ABU Show #70 Dec 2018 XMAS SPECIAL DOWNLOAD

Here's the download to Thursday's podcast which was broadcast on Disco Scratch Radio on Thursday (20th).
Massive thanks to Waxer for airing it and for everyone that tuned in. Also huge daps to Dayle who replayed it just 12 hours later on his Boogie Down Under show!

The tracklist is available on the show webpage.

ABU Show Dec 2018 XMAS SPECIAL

Thursday 20th December 2018.
The ABU Podcast Christmas Special.

Listen in at 9pm at http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio/

The 2018 No Half Steppin' Christmas Jam

Steven Hager - Hip Hop Book

I know that the viewing figures for the blog are not like they were in the heyday of this platform so this is a post mainly just to say thank you to anyone who still regularly visits.

Most people have simply jumped over to social media and use the ABU Facebook group now.
While this is all good, the Facebook group is not the sort of place where I envisioned ABU ending up when I began this blog in 2008. That's progress, I guess, and I'll take it how it comes.

However for you good people still holding off from the evils of social media here is a little digital treat for you.
For a number of years I've been after a particular book - Hip Hop: The Illustrated History of Break Dancing, Rap Music, and Graffiti written by Steven Hager. Unfortunately this has been long out of print and the original goes for a pretty decent price on Ebay.
A while ago I found that a digital copy was available online - sadly not for free - so I grabbed it as would be the closest that I'd ever get to owning the real thing.
This then is a little gift to you for sticking around. It's a ZIP file with digital copies in .MOBI and PDF formats. If you don't understand what these are then it's probably best you get back to your cosy chair and Werthers' Originals.

If you do download this please leave a comment just so I can see how many of you are interested in it. Cheers!
LINK

See also
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/stevenhager420
http://stevenhager420.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/the-lengendary-phase-2/

 

 

 

 

Record Review - Whirlwind D - Beats, Bits And Bobs EP

Hip-Hop's 'Mr Nice' returns in familiar fashion with another release from the UK's B-Line Recordings. His brand new wax is an EP, Beats, Bits And Bobs and is a refreshingly diverse bunch of tracks.

Beginning with side A's lead track, LABELS, this has the customary hallmarks of previous releases (as with many recent rap tunes by our generation - 'reminisce-rap', anyone?) with boom-bap production and tales of yesteryear rhymes on the top.
Djar One provides the sweet beat for this with its really tight flow and light guitar lick. Specifik is on turntable duties.

REAP THE WHIRLWIND has a Raising Hell feel to it with it's sparse Billy Squier beat and rock guitar chugging powerfully over the proceedings. This track is produced by Phil Wilks who worked with D previously on his Other Side (2016) album supplying not just the beat but guitar, too.
DJ Tones is on hand with some deft scratch patterns.

The RUN FAST remix is quite disappointing and it's sparseness sounds rather weak compared to the original version from 2014 12". Mr Fantastic's previous production matched the frenetic pace of the piece while Miracle's interpretation is more abstract and never quite captures the immediacy needed.

A complete change of pace as RADIOACTIVE BASS rounds off the EP.
This is a journey back into the days of electro funk which keeps all modern production hallmarks as sparse as you like and thus sounds more authentic of the period it is trying to capture. Simply a drum machine, a synth and a vocoder.
This has great potential for a wicked remix as there are some nice elements that could be fleshed out even more.
Mr Wilks is on the boards again here and this cut demonstrates how deftly he flits through a variety of styles whilst coolly wearing his producer hat.

This is a great value for money purchase as it also includes instrumentals and acapella mixes on the flip-side - always a positive deciding factor for a thriftmaster such as I. In fact why would you not include instrumentals on a large 12" slab of wax? I remember there was a fad for chucking on (terrible) remixes in place of them back in the early 1990s on the UK releases. Luckily B-Line are sticklers for this tried and tested format and provide the full-fat treatment.

Once again John Dyer adds the finishing touches to the whole package with a dope cartoon-style illustration on this full-colour 12" sleeve which would look great in a record frame on the wall (buy two, folks!)

This collection ultimately displays what diverse musical influences Whirlwind D has in his record bag and proves he is nowhere near stopping anytime soon.

Tracklisting:
A1     Labels
A2     Reap The Whirlwind
A3     Run Fast (Remix)
A4     Radioactive Bass
B1     Labels (Instrumental Edit)
B2     Reap The Whirlwind (Instrumental Edit)
B3     Run Fast Remix (Instrumental Edit)
B4     Labels (Acapella)
B5     Reap The Whirlwind (Acapella)

Support your local record shop and buy Beats, Bits And Bobs in person. Failing that, you can purchase online from https://blinerecordings.bigcartel.com/product/whirlwind-d-beats-bits-and-bobs

 

Electric Boogie (1983)

This is a rarely-seen short film about 4 members of a b-boy crew. They're from the Bronx, NY and is at once impressive, inspiring and sad.
Oliver, K-K and brothers Eli & Ken (the Electric Boogie Boys) are shown practicing their dance moves on the street, in a clothing store as well as in a skate rink competition and you can see how much love they have for it as well as each other. Their ambitions are quite high (a doctor and a priest) and the documentary shows a feeling of respect that a lot of other docs at the time would not have even wanted to touch on.
Being that this was produced by a European team (from the Netherlands) perhaps they were a little more forward-thinking and wanted to present the lads on a more human level than just some dancing muppets.

Well recommended.

