Sunday 28 October 2007

Diggin' in the rain

"I'm diiiiiggin' in the rain....just diiiiggin' in the rain! What a glooooorious feeeeeling I'm happy again!"

OK so the weather was piss-poor today but I'm not about to let a drop of rain dampen my beatdigging urges. At the time I didn't realise the trains were also "effed up" in the centre of London. It's not an easy journey into the capital at the best of times, coming from out in the suburbs of the city, but the engineering works at weekends on London's railways sometimes make it a lottery whether you and your wax get home or not! Had I known about the train problems I may have thought again about braving the elements (the natural ones that is, not the hip hop ones.)






....anyway I threw on my goosedown to keep me toasted on the way, with some tunes in my pocket - Soulman's 92-93 beats mixtape to be precise, to get me in the digging mood. Fortunately the weather had kept many people away from the city and I was free to roam the backstreets in search of a dusty vinyl resting place. If all else fails there was always the usual spots which could guarantee a find or two. But today the digging Gods were smiling on me because
it wasn't long before I stumbled on some treats. The first exciting find was in a dusty second hand store just off Oxford Street, namely Jimmy McGriff "Mean Machine" LP on Groove Merchant with the amazing "It Feels So Nice (Do It Again)" on it, and for a mere 4 pounds (approx. 8 dollars). There is some water damage to the cover but the record was virtually mint. Check the soundclip for yourself I'm sure you will agree this was a steal! Such a beautiful track. I think it appeared on one of Kon & Amir's fine mixes.




There are several small record shops scattered around the Oxford Street and Soho area of W1, but to be honest it was pretty much a fruitless exercise other than the Jimmy McGriff LP. I chose to make for the tube and head for Camden Town where the Music and Video Exchange was the next destination for a rummage through their racks in the basement. And that's where I found the next record that made me think the journey today was worthwile - a copy of Johnny Hammond's "Shifting Gears" on 45rpm on Milestone Records. I have the LP already, but I also have a fetish for any Ultimate Break on 7" 45rpm format, so this record and I were destined to leave the shop together!
Thanks to Steve Skye for hooking me up! This little beauty was hiding away under the counter so I could easily have missed it. I have added a soundclip of this gem too because the song is just sooo good! One for the B-Boys.



I also found a copy of D-Nice 12" "Glory" b/w "It's All About Me" on Jive for a quid in their bargain shop across the road near Camden Lock (right next to the marijuana dealers!) It's one D-Nice 12" I didn't own already, and didn't recognise the track names either. But at that price I bought it "blind". I must be totally honest I never realised how dope these tracks were 'til I got back to the lab and threw it on my turns. "It's all About Me" is one of the killer tracks from his LP, so I will leave you with a soundclip of that joint to keep the hip hop heads happy and YOUR head nodding. D-Nice is definitely at his peak here despite the crumby track titles, and visually unappealing picture sleeve. And he definitely "kicks the science" as the scratchin' says!
I won't bore you with a picture, but instead here's a better one of D-Nice with BDP stablemates KRS-One and Scott La Rock (RIP).Doesn't he look young? Give the soundclip below a blast, and see what YOU think. I'm sure you will recognise it when you hear it, and love it as I did. But do you got it on 12" huh??



Saturday 27 October 2007

HEAVY ROTATION eBay shop




Hey vinyl lovers! My buddy from HEAVY ROTATION RECORDS has finally opened his eBay shopfront. He specialises in black music, and sells only 100% Original Pressings, with no wack bootlegs or re-issues. It's been a long time coming but believe me it's been worth the wait.
Vinyl fiends and beat diggers in the London area will know Ritchie from his bi-weekly stall at the Spitalfields Market Record Fair (photo above) near Liverpool Street Train Station. Over the years he has supplied me with some RAER pieces from my collection. My copies of MAIN SOURCE - "Think/Atom" (ACTUAL) and MC GLAMOROUS - "Good To Go" (PRISM) both came from the Heavy Rotation stock (thanks Ritchie). If it's a rare piece you are looking for then Ritchie can probably help you, or know a man who can. Take a peep at his store here.
Over the next few weeks HEAVY ROTATION will be adding more crazy dope records to their online stocklist stretching across all genres from Jazz to Funk, Breaks to Soul, Hip Hop to Afro, Reggae to Latin - the crates run DEEP! Right now there some rare UK and US hip hop records up for grabs. There's even a copy of the UK holy grail FRESHSKI & MO ROCK - "Talking Pays" 12" on Tuff Groove. Now that's what I'm talkin' about!! That wasn't an easy record to find back in the day, let alone now.

