine - Issues #2 & #3

"Get Ready For A Hype '89"

Issue #2

I've left a bit of a longer-than-antipcipated pause between posting the next issue of HHC so to make up for it I'm putting up a double.

KRS One adorns this issue's cover as he chills in his militant, pro-X gear straight outta Dan Dapper.
The Jungle Brothers and Salt 'n' Pepa as well as the homegrown, Cookie Crew all give a great smattering of the diversity that was typical of late 80s hip hop.

Normski kicks off the set as is what is becoming a regular slot with some immersive everyday photos of hip hop 'slebs in their natural habitat. And, hmmmm, whatever happened to The Fly Girls?
A short chat with the Coldcrush Brothers at the time of their Feel The Horns album and mentions of the best club venue, "The Autobahn"(surely the Audubon Ballroom?) and news of the beginnings of the Stop The Violence Movement.
A four-page spread devoted to The Artful Dodger is never a bad thing. He was probably the first UK writer that a lot of us remember, quite possibly due to his Weetabix campaign in 1985.

The super-sexily-voiced Malu Halasa interviews Overlord X as he tries to get his point across about violence in hip hop and football hooliganism. There's a feature of UK independent record labels (Rhythm King, Music of Life...) and Daddy Freddy & Asher D introduce 'Ragamuffin Hip Hop' to the world.
There's a great mini-feature of all the top names of UK rap in 1989 with a group posse shot featuring such luminaries as the Demon Boyz, No Parking MCs, Ruthless Rap Assassins as well as many others. A really historical moment.

Dave Pearce

For those of us living in the south of England, Dave Pearce was an authority on hip hop as he broadcasted out of GLR (formerly, Radio London) with his show A Fresh Start To The Week each and every Monday night. Check him out in his oh-so-fresh varsity jacket and obligatory cap. This was of course before he jumped ship and became Mr Trancey McTranceface.

Cookie Crew! Original Concept! Don Baron! Where else would you have ever found interviews with these people..in print...in 1989?! We mustn't forget this.

A few albums get the review treatment ("In Full Effect") by HHC journos Lee Holding, Hannah Ford and the aforementioned, Malu 'Hubba Hubba' Halasa.
Incidentally I once bought a big box of A4 biographies and promo photos from Lee Holding. I remember one particular bio on an upcoming group called Public Enemy. The headshots of one Cutmaster DC are wonderful - JerhiCurl-tastic.
Interesting in one review of Steady B's Let The Hustlers Play that Mr Holding points out that our very own Mike Allen gets a shout out on the back cover and asks "..where is Mike now?". And this was in 1989.

This issue features the first readers' letters. Some quite well thought-out points made as well as a lovely likkle letter from 9-year-old, Allen - "Yo! I love Hip Hop Connection because I love hip hop!!". Bless.

Who remembers General George of 4 Star General in Camden? He's featured amongst other fashionable shops in the nation's capital.
Followed by a Real Roxanne interview - who bizarrely made it to the UK Fresh 86 lineup because Shante caught chickenpox?! - and bookended by a roundup of '88 and predictions of the year to come this completes the very second issue of Hip Hop Connection.

Oh and a pull-out, centre-pages poster of Professor Griff in full military garb (phwoooar) for all you hardcore hip hop militants out there. But then, as a teenager back then who among us wasn't?

DOWNLOAD ISSUE #2 OF HHC HERE

"All The Way Dope"

Issue #3

April '89 marked issue #3 of Hip Hop Connection.
KRS makes the front cover (again) and continues the magazine's love affair with the Blastmaster.
Richie Rich is there, too. I do loves me some Richie.
Normski steams the set with his gorgeous shots - has he ever produced a coffee table book? Why not?
I really do need to step my game up with my scanning technique. I've noticed a few blurry bits. I'm on it for next month, Scout's honour (I was a Scout for 3 weeks, therefore it still stands).

Many of last issue's top UK rap heads get to air their views and discuss what HHC should actually contain and it seems that the priority should be more UK-based stuff, funnily enough.
Anglophile, Chuck D blurts, "You English kids do a better job of covering rap than anyone in my country".
There's a news snippet of when Hijack were on the cusp....the cusp... of signing up to a major label courtesy of Ice T. The photo shows DJ Supreme aka Soops looking as dope as ever and K-Sly (sans afro) right next to him. Never again, eh lads?