Watch it here:

Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson 4: The Beat EP

It's finally here.
Double Dee & Steinski's new release is a continuation of their infamous 'Lessons' series from 30 years ago and is (unsurprisingly) entitled, Lesson 4.
Believe me this is a sprawling, full-on assault on your ears with breaks and samples hitting you from every direction and some 'just right' spoken audio carefully laid on top.
Now enlisting the talents of master turntablist, ADA, the group is untouchable. Lesson 4 has really been worth the long wait. Check out the bang you get for your buck. That's 5 versions of the song. And if you join the mailing list at their official website then you may even get a special limited, one time only discount code to download this fine audio swag.

This is going to take some close inspection to decipher a lot of what the guys have done here but who cares, the fact that they are still providing for their fans is just enough. Hell, they could've just released themselves coughing over a beat and I still would've lapped it up.

Listening back, I'm sure I've heard (and probably have a download) of an early version of this song as that guitar refrain is very memorable as is the Richard Pryor dialogue at the start.

Listen/Stream/Purchase Lesson 4 here!
https://ddsteinski.bandcamp.com/album/lesson-4-the-beat-ep

- Repo -

It's The Discooooo Snatch!

Check out the very beginning of this mix from DJ Sarah Love (I always say that name with Coronation Street's Gail Tilsley's voice).
Hmm, seem familiar?

https://www.mixcloud.com/soulofsydney/soul-of-sydney-161-dj-sarah-love-bbc-1xtramtvlondon-classic-uk-hip-hop-mixtape/

DIG Mag Issue 2 Review

Issue 2 of DIG magazine landed through my door recently and I was really anticipating it's release.
Not much has changed since the first issue which is a good thing as it already contains the perfect format - great design, easy to read, simple facts AND a lovely soundtrack to accompany it.

If you're lucky, for £3.50 you can own this brilliant little mag (no bigger than the size of a CD booklet) - I say that as stocks of the launch issue were flying off the shelves and 3rd print had to be produced to satisfy demand.

This is a great way to discover new (old) music from people who love to go looking for obscure records in all manner of places from all over the world. If you consider yourself a 'digger' then this read should be right up your alley.
Here's a list of contributors to issue 2:

Contributors in this issue include:

A Cat Called Fritz
DJ Baila
DJ Supreme La Rock
Doublepeas
ExP
Jonny Trunk
Jorun Bombay
Mr. Brown
Good Life
Oxygen
Richard Wilson
Ski Oakenfull
Sven Atterton

If you fancy writing about a particular song you've ever found then let the DIG peeps know and you can be featured, too.

For more information and to check supplies go to https://digmag.bigcartel.com/

Blade Freestyle on Kiss FM

Here's a brief piece of audio circa 1990 I recorded from Richie Rich's Rap Academy on Kiss FM.
First half is a live set from Blade while the rest is DJ Renegade beat-juggling Al Naafiysh.

Apologies for sound quality which I put down to a dodgy reception in my bathroom. I was having a bath whilst listening if I'm being honest.
Also my PC wasn't very powerful and caused a few skips when converting.

69 ABU Aug 2018 - Streaming Now

It's been a fair few months since our last outing but here's the summer 2018 Ageing B-Boys Podcast.
Enjoy!


https://hearthis.at/repo136/69abuaug2018/


Tracklist:

ABU Podcast: 69 ABU Aug 2018
Uploaded 18 August 2018


(01)
Klaus Weiss - Measure 2
Album: Sound Music Album 18, Golden Ring Records ‎– S 5181-22
Year: 1979

(02)
Sugar Bear - Ready To Penetrate
Single: Don't Scandalize Mine, Next Plateau Records Inc. ‎– NP50085
Year: 1988

(03)
De La Soul - D.A.I.S.Y. Age
Album: 3 Feet High And Rising, Tommy Boy ‎– TB 1019
Year: 1989

(04)
Dres of Black Sheep - FUGITUP (www.poolofgenius.com)
Year: 2018

(05)
Just-Ice - Going Way Back
Album: Kool & Deadly (Justicizms), Fresh Records ‎– LPRE-5
Year: 1987

(06)
Positive K - Step Up Front
Single: First Priority Music ‎– 0-96621
Year: 1988

(07)
Kurtis Blow - America
Album: America, Mercury ‎– 422 826 141-1 M-1
Year: 1985

(08)
Haynesy - B-Boy Showdown
Album: Hip Hop Advocate
Year: 2018

(09)
Mato - Enter The Dragon Dub Version
Single: Stix ‎– STIX044
Year: 2016


Library Funk
(10)
101 Strings - Flameout
Album: Astro-Sounds From Beyond The Year 2000, Alshire ‎– S-5119
Year: 1968

(11)
Syd Dale Orchestra & Gerry Butler - Butler's Pantry (1976)
Album: It's All In The Beat, Amphonic Music Ltd. ‎– AMPS 117
Year: 1976


(12)
LL Cool J - I Can’t Live Without My Radio
Album: Radio, Def Jam Recordings ‎– BFC 40239
Year: 1985

(13)
Pom Deter - Inspector Enemy No.1 (Public Enemy vs Inspector Gadget)
Year: 2012

(14)
Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
Album: Trans-Europe Express, Capitol Records ‎– E-ST 11603
Year: 1977

(15)
GTA IV - The Classics 104.1 (mixed by DJ Premier live from HeadQcourterz)
Year: 2008

(16)
Hearts of Darkness - Mr Next Man
Album: A Journey Of A Thousand Miles, Style Warrior Records ‎– SWREC003
Year: 2016