This is just the tip of the iceberg - there's more to be added on a weekly basis, so add HEAVY ROTATION to your favourite sellers list. If there is something particular you are searching for you can e-mail him your WANTS LIST to info@heavyrotationrecords.com. Just because it isn't in the shop doesn't mean he doesn't have one. With over 20 years experience of selling original wax he certainly "knows his onions!"

Best of luck with your shop Ritchie!

kid dynO

GM Flash & The Furious 4



Yep, you read right. In the late 70's Grandmaster Flash was deejaying at parties with the Furious 4 (Kid Creole, Mellow Melle Mel, Keith Cowboy & Mister Ness) up on the mic. Only later would Rahiem join the group and make up the fifth member.
And to think that Hip Hop is almost 30 years old. That's one in the eye for all those fools who said it wouldn't last! Suckas!
These pioneering parties gradually shaped the Hip Hop world. From deejays just playing records, to then mixing and blending the tracks, and then onto Kool Herc's famous "merry-go-round" where he would play all the best parts of the records (i.e. the breaks)one by one & back to back in seamless formation. And Grandmaster Flash was certainly inspirational to many, and key to the sub-culture's formation. Most widely known across the globe for his now infamous releases on Enjoy, Sugarhill etc., GM Flash was more the party rocker than recording artist! His thing was to daze and amaze on the wheels of steel. If you ask any old school fool who was one of the greatest old school DJ's to watch, and they will no doubt mention GM FLASH's name.
The soundclip below, despite being ripped from tape and being very poor quality, illustrates how Flash could rock a party with just a a handful of records. It is recorded way back in 1978 before Rahiem was down with the Furious, on Flash's home territory at Jackson Projects. One great section to listen out for is where Flash cuts up between bars of Apache and 20th Century Steel Band. Like I said the sound is fuzzy but its worth listening to the full 30 minutes. It's not everyday you get a lesson from a Grand Master!!

GM FLASH & Furious 4 1978


...and check out the FURIOUS 5

...and GRANDMASTER FLASH

Wednesday 24 October 2007

Just messin' with beats pt4

"He's Poppa Large - Big Shout on the east coast!"

In fact back in the 80's & 90's Kool Keith was Big Shot on ALL coasts. Even now in the noughties there is much demand for him as a guest MC, and not strictly limited to the Hip Hop genre either. The group hailing from the BX left a massive impression on the Hip Hop community, and their releases feature heavily on many collectors' Top 10 lists. I don't know a hip hopper that wasn't bugged out at some point by Keith's flamboyant if not psychotic lyrics. Or a beatmaker that wasn't inspired by the trademark ULTRA sound at some point. Ced Gee has since revealed that even while recording in the studio Keith would rattle off some bizarre rhymes from the domepiece that defied any kind of logical explanation. Coupled with Ultramagnetic's futuristic beat patterns courtesy of Ced, Moe, TR, and Paul C, they were beyond some next level shit.....I remember first hearing Ultras in '86/'87 and thinking "What the fuck is this futuristic sound??". I thought it was a rap group from the planet Mars or something! It was so different to ANYTHING else going on in Hip Hop at that time. Never before had beats been so cleverly chopped up and re-created into funky patterns. Even now I listen to the carefully crafted Critical Beatdown LP and still think to myself "how on earth did he chop the beats up like that??" Personally I don't believe Ultras ever improved on their incredible sound during the 1987/88 period. Tracks like "Ego Tripping", "Watch Me Now", and "Ease Back" are firmly secured a place in Hip Hop history. Hell, Kool Keith is now somewhat of a Hip Hop celebrity and recording artist supreme, and has done more collabo appearances on wax than I care to count.
Even after Critical Beatdown I kept a track of the crew from the Bronx and copped their other releases, and Poppa Large 12" was a worthy addition to the collection. It's not the Beatminerz Remix that gets me excited though, but the fact that this twelve inch has an accapella. It brings out my creative side.

