Random Soundcloud mixes…

Just a couple of Soundcloud mixes weve been enjoyin’ recently…

DJ Mek – St Patrick Days Mix [Scary Eire unreleased gems, Undertones, Thin Lizzy, La Coka Nostra, House Of Pain, some proper trad and other ‘Oirish’ related Hip-Hop erm, shenanigans]. Mek is THE DJs DJ of choice when it comes to anything Irish or Hip-Hop, and in this instance, both. He was also the man behind the boards for ScaryÉire

THE Nate Dogg back-cat mix of choice from DJ Steve1der

A heavyweight selection of Todd Terry productions of late 80s house tracks with a Hip-Hop influence, mostly because they were engineered/ executively produced by Grand Wizard Tony D. Tasty mix by some chap by the name of DJ Lerosa, big respect is automatic…

Greg Wilson Live set from a few weeks ago [as ever, quality music and edits from Mr Wilson]

The Cassette Era AKA In the PJs, my blend tape plays

Mr Jones looks back at the science of recording radio shows onto a format long forgotten about, from the days when he was a ‘young city bandit’. He talks about the importance of twiddling up and down the dial during the days when more than one show was on the New York FM airwaves, the colour of the physical tape and even the fragrance of a fresh cassette. Top choice clip for the throwback crowd and anyone that put their batteries in the freezer to recharge em

To listen to a multi-million selling artist talk about those live tapes and park jams with such affection and admit theyre still hurtin from missing those tapes is something anyone who did the same back then can equate to. I wonder if Nasir repeatedly used the same C90 before he got his double tape player. Anyone that has any Fresh Fest recordings needs to get in touch too btw

It can be a painful experience to recount those lost tapes sometimes. Thankfully, some of us held on to em and folk like ourselves and Dutch are resurrecting those broadcasts and live sessions. I hear the Fat Lace chaps are bringin some Westwood back real soon too, ‘HOLD TIGHT, WATCH THE RIDE’.

This also erm, amps us. Shouts to Dom for the heads-up, and to Jappy Jap for havin one of the most ridiculous names ever.

Various – Best of RARE [Cassette Rip]

This is a cassette rip of the Best of the RARE selection of ‘Rare Soul classics from the 70s & 80s’ compilations released on Ariola through BMG during the late 80s. The RARE series was widely know in UK vinyl collectors circles as one of the few compilations that allowed listeners access to these hits and bits for cheaps…

Side One

Lonnie Liston Smith – Expansions
Edna Wright – Oops Here I Go Again
Harvey Mason – Till You Take My Love
Charme – Never [Gonna Let You Go]
Banda Black Rio – Miss Cheryl
Francine McGee – Delerium
Serenade – Stick By Me

Side Two

Bernard Wright – Haboglabotribin
Don Blackman – Holding You, Loving You
Main Ingredient – Work To Do
Chocolate Milk – Action Speaks Louder Than Words
Real To Reel – Love Me Like This
Gene Page – Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
Tom Browne – Mr. Business

Electro is aural sex AKA Streetsounds Electro re-mastered…

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Anyone over the age of 30 from a British based Hip-Hop background is aware of the importance of the Streetsounds record label and of course the influence the Electro series of compilations had on young ears during the 80s. Im not gonna spout off about the heritage, Morgan Khan, or the significance of early 12″ independent Hip-Hop releases making their way in compilation form across provincial UK and Ireland, that’s been done. Below is the dangerous Dave Pearce hosted BBC 6Music Streetsounds themed show from earlier this year featuring some interesting discussions with Morgan.

To me, in 2010, I’ll be honest, they arent exactly a series I’ve gone back to a huge amount. Once in a blue I’ll do an ‘Oyster’ [touch in, touch out] and have a swizz through one of the volumes I have an attachment to, but they are not a series I keep on heavy rotation.

The reason for this is the lack of quality of those original releases, yeh, they sounded fine, yet with advances in digital formats and the ability to re-record and improve on the original without having to wait for a feckin box-set re-issue with marketing bells on, well, im more than happy that people like Hashmoder are around. When it comes to specific volumes, I have my own personal favourites, I recall the first time I heard them, where I heard them, and which ones were the best to dance to.

Pullin out the Mr Sheen to polish the lino was a standard, but top-rockin and throwin shapes to the B-Side of Electro 5 on cassette, blastin that block-rockin soundtrack in the faces of the lumbering masses in Belfast City Centre of a Saturday afternoon circa 1984 was something that offered master of records status at a very young and naive age, bless.