(17)
Remark - Let It Go!
Single: https://remark.bandcamp.com/track/let-it-go
Year: 2018

(18)
Chrome & Illinspired -The All C N I
Album: The All C N I, B-Line Recordings ‎– BLN012
Year: 2015

(19)
DJ Supreme ft. Rì Rà, Shaka Shazzam, The Icepick & DJ Assassin - Breathe
Single: Supreme Legacy 2.0, BackBone Records ‎– BB-09
Year: 2018


Roots Of The Roots
(20)
OMD - Electricity
Album: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Dindisc ‎– DID 2
Year: 1980

(21)
DJ Format - Vinyl Overdose
Album: Return Of The D.J. Vol. II, Bomb Hip-Hop Records ‎– BOMB 2003 LP
Year: 1997

(22)
Uptown - That's That Shit (Beat by DuckAlert)
Year: 2013

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GTA IV - The Classics 104.1 (mixed by DJ Premier live from HeadQcourterz)

01 Group Home - Supa Star (1995)
02 Brand Nubian - All for One (1990)
03 Special Ed - I Got It Made (1989)
04 Jeru the Damaja - D. Original (1994)
05 Marley Marl feat. Craig G - Droppin' Science (1988)
06 MC Lyte - Cha Cha Cha (1989)
07 Audio Two - Top Billin' (1987)
08 Stetsasonic - Go Stetsa (1986)
09 T La Rock & Jazzy Jay - It's Yours (1984)
10 Gang Starr - Who's Gonna Take the Weight? (1991)
11 Main Source feat. Nas, Joe Fatal & Akinyele - Live at the Barbeque (1991)
 

Chrome: The Best of...1990-2018

One half of Chrome & Illinspired, one quarter (or 1/5th or 1/6th or more depending on who's in the studio) of Def Tex is DJ (formerly MC) Chrome.
Undoubtedly one of the East of England's finest microphone-holders to grace the hip-hop world, Chrome has reached the point in his life where he can release a compilation album of some of his favourite tracks that he's worked on over the years. Twenty-eight years to be exact which is pretty outstanding, I think you'd agree.
Bearing in mind Chrome was a little lad when he first began rhyming and performing, he's been in this game for pretty much all his life.
In fact I remember being sent a cassette tape by Def Tex's DJ, Sure Delight around 1987/88 which had a recording of 3 live sessions recorded in a local radio studio ('Happy Medium'...?). These sounded professional even back then and featured a squeaky-voiced youngster on lead vocals.

Anyway fast-forward 30 years and here we have an album that really should be listened to by anyone that knows how to pronounce the letters r, a and p into a decipherable word. 
I would say he's Britain's best-kept secret but you know that already. If you didn't then get the album to find out why.

Get the album here:
https://chrome.bandcamp.com/album/the-best-of-1990-2018

DIG Mag Issue 1 Review

The internet changed everything.

From altering the way (and speed) we obtain news, listen to music, watch films to socialising and meeting other people.
It can be also argued that the internet killed the written word. Well, not killed exactly but perhaps scared the shit out of it causing the printed media to acknowledge that its' days were numbered and that it might be forced to pull a sickie or two.

Whilst this is certainly true in the cut & thrust world of well-respected and now defunct mags such as FHM, The Face, More! and Christian Reformer, all of whom couldn't cope due to the large drop in readership of magazines in general some publications have had a stay of execution and continue to adorn newsagent shelves.

This can only be temporary of course because as our reading habits continue to evolve then so will our buying habits. Digital is the buzzword. Many famous brands have their toes dipped in both worlds and continue to sell in a tactile as well as this mythical fashion. But what if you still value the old ways? What if you will never relinquish the feeling of holding a physical object in your hand?

What? Do you mean something akin to wanting to still collect dusty old records rather than listening to mp3 files?
Well, I hope you're wearing some double-thickness pants because I'm about to shock you.

DIG magazine is a real, physical, compact and very beautiful publication aimed at those who appreciate the world of record collecting. I say beautiful because this is exactly what it is. Created with an abundance of love for design and perfection this box-shaped mag bursts with pride from the very first glance.
The magazine itself is petite - 12cmx12cm - and comes housed in a square, transparent plastic case which has a superb record crate design emblazoned upon it with the DIG logo. Flip it over and you'll notice a humorous sticker securing the flap. This is a lovely touch.
Once you've slid the magazine out you'll notice that it could easily fit inside a generic CD jewel case. However it is slightly larger than the average liner notes pamphlet and thankfully so because it holds 28 pages of gorgeous-quality, 150GSM+, gloss coated paper. Yessir.

Written on this high-fallutin' paper are musings from all manner of the weird, the wonderful, the famous and the fabulous spouting their tales of musical discoveries in brief, bite-size chunks.
You have graphic artist to the stars, Mr Krum talking about a recent chazza find (Ronnie Dukes & Ricki Lee, 'Spinning Wheel') and Britain's answer to Rammellzee, susanslegpolicy and his joy of finding a much sought-after 45 from his Wants list.
Keep flipping through and you have Chris from The Shed, DJ Format and Mr Thing as well as others all regaling stories of their vinyl obsession.

Together with reading the magazine DIG also supplies a link to a specially-made mix of all the songs mentioned throughout which instantly adds another worthy dimension to an already marvellous product.
Look closely at each entry on the pages and you'll also find a link that will take you to the respective Discogs database listing. Come on, if you're that anal-retentive about rekkids then you should have at least be anticipating this. Again, it's a great touch.