Luckily this record was at hand whilst I was messin' with beats this week. I had been checking out a Conroy Library 10" for samples when these sinister stabs popped out! And the drums were procured from Johnny Rivers' "Blue Suede Shoes" LP a few moments later. A quick 2 minute flip on the Akai with Kool Keith lined up on the 1200s ready for the off.....and hey presto we have beats! I hope you dig it.

ULTRAMAGNETIC MC's - Poppa Large (Mad Drama RMX)

Tuesday 23 October 2007

Take out my duster!


A few people have asked us who are Kid Dyno and the Beat Detective?? Do we know them? Would we recognise them?? Have we seen them around?? We try not to be too secretive so here's a photo of Kid DynO so you know who he is when he nudges you out of the way at the record fair! And what better introduction than a quick soundclip straight from the Dynolab. We reckon you will have a better idea of who he is after hearing it.
Now as for the Beat Detective, he's a hard one to catch on film. Well, with a name like that you wouldn't expect him to expose his identity now would you??
Maybe we will catch a flick of him later? Who knows....?



Now you know...

Monday 15 October 2007

Hip Hop wax for sale / trade

Yes it's about that time for us to rummage once again through our mountains of spare wax and find some treats for sale. Our daily exploits around the various vinyl spots, charity shops, record fairs, and boot sales have helped us unearth some absolute corking tunes on wax - and now YOU too can benefit from some of our lucky finds!
Below are some the HIP HOP records we have up for grabs at the moment. Some of these are rare or promo-only releases, and the rest are straight-up DOPE classics! Plus there are some vintage SEALED gems in there too in perfect condition! We are very strict with our grading, and we would not sell you a record in a condition which we would not be happy buying ourselves. Remember we are vinyl lovers and we want you to be happy with your vinyl. You can check out our 100% POSITIVE eBay feedback rating here.

We can also assure you that every record listed is on some quality-beats-you-should-have-in-ya-crates type steez! No rubbish, no filler, no trash, no jiggy, just dope beats!

Take a peep below and drop us an e-mail on dailydiggers at hotmail dot co dot uk for any enquiries, or to place an order. PAYPAL is accepted, and cheques/money orders from the UK only. All records will be sent promptly and in a strong mailer to preserve condition.


Because of our purist nature, all wax is 100% guaranteed Original US Pressings (no boots or dodgy re-issues here!) We can confirm run-out etchings for those of you who like to do your homework (and rightly so!) and e-mail photos/soundclips if necessary.