Remember those indie-rocking skate punks, Jesus Jones who were on the waaaay out side of the spectrum of alternative hip hop back in those experimental 80s? There's a thankfully brief chat with them as they place palm to face and dig a huge hole explaining that "dissing" in hip hop is really nothing more than just plain paranoia. Well, it's not but thanks for your contribution, chaps.

Everyone's favourite female London emcee, Monie Love - to paraphrase Derek B, 'is she a Yankee? Nah, she's a Londoner....who thinks she's a Yankee' - talks us through her brief history while Dave Funkenklein (RIP) gives us the lowdown on the latest happenings on the West Coast of the Yoo Ess Ay.

There's a nice piece on Fab 5 Freddy as he talks about his part in the history of hip hop and explains the gist of the recent My Philosophy music video and Yo! MTV Raps.
Incidentally, am I imagining this or did one or more members of The London Posse happen to appear in that BDP video? Answers on a postcard, plz.

This month's pull-out poster is KRS One looking like he has just been offered his favourite Skittle flavour - orange. Print it out and stick it on ya bedroom wall, ya retro freaks, ya.

Tru-Funk Posse

Oh how times have changed. Richie Rich is accused of being a "Yuppy" simply because he is holding a mobile phone ("vodeaphone"). Well he was the (part) owner of Gee Street which was actually a pretty credible label at the time.

A return to the readers' letters and there's a prize tome from one "Jon Scott" who comes across like a twat, if I'm being honest, and goes on to dis a 9-year old kid - Allen from the last issue - the absolute cad.
There's also news that HHC will begin to print some Pen Pals letters. Now THAT sounds like a great idea!

Be careful, Professor Griff is fuming and can't wait to infiltrate our ear canals with politics and religion. Better keep going to the next page where the Bristol scene is looked at in-depth.
Wrapping up this month is a look at the 1989 DMC World Mixing Championships where Cutmaster Swift just pipped the post and beat favourite DJ Aladdin to win the golden Technics.

DOWNLOAD ISSUE #3 OF HHC HERE

We Like Dondi

An oldie from Style Warrior.

Original Gangster Tee Shirt

 
Well, STYLE WARRIOR may now be just an old, happy memory of sadly-missed era of the finest of designed and produced shirts that catered to us maturing hip hop people but not any more.

As a one-off, LOVEGROVE has come back to us with this great design in a retro-nod to the 1970/80s era of our collective televisual childhood with a very cool twist.

Sold as either a t-shirt or a hoodie in blue or black you need to purchase one quickly as there is only another week left until availability runs out.

Nip over here to buy yours now.
https://everpress.com/original-gangster

Hip Hop Connection Magazine - Issue #1

I recently found a stash of long-lost Hip Hop Connection/HHC magazine up in my loft the other day.

For anyone not familiar with HHC let me briefly explain.
This magazine hit the newsstands in July of 1988 and was something completely new and mostly unheard of at the time. A magazine all about hip hop.
Let me tell you that I was absolutely gobsmacked when I first saw it and literally threw my money at the shopkeeper in that little newsagent in Guildford (opposite Surrey Police HQ, if you want to know).
I salivated at what the cover promised. Salt-N-Pepa! Wee Papa Girl Rappers (it does get better...)! EPMD! Stetsasonic! Tim Westwood! AND the chance to win a drum machine!

This was it, I thought. My whole life had led up to this point. The music I had been listening to exclusively for the past 6 or 7 years had finally made it into print. Things were going to start happening now.
Bear in mind that this was months before The Source had even begun so to say our generation were starved of reading material was an understatement. Sure I had some books which alluded to (some more than others) the history of hip hop and would snap up whatever I could find. But to see something that actually dealt with the current was almost mind-blowing. We were easily pleased back then.

From the off celebrated London photographer, NORMSKI was involved snapping some legendary figures in the scene. This wasn't some home-made, cheaply-photocopied fanzine (cough, more of which another time). No, this was the real deal, full-colour shizzle and only cost a measly £1.

I now present to you Issue 1 in all it's glory in what I am hoping will be a semi-regular feature on the ABU blog.
I know what you're thinking - where's the penpal section? Alas, you'll have to wait until Issue 4 where the legendary CONNECTIONS page began. Amidst the inaugural batch of hopefuls are 'Mandy' and 'Flen' who appear to have super-glued their hands to their chins (this would become the de rigueur hip hop pose of the '80s).

Own up, people. Am I likely to find any of you lot lurking in these pages as a spotty teen?

Enjoy!

Download HHC Issue #1 Here

Mister Reeps