As I mentioned earlier, the design is second-to-none with crisp, clean pages emphasizing the straight facts you want to know. Strictly all killer, no filler.
It comes as no surprise then that this project is the brainchild of LG, the same supremo behind Digging 4 Victory, Style Warrior as well as the current Lovegrove (t-shirt) designs.

If you perhaps thought that this write-up was being used as a last-ditch attempt to try and shift at least a few copies then you would humorously mistaken. There was an initial run of a batch of 300 units which sold out in days. In days.
There will be a reprint for anyone that wants one when issue 2 is published but you can still find all the info for issue 1 here.

DIG mag is set to be a real goldmine so you'd be advised to start collecting them as soon as you can.

The main page to buy DIG is here:
digmag.co.uk

If you are on Facebook then go here:
https://www.facebook.com/digmagofficial

To contribute to a future issue of DIG go here:
https://tinyurl.com/digmag-contribute

LG's Digging 4 Victory podcasts are here:
http://www.digging4victory.co.uk

The Blow Monkeys' 1986 hit Digging Your Scene is here:
https://youtu.be/KlXAd6lwHFo

Paul Nice Breaks For Days 2 - The Rise & Fall Via Social Media

Yeah, well. This is a bit embarrassing.

Up until a week ago my estimation of Paul Nice was that he thoroughly deserved his moniker what with being such a great beatsmith and all. However it's come to light (via Facebook) that he is actually duping a lot of people by promising to sell them his products and then stopping any communication with them. Or if he does then it's then accompanied by tales of woe and broken promises.

Basically he's pocketing all their hard-earned cash.
All I can do is shake my head.

Remember life before social media? Didn't that thin veil of mystique that enshrouded your favourite artist used to be so welcome - at least now in hindsight? Did you, like me, feel that the solid line of separation between artist and fan mean that you looked up to them that much more?
Nowadays with everything seemingly on a flat surface, a ground zero if you will where the playing field is almost wide open there seems to exist a blurring of lines and DJ Supa-Beatmaker is now your virtual BFF because he 'liked' one of your Twitter or Instagram posts.

The rise of social media, at least in my eyes, has been a double-edged sword and has shone a spotlight - either good or bad - on everyone in the public eye, magnifying their everyday behaviour.
Someone who behaves like a nob probably WAS a nob back in 1992 but it's only now that because celebrity invites Joe Public into their lives through the medium of their smartphone that everything is up for discussion and there isn't really room for secrets any more.


There's a whole other related topic I could get into about social media and how it is very good for spreading music to thousands of pairs of ears in an instant. It's just that another thousand pair of ears then want to share their music to even more ears. The rise of social media means the lowering of quality control and proliferation of average songs that are pushed to seemingly sky-high levels because of the almost now-meaningless and redundant 'Like' button. A barometer of mediocrity.

Anyway, that said, enjoy this mix from half of of The Fabreze Brothers - who's album of the same name is still one of my absolute favourites from the past few years - which features some great breaks that even though you know well do still love.

Breaks for Days 2 - Mixed by DJ Paul Nice

Source

Big shout to Pipomixes for the heads-up.

Haynesy - Hip Hop Advocate Album Sneak Preview Review

We at ABU were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of HAYNESY's upcoming album, Hip Hop Advocate.
For the uninitiated, Haynesy was half of the DJ Cue Tips & MC Dashy D partnership (responsible for the classic, 'Control' as featured on the Hard Core One album from 1988) as well as the SLR Crew (South London Renegades) so he has a good pedigree.
Tired of not hearing the sort of stuff he likes he decided to go one step ahead and simply make his own stuff instead. The result of this decision is what eventually became Hip Hop Advocate.
Entirely self-produced, Haynesy has employed the talents of two talented wordsmiths; Scorzayzee and Dweller who proceed to float over the tracks as smoothly as a pint of Guinness and give the set a glaze of lyrical perfection.

There is already a huge buzz about some of the tracks that have already been heard on the radio and no diggidy, you will certainly agree when you hear them.
The album is just going through it's final mastering stages then will be available through the usual audio platforms (Spotify/Apple etc..).
More details when we get them.

Here's a track-by-track run-thru.

1. 1995 ft. Scorzayzee (95 bpm)
An homage to hip-hop five years before the Millennium took place with many namechecks of artists, albums and events of the era. This is a mid-tempo plodder with a Rockit stab which acts as a sealant to keep the funk flowing throughout.

2. Jewels ft. Scorzayzee (93 bpm)
Some nicely-furious rhythmic scratch in the chorus really does propel a song along and this is a oft-repeated tactic here on H.H.A. With Scorzayzee's effortless rhymes acting like a lyrical cosy pillow, DJ Cue Tips' turntable trix act as that early morning alarm bell to wake you from your slumber, albeit in a good way.

3. On & On ft. Scorzayzee (93 bpm)
A great groove on this with some dirty funk guitar licks and brass as Scorzayzee drops his flow.

4 Love 'Em All ft. Scorzayzee (96 bpm)
Dope sparse break punctuated by a Bouncy stab giving way to plucky guitar and snazzy hi-hats on this one.

5. B-Boy Showdown (110 bpm)
A seriously scorching instrumental which as the title suggests is aimed primarily at the dancefloor. With it's uptempo bpm this cut bounces along with some fine production and unloads breaks and stabs at an alarming rate which is destined to provide a highlight to any forward-thinking club night with open-minded dancers.

6. Dusty Vinyl (90 bpm) ft. Dweller
DWELLER is on the mic for this moody "old school banger". Initially punctuated by some sly Meters drums it quickly drops into a mid-tempo, thematic groove.