SHOWBIZ & AG - Soul Clap / Party Groove EP still sealed with stickers MINT (PAYDAY LONDON) £110
SHOWBIZ & AG - Runaway Slaves LP (PAYDAY LONDON) still sealed with sticker MINT £60
LORD FINESSE - Baby You Nasty 12" (WILD PITCH) still sealed MINT £100
GANG STARR - Daily Operation LP (CHRYSALIS)still sealed with sticker MINT £60
KOOL G RAP - 4,5,6 LP (EPIC) still sealed with sticker MINT £25
AKINYELE - THE BOMB / NO EXIT 12" (INTERSCOPE) sealed with sticker MINT £25
TDS MOB - Scratch Reaction 12" (RACE) dope ish outta Boston VG cover EX vinyl £25
SBX EP ft Lord Finesse vs Percee P rematch (SBX)sticker sealed MINT £20
TRU CRIMINAL RECORDS EP - Ft Lord Finesse/Buckwild prod.(TRU CRIMINAL)sealed MINT £20
III Most Wanted - LP (FEVER) ft. Calm Down, Nitty Gritty, Most Wanted.sealed MINT £15
ANTOINETTE - Hit 'Em With This/Unfinished Business 12" (SOUNDCHECK) EX £12
SLICK RICK - Kill Ni!!as JPN 12" still sealed MINT £12
HOSTYLE - Keep On Movin' 12" (LIGOSA) killer! EX+ £15 SOLD
FREAK L - When the Pen hits the Paper / Line for Line US 12" (URBAN ROCK) super dope joint, Paul C engineering. VG+ £15SOLD
BIZ MARKIE - It's Da Biz 12" (MCA) promo only prod. by Large Professor EX £15
NO I.D. - Accept Your Own & Be Yourself LP (RELATIVITY) promo copy cut corner EX £15
BIG LADY K - Don't Get Me Started 12" (PRIORITY) EX £10
RHAMEL - Straight Outta Brooklyn 12" (HEATED) dope sample based track EX £10SOLD
DE LA SOUL - The Bizness promo 12" (TOMMY BOY) promo only with accapella EX+ £12
BDK - I'll Take You/Wrath of Kane US 12" (COLD CHILLIN')VG pic sleeve VG+ vinyl £8
GANGSTARR - B.Y.S. / Ex Girl to Next Girl US 12" on chrysalis EX £10
SEVILLE - Keep Ya Movin' 12" (4TH & BROADWAY) VG cover EX Vinyl £10
DJ SPINNA - Rock / Watch Dees 12" RAWKUS EX+ £12
10 THIEVES - Straight From the Slums / Black Rain 12" on Breakadawn EX+ £8
MIC GERONIMO - Man vs. Many 12" PC on BLUNT EX+ (Beatminerz beats) promo notch PC £8
PERCEE P & WILDCHILD - Knicknack 2000 12" PC Stones Throw NM £8
TEAM DEMOLITION - Teamwork/Uhip2it 12"(insp. by ULTRAS)dope indie + dj track EX+ £10
BIZ MARKIE - Tear Shit Up (SUPERRAPPIN) promo 12" great tune EX £8
DEFARI - Bionic 12" (ABB) red label EX £8
BLAQ POET - Message From the Poet 12" (YEAR ROUND) hard Primo beats EX £8
MASTERS OF CEREMONY - Dynamite US 12" grand puba (4th & BROADWAY) EX £8SOLD
MASTERS OF CEREMONY - Cracked Out Remix 12" with sticker cover, grand puba (STRONG CITY) EX £12
HURBYS MACHINE - US LP (SOUNDCHECK) ft. dope SUPERLOVERS & MAU MAU CLAN OVERLORD tracks on it!! EX with sticker £10
POWERRULE - Ruffneck Style 12" (Interscope) EX+ £10
DITC presents WILDLIFE ENT. EP - 4 tracks plus INSTRUMENTALS prod by SHOW & AHMED vocals by OC Fat Joe Big Pun Bless AG Party Arty etc EX+ £10
ABOVE THE LAW - Black Mafia Life LP - (RUTHLESS) EX+ £12
DITC - Day One 12" (DITC) EX first press red label £12
ULTRAMAGNETIC MCs - Make it Happen / Chorus Line pt2 SRC Test Press 12" EX £8
CHRIS LOWE - Treacherous Three 12"(BRONX SCIENCE) promo feat Sadat X Dinco D EX £8
SADAT X & DIAMOND D - X-Man US 12" (STIMULATED) prod. by DIAMOND EX £6

...some promo-only items to add soon, including a few 90's INSTRUMENTAL LPs.

UK Postage is £2.50
Europe Postage is £4.50
US postage is £6.50
FAR EAST / JAPAN postage is £7.00


Please feel free to hit us up on dailydiggers at hotmail dot co dot uk to reserve any of these records, to make an offer, or to organise your payment. Of course we will combine postage costs if you are buying more than one item, and we will most likely treat you if you place a big order! We will also accept trades if you have anything we might want - once again drop us a line with a list.

Happy Diggin'!

KID DYNO & THE BEAT DETECTIVE

Tuesday 9 October 2007

More Golden Era gems...