Via EBay a few years back, I recall a mate buying a heap of the so called ‘remastered ELECTRO’ series when theyd first been transferred to CD. I remember hearing about them in a fit of excitement, and also recall hearing them for the first time and thinking, what the feck, who put these together, and why do they sound like shit-all squared, what a total waste of money, did a monkey record these in a coal-shed using string and a bit of good fortune ? Whoever it was, was a chancer.

Ostensibly, there has never been a better time to listen to the Electro series than now and this fella Omar is the reason why, the clip gives you an insight into why. This nerd-boy/ man-fan, HASHMODER [both terms delivered with nothing but sentiments of appreciation],  is the don-dada of vinyl transfers in my opinion, essentially cos he is particular about properties of sound.

This fella has transferred the first few releases and seems to be continuing to do so, the recordings sound crisp with warm low-end, clinical highs, and a real nod to the sound that the original composers where going for. These are evidently labour-intensive and detailed restorations, to the point where elements of records that you may have heard numerous times since childhood now feature new sounds, sampling and instrumentation. Strangely, some editions are better than others for some reason, Electro 3 sounding the crunchiest to me.

You may think you recognise every little nuance and sequence of these classic releases, feck that, learn to think again peoples, I GUARANTEE there are shards of sounds you will discover for the first time listening back to these earlier volumes. Nevermind the fundamental ‘pops and crackles’, hats off to this man for taking the time, and going into great detail with the compression, the noise reduction and the general process of remastering a piece of vinyl from a generation ago.

If anyone knows who Carver Design were, or if anyone has info on Red Ranch, Paul Jenkins and the folk that did the layouts for the first few Electro releases, get in touch. The later designs received typesetting love from agencies such as Graphic Entertainment/ Workhouse 42, Contemporary Graphics and De Facto, again, any info, let us know…

Equally, let us know your earliest memories of Streetsounds/ Electro and the effect the compilations had on you as a record collector, b-boy, writer [shouts to AD2000 from one of the original BOMB SQUAD as he so astutely referred to Northern Irish writers].

Get involved over at his, or hit him up @hashmoder and do yer bit to thank the man. As ever, big respect is automatic. Oh, and nice porch…

Aural sex available here – http://www.hashmoder.com – and dont just rip and run, offer some thanks and praise, it is deserved…

Btw. if anyone comments on the fact that he may be recording from the ESSENTIAL ELECTRO BOX SET series and not from the individual volumes, go play with traffic, like now…and if you only listen to music through your lap-top speakers, the same goes for you, stroll on…

Biggest shouts to the Sheridan brothers from Belfast, Tony and Stephen, true originators…

DJ Cash Money – Need To Learno Plot One

They call him Cash Cash Money, but his name his, erm, Jerome…

HOTASBALLS have history, admittedly, ALOT of Hip-Hop history, that’s why the Hip-Hop soundtrack for the creators of this blog is anything from pre-1980 community centre Hip-Hop from the likes of Johnny Wah or Masterdon Committee, to blissed out lethargic G-Funk, via the gnarliest Mobb sound that would guarantee to put hairs on yer wee chest. This time round, its gold school Hip-Hop at it’s finest. Some Crash Crew, Busy Bee, some CC4 live, Treach3, Funky4, T-Connection & the elusive Radiance with RC La Rock amongst others. Straight pre golden-era park jam top-rockin type Hip-Hop, in a mixtape. I’ve done my best to tweak the eqs in an attempt to re-master it, it was a pretty shitty quality tape to start with but Ive done my best…

DJ Cash Money – Need To Learno Plot 1

SIDE A – www.mediafire.com/?03wutw39jp79qu5
SIDE B – www.mediafire.com/?gk6b7kbd5ma7dd0

The mixtape has one of the tightest examples of scratching, on a mixtape, like ever. True story.

Here’s Cash and Marvellous during 1988, on the Tim Westwood hosted Night Network TV Show ‘N-Sign Radio’, performing Ugly Woman and another tight as feck routine.

Prince Paul – Greatest Snips Mix CD

Released to coincide with the promotion of the Prince Among Thieves full lengther back in 2003, Greatest Snips is a speedy breeze through Prince Pauls back-catalogue of productions, doing exactly what is what probably designed to do, enlighten and school you, and make you realise that Paul is actually one of the finest producers still doin it.

‘The skit-master’ sound may not be to everyones taste, but if youve ever listened to De La, Gravediggaz, 3rd Bass, have attention disorders and drink way too much caffeine of an afternoon, I guarantee this’ll make the route home from work a cheery saunter as opposed to a pain in the arse trek.

http://www.mediafire.com/?qbu56xdyz5o3iz3