7. The Limits (82 bpm) ft. Dweller
This first 'slow' track of the album utilises the En Vogue Hold On bassline to tremendous effect here. And if you're after a mic-drop moment, then ,"I took hip-hop and restored it to it's Factory Settings" is certainly it.

8. Portraits (94 bpm) ft. Scorzayzee
Guitar licks pepper the dreamy groove with Scorzayzee's rhymes of how he is perceived by others ("I am whoever made me…however you wanna paint me"). Strictly 4 the head-nodding crew.

9. Brain Tour (96 bpm) ft. Scorzayzee
The brass on this lends the feel of a big band on production - it seems larger than it is and fills any blank spaces in the track with horns, flute and scratch. If your cranium is peckish this a feast for the ears.

10. Bonestash (92 bpm) ft. Scorzayzee
As we reach the end of the session one thing becomes clear - there have not been any rap cliches throughout. The breaks mostly sound as if Haynesy has invited a live funk band into his front room, given then a fresh brew, couple of Hob-Nobs and pressed 'play+record'. Double naughty.

Overall this album is excellently produced and the tracks - although not dirtily-raw - are clean which allow the vocals to shine through without getting muffled in the mix. The choruses all feature a sadly-lost motif from hip-hop of yesteryear and that is, quite simply, the scratch.
Every chorus has a scratch running through it either subtly (The Limits) or more frenetically (Jewels) which automatically gets the ABU thumbs pointing sky-high.
Also what compels me to grin like a loon about this album is that it utilises that not-oft practice in which just one producer gets to layout his sound throughout. This is the opposite of the usual 'too many cooks' approach in which the average album can get lost in the many examples of different sounds trying to be heard from start to finish.
Haynesy, with his unique stamp driven into this project, adds a notable calibre to this UK rap album making it an easy contender for any punter's top 5 long-players of 2018.

And with this in mind, we're giving Haynesy's Hip Hop Advocate album a rating of 4.5 LEEs out of 5.

Digging 4 Victory Podcast 34 – June 2018

Just a quick heads-up to let you know that the latest Digging 4 Victory podcast is now up and ready.
Two hours of the classiest tunes around all put together by LG (ex-Style Warrior) and there are some absolute crackers this month.
Laid back jazz-funk, retro synthwave, freshly-made funk covers of classic hip-hop plus....classic hip-hop.
With the weather being so bloomin' good to us recently (have we beaten 1976 yet?) D4V is the perfect accompaniment to this heatwave.

ALSO... incoming review of LG's sister project DIG magazine very soon.

Don't Sweat The Technics - Vol 1

Here's a mix I did the other day live on the wheels of steel featuring some Golden Era classics.
I've added a smidge of post-production bits and doo-dads but it's mostly 'as-is' from the session.

Jebus, I dunno... sometimes when I'm on the decks and the music is banging in my headphones it just all feels so good, y'know? We'll never get those days back but the sounds will always be there of a more innocent time.



Have a listen and feel free to share. If you don't then I might have to pay you a visit while you're eating your dinner and knee you in the 'nads.
Sorry, I don't make the rules. Hate the game, not the playa.

Pip pip!
Senor Repo

Mike Allen Capital Radio Show Friday Feb 1986

Here is a FULL Mike Allen show from the Capital days courtesy of FeverPitch who shared this on his Twitter recently (big up!).
Some great tracks with many being Egyptian Lover is still in there.
I'd love to know more info on the later song (#23) as Mike was being ultra cagey and keeping his card very close to his chest about the details to it. The emcees sound sort of English as well. Intriguing...

Mike Allen
Capital Radio
Friday 21/02/1986

01 Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force - Who Do You Think You're Funkin With?
02  Artists United Against Apartheid - Let Me See Your ID
03 Capt Rock - You Stink

Ads - Penguin Passnotes / Tower Records / Daily Star / Stuart Clean

04 Tablet The Second
05 Pretty Ricky & Booski - It's Mine

Ads - Agnes of God trailer / Penguin Passnotes / Network Chart / Supercall

06 Goon Squad - Powerdrill
07 LL Cool J - Rock The Bells

Ads - 19 Magazine / Pan Am / Commando trailer / Harvey Nicholls

08 Disco 3 - Get Busy
09 DBC Is In The Place?
10 Janet Jackson - Nasty Boys

Ads - Sealink / Mr Love trailer / Feargal Sharkey gig trailer
followed by Weather ("that's not cold, that's antisocial")

11 Just Ice - Put That Record Back On
12 Glamour Girls - Oh Veronica
13 Afrika Bambaataa, Afrika Islam and Jazzy Jay - Fusion Beats (Bozo Meko)
14 MC New York - I Am New York

Ads - Supercall / Pan Am / Feargal Sharkey gig trailer / Harvey Nicholls

15 Super Kids - The Tragedy
16 Egyptian Lover - These Are My Beats

Ads - Penguin Passnotes / Lambeth Recruitment / Supercall / Women's Weekly

The Groove Hip Hop Sales Chart

17 Stetsasonic - Just Say Stet
18 Byron Davies & The Fresh Crew - My Hands Are Quicker Than The Eye
19 Hashim - Primrose Path

Ads - Melody Maker / Video Cafe / Penguin Passnotes / The GLC Black Experience

20 The Incredible Ray (?) A mysterious song that Mike wouldn't speak much on. Wasn't even played from vinyl.
21 The 2 Live Crew - What I Like (Scratch Mix)
22 Lovebug Starski - Saturday Night
23 Davy DMX - The DMX Will Rock

Ads - Agnes of God trailer / 19 Magazine / Holiday Ad





Source

Promo Only: A Visual History of Hip-Hop Memorabilia

Those lovely chaps who used to run Fat Lace mag but now are far too busy with many different fingers in many different pies have a great new book they dearly want you to read.