We're back with more Golden Era goodness for your dome-pieces! It's our favourite period in Hip Hop record history ,so it was only a matter of time before we disappeared back into the past in our De Lorean using it's flux capacitor technology, all so we can hit you up with more dope vinyl releases from 86-92!

Cranking up the pace was more than just a trend during this period. Back then a good MC had to be able to hold his own lyrically over a fast beat to show he had skills. The term MC, or Mic Controller / Master of Ceremony etc.. emphasises the fact that the holder of the mic should be someone with charisma who can hold the audience's attention - and not just anyone has that skill! In today's "Rap" industry we see the opposite happening, where anyone's drawn-out and even uncharismatic flows can sell records (naming no names....50 Cent DOH!) Plus in the late 80's a multitude of recently re-discovered high-octane uptempo breakbeats meant there was plenty of material for fast-pace rap styles. Unfortunately it co-incided with the emergence of "Hip-House" - a sickening fusion of Hip Hop and House with a cheesy club feel to it! UGH!! In 1989 there were handfuls of credible Hip Hop artists willing to throw a Hip House track on their LP to attract the mainstream. Even Juice-Crew member Craig G was drawn into this madness as he "Turned his House into a Home". And to think it was released as a 12" single with the most incredible "Dopest Duo" track relegated to the flipside! I guess it was all about earning them Benjamins!!

Below we're gonna drop a few of these uptempo bangers from this period to show ya what we mean. Once again it seems a waste of time to feature the obvious tracks you already know, so we've added a few more obscure ones to keep you searching.



First up is a track from an LP which many of us have got in our crates, but it is kinda slept on when it comes to collectors. THE W.I.S.E. GUYZ - The eF yoU eN Kay E is without doubt the highlight of their 1989 LP of the same name, but I recently discovered this dope joint also hides away on the b-side of "If My Pillow Could Talk" 12" also released on ATLANTIC RECORDS. To find a louder pressing of this track got me kinda excited, and for very good reason. The term "face-melter" springs to mind (terminology courtesy of AROE). From its frenzied horn stab intro and beyond, this beat rocks relentlessly. There are surging JB horns over the fast pace breakbeat, and some tongue twisting lyrics will keep you listening to this track from beginning to end, and then you'll wanna play it over again!
And at one point he tells all the sucker emcees....."Like Pepe Le Pu - you really STINK!" And compared to the rhymes on this track they certainly doo doo!!
IMO this is golden era fast rap at it's very finest (and without the price tag - I copped this one for less than five quid!) Please don't think I am over-hyping this little beauty - take a peep at the soundclip below. But I warn you, your face may melt and mess up your best shirt! Produced by Muffla & The "E" for L.A. Posse Productions.
Matrix No. 0-86428 & SRC stamped in the run-out groove.
W.I.S.E. GUYZ - The Ef yoU eN Kay E



O.M.A.R. - "I Could Make You Move to This" 12" on XTRA LARGE records from 1991. I know very little about O.M.A.R. other than I believe this to be his only 12" (if you know otherwise please hit me up). Despite the weird girly intro and the fact that O.M.A.R.'s subject matter is aimed at getting the girls dancing, the track is still hell-a-dope and hardcore hip hoppers ignore this record at their own risk. The drum programs are fresh and sound phat,and the breaks and organ riffs are neatly inserted and flipped. Along with the "Alright now here we go!" vocal hook it makes for a really good track. I especially like the prolonged & dramatic organ stabs in the middle.
The b-side "Hit The Note" is also a quality track using a familiar James Brown sample, yet sounds refreshing and again features some quality SP drums. The rhymes are possibly better on this track, in fact I find it hard to choose a favourite of the two.
Production credits go to K-Rob on this one, and it's engineered by Shlomo Sonnenfeld. This little known NY label gave us a very credible record here, I hope it's one you will find on your travels. If you have any other releases on XTRA LARGE please do get in touch. Peep the soundclip below...
F/W hand etched in run-out groove along with CSB & 2 musical notes. Matrix no. XL-001
O.M.A.R. - I Could Make you Move to This



Staying with 1991, this next record