The book details all the free stuff that record labels would send to shops and journalists in the hope of sealing the deal and perhaps making a certain product more likely to stick out. Memorabilia from the hip hop world is always sought after but when you factor in rare stuff that Joe Public may never have even seen back in the day then this book suddenly becomes super interesting.

The trouble is it hasn't been published yet.
The prototype looks amazing and the authors have content for days. Andrew Emery used to write off to rap labels and received promo stuff then joined HHC mag and got more promo shizz. This then is the journey through his (and Dan 'DJ' Greenpeace) world as his collection continued to grow and grow.

Annoyingly, a project like this needs a hefty injection of financial love if they want to present it as intended so that it doesn't feel like some sad, flimsy, DIY, knock it out yerself collection of pages barely stuck together. And this is where you come in.
Visit the crowd-funding page here and you'll find different ways to help and become an official backer of the project. The more you contribute the more you get.
For instance, £15 gets you an "Ebook and name in back of book" while the "Limited Janette Beckman Print Package" will see you receiving a wealth of fun gifts including "a private game of the Beat Street board game with the authors" for a mere £5k.

All details can be found here. Show your support as this is a very worthwhile project.

Hip Hop Connection Magazine - Issues 7 & 8

Issue #7, August 1989 (LL Cool J front cover)

This issue came with a free flexidisc. However let's not get too excited. The song, Change Your Ways, was taken from the just-released Walking With A Panther album. And even then it was only available on the cassette and CD versions rather than the record.
In summary, it's his not best work from his not best album.

The magazine is here.
The song is here.









 

Issue #8, September 1989 (EPMD front cover)

More hip-hop goodness including the adorable fresh-faced mugshots in the Connections section.

The magazine is here.


N.b. Sorry for the huge gaps in between each uploading of these HHC mags but the response from the blog readership to keep putting them up here digitally is just so ear-shatteringly deafening.
Whoops, I meant of course, non-existent.

Beat Street Japan - New LOVEGROVE Design

Here is the newest design by LOVEGROVE designs. It's a great play on the classic Beat Street logo from the legendary 1984 b-boy film.
Fans of Style Warrior may remember the excellent Beat Street tee they put out a few years ago and this version is seemingly going down the same route as the recent Kold Sweat Records tee with it's LOVEGROVE-remixed Japanese slant.

It's available as a tee or hoodie in two colours (hoodie only in one).
For more info go here:
https://everpress.com/beat-street-japan

But as always, it's an order first, product soon-come affair as the design is strictly a one-off. Miss out and you will forever lose out.

Jamez ABU

ABU Is 10 Years Old!

Today - 20th April 2018 - marks ten years since the Ageing B-Boys Unite! blog came into existence. Nope, I can't believe it either (I actually thought is was 11 years...).

Why did I start it?
Well, at the time there were a fair few hip-hop blogs around and after a few months of reading them I thought it was time to do one from a UK perspective. Also I had let my creative writing passion continue its' long-term hiatus ever since the days of Juice Fanzine in the 90s.
After seeing the banner written on an early Fat Lace Magazine which stated, "the magazine for ageing b-boys..." I reckoned I could use that. Well, c'mon, hip-hop is built on biting!

The links to every music file I ever uploaded are most likely all dead - mostly because I used the once-great file-sharing platform, Rapidshare which sadly became defunct in 2012. Many of the blogs I used to visit also relied on Rapidshare, too, which meant that all their content went the same way.

What's the future?
Who knows? Anyone who's been a regular over the years will know how quiet ABU! has been of late. Last year I even thought it was all over but, like the great Pete Tong says, we continue. We're not quite done and we limp awkwardly around here in 2018 not quite knowing what we're doing like a senile uncle. If it's okay with you we'll just put our collective feet up on this stool and sit quietly in the corner of the room sipping tea and dunking biscuits until the nurse comes over to administer the medication.
Will we be celebrating in another 10 years? I don't really want to have to think about that as I'll be heading towards a rather large milestone in my life.
But chances are, no.

I made some useful acquaintances over the years through the blog and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there and I'll tell you that a guy named Supreme was a direct influence because of his blog. This now sounds completely lame because I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the blog he used to run. It did disappear a few years back in my defence.
I remember he once posted links to grab a tonne of (digital) Battle Breaks on one blog post years back which I thought was odd as the concept of digital DJing was still quite a new thing and I didn't rally understand how it worked. How times have changed?

Waxer and Disco Scratch came along pretty early on and we became a worthwhile alliance. This was early social networking.

Another blogger, Warlord seemed to be the epitome of that (awful) 'Tubthumping' song in that every time his blog got busted he came back again and refused to stay down. Although he has not been active for a while now.

And lastly, Ramses has been a long-time follower and I can remember knocking around with him in the golden days of the oldschoolhiphop.com forum. I would say 'R.I.P.' but the board is still going although not like the heady heights of the old days.

The reason for all of life's back luck and anger can be laid at the feet of one thing: Facebook.
Many people jumped ship and now use social media for their everyday news and music links - me included, so I can't complain. I just wish that Blogger  had incorporated Facebook into it's design a bit more then it may have given it a longer shelf life.

Anyhoo, this is me, Repo, wearing a party hat, blowing a plastic horn and about to cut a slice of birthday cake. Want some?

Roxanne, Roxanne Movie Review

Why'd'ya Have To Make A Movie 'Bout Me...?!

There was talk of a Roxanne Shante screen adaptation some years ago and here it finally is.
This mid/low budget drama tells the story of Lolita Shante Gooden as she tries to make her way through life in early 1980s NYC, specifically the projects in Queensbridge.

It all looks rather clean for 1984, no filthy streets, clothes all immaculate; I imagined a totally different place back then.
Thirteen year-old Roxanne is constantly heralded as the Queen emcee, especially by her best friend who insists of announcing her presence wherever she goes, ("the champ is here, the champ is here"). Sadly though we don't get to actually see much battling as the story is more concerned in showing you Shante's personal battles than those out in the parks and basketball courts.

The REAL Roxanne (left) / TV Roxanne (right)

This is evident early on and we learn how much of a struggle she had with looking after her younger sisters and trying to keep her head up in the Projects. However we do eventually get to see Roxanne's first glimmer of fame as she records that answer record about UTFO up in Marley Marl's crib. The actor playing Marley has a slight resemblance to him and that works in his favour. Actually the actress playing Roxanne not only looks alike at times but has a similar name in real life - Chanté Adams.

We don't get to see a whole deal of the concerts and life in music as I explained earlier which may frustrate some because of course that is pretty much why many wanted this film to be made in the first place. Nevertheless it's a good insight into what made her the feisty young lady she became.

There is some A-list talent roped in to this project such as Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams who were two of the many producers, The RZA on scoring duties as well as the 1990s-honey dip, Nia Long (Boyz n the Hood, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) and 1/3 Beastie Boy, Adam Horovitz in a short cameo.
However for me though I feel it could've gone a bit deeper into the music as some of the Juice Crew were featured (albeit by actors) and I couldn't help thinking that we could've got some good stories out of them.

Oh, and the less said about the shoe-horned Nas scenes, the better.

Roxanne, Roxanne is available to watch on Netflix here.

ABU Funk Special Podcast REEEEWIND!

Tonight at 9pm is the ABU Podcast on Disco Scratch Radio.

This is a rewind show from 2013, a Funk Special.
Go to http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio/ to listen.
Go to https://discord.gg/7z3Qk46 to chat.

Check it out. Tonight! 9pm!


**UPDATE**

The above show is now resident on the Disco Scratch server.

https://discoscratch.co.uk/2018/03/29/ageing-b-boys-unite-funk-special-podcast-march-2018/

Tracklist

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01 Rueben Wilson - Inner City Blues (1972)
02 Consumer Rapport - Go On With Your Bad Self (1975)
03 Kool & The Gang - Jungle Jazz (1975)
04 The Bar-Kays - Holy Ghost (1978)
05 James Brown - Escape-ism (1971)
06 Afrique - House Of Rising Funk (1973)
07 Lightnin' Rod - Sport (1973)
08 The 24 Carat Black - Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth (1973)
09 Eric B. & Rakim - In the Ghetto (1990)
10 David Matthews - Sandworms (Dune 1977)
11 David McCullum - The Edge (1967)
12 Pearly Queen - Quit Jivin' (1974)
13 Andre Previn - Executive Party (from Rollerball 1975)
14 Alan Hawkshaw - Blarney's Stoned (1972)
15 Nick Ingman - Tense Preparation (1972)
16 Synthesonic Sounds - House Of The Rising Sun (1973)
17 Jean Jacques Perrey - E.V.A. (1970)
18 Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep (Step In The Arena 1990)
19 Cat Stevens - Was Dog A Doughnut (1977)
20 Keith Mansfield - Teenage Chase (1969)
21 Krug Manfred - Wenn Der Urlaub Kommt (1976)
22 Johnny Pate - Shaft In Africa (1973)
23 Cookie Crew - Born This Way (1989)
24 87th Off Broadway - Moving Woman
25 Sweet Linda Divine - I'll Say It Again (1970)
26 The Chocolate Jam Co. - Chocolate Jam (1979)
27 Archie Bell & The Drells - I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love (1979)
28 Jackson 5 - It's Great To Be Here (1974)
29 Seals And Crofts - Sweet Green Fields (1976)
30 Tom Scott - Today (1967)
31 King Curtis - Instant Groove (1969)
32 The Politicians - Free Your Mind (1972)
33 Dennis Coffey - Getting It On (1974)
34 Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street (1972)
35 Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1970)

New Steinski Stuff!

Double Dee (L), Steinski (R)

What's this? New Steinski material? And WITH Double Dee as well? Yoinks!
This is What's The Angle? - Double Dee featuring ADA and is in that typical cut 'n' paste style we've come to know, expect and demand.

New track from Double Dee featuring ADA! In this first official collaboration Double Dee invited long time fan ADA into the Double Dee and Steinski family to help answer the question "What's The Angle?"

“What’s the Angle” is in the same bag as some of my previous productions, "Jezebel" and "Who Owns Culture #2", all which have a decidedly rock feel and use elements from classic recordings. As you’ll hear in the track, there are samples from more than a few sources - some more well known than others. See if you can find them!

Listen below and go to the Bandcamp page to grab a high-quality copy.




Also check out this recent Steinski piece. It's a very downbeat and sombre audio collage in ode of the recent school fatalities of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last month.


More links...

Why not check out the rest of their Soundcloud page here (as well as here) with many other goodies including remastered versions of the legendary Lessons tracks. Excellent stuff.
And while you're scootin' all over the internet, here's the Double Dee and Steinski Official Site.
You may find yourself here for a long while.

Roxanne Shante Is Coming To Netflix

There's a brand new biopic coming to our screens exclusively on Netflix on March 23 all about the legendary Roxanne Shante aka Lolita Shante Gooden.
Produced by Pharrell Williams this gritty drama deals with Roxanne's early life and the trials and tribulations that take place as she suddenly becomes hip-hop's hottest property.

Fingers crossed that this will be a very worthy watch as hopefully the fact that this is not something that the world is screaming out for - no disrespect intended to the Queen of Rox - so maybe there will be a feeling of passion put into this rather than something just knocked out quickly because it's the flavour of the month.


Further reading:
The Story of Roxanne Shanté: How a Teenager From Queens Became Rap's First Female Star 

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8221694/roxanne-shante-interview-netflix-biopic-rap-star

The Return of Disco Scratch Radio - TONIGHT!

Tonight sees the return of Disco Scratch Radio back to our airwaves at 9pm just like it always was.
And word on the street is... this could well be a regular thing.


Disco Scratch Radio will be back on air tonight (Thursday 15th March 2018 @9pm) and Waxer is introducing a new section to the show for each live broadcast, entitled "ABU! in 3"

This part of the show is for any member of the Ageing B Boys Unite Facebook group who wishes to interact by selecting 3 records that represent them.
These records DO NOT have to be hip hop.
In fact you can have anything you feel represents you.

The general schedule for Disco Scratch Radio is a live show on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month (with the ABU! in 3 section) and 2nd and 4th Thursdays being Polystylism/Digging 4 Victory and sometimes an official ABU! Podcast on the last Thursday of the month.

So how do you get involved?
Simply inbox us direct with your 3 selected record choices, a few lines about who you are and why you chose those records and any crew shout outs.

The Group Inbox address is here:
ageingbboysunite@groups.facebook.com

Wax will do the "ABU in 3" section just after his rant, "Views At Ten", so expect the ABU bit around 10.15pm.

Hope you can get involved and please remember, inbox only for submissions. That way we can discuss choices in the live chat.

Anything else?
Oh yeah, please try to get your submissions in at least a week before a scheduled show. The next live show will be next week 22nd so start getting them in!

Audi 5000...

Tune in tonight from 9pm at the usual place:
http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio/

Join the chatroom, too:
https://discord.gg/7z3Qk46

New From Haynesy Feat. ddubble - The ddubble EP

Do you remember a UK rap compilation album called Hard Core Volume 1 from back in 1988? One of the best songs on it was Control by DJ Cue Tips & Dashy D.
It turns out that one of this duo (Matt) is a member of the ABU Facebook Group and casually mentioned the fact that he was part of the album. Well, it also turns out that he has made this lovely little two-track beauty (as 'HAYNESY').

It's digital only but he would much rather get a physical release out, too.
Support it here: https://ddubble.bandcamp.com/album/ddubble-ep



Also, speaking of that Hard Core comp, there was a cut called Into The Music by one MC Krazee A aka Nihal Arthanayake.
Some of you might recognise the name Nihal as that guy who presents on the radio (BBC Radio 5 Live, Asian Network) as well as appearances on tv (The Wright Show).
Well, isn't it a Krazee world....

New From REMARK - Book Of Fear

New heat from Remark telling it like it is over a dope, retro synth-led banger!




https://remark.bandcamp.com/track/book-of-fear

#MarketplaceMondays

Over on the ABU Group on Facebook we have a day dedicated to spam. Big old meaty spam.
Yes, for one day of the week you can push any old tat you wish to all the members of the group - DJ mixes, music productions, artwork, gigs, events...
But that is it. After 24 hours the 'No Spamming' rule is back-n-effect.

"Egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam; spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam, or Lobster Thermidor au Crevette with a Mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam".


https://www.facebook.com/groups/ageingbboysunite/

Astrosphearz' 80's Hip Hop Mix

I was just cleaning out my Spam folder over the weekend and came across an email from Astrosphearz.
It's a really, really well put together of 80s rap tunes. The reason I'm giving it props is due to the fact that the selection is top-notch - some lesser-heard songs get shine - and there has been a lot of effort put into producing the whole mix. It's not just a case of blending for an hour but some excellent editing has gone into this as well as some esoteric thought behind what goes where.
Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have some shit-hot scratching, too!
I urge you to check this.

Apologies to Astrosphearz for the slackness.

ABU Podcast #68 Space Funk Special DOWNLOAD

Did you miss the ABU Podcast which was broadcast on Disco Scratch the other evening?
Here's the link. Two hours of space-age hip-hop, electro, funk and rock breaks.

Tracklist in comments.



or go here.

ABU Podcast 'Space Funk' - This Week

We're back this Thursday (22nd) with a themed Podcast.

Broadcasting exclusively on Disco Scratch Radio (http://discoscratch.co.uk/radio/) at 9pm, get over there NOW so you can select which player may suit your device's needs best.

Bring your headphones.

New ABU Podcast 'Space Funk' - Coming Soon

We've been a bit quiet lately but fear not as there's plenty going on here at ABU Towers.

Coming soon - aiming for the last Thursday of Feb - is the latest Podcast. It will have a 'Space Funk' theme and so far sounds pretty good. There's so much that can be categorized under this theme, much more so than anticipated that it will be difficult in deciding what to eliminate to make the show's usual two hour runtime.

More details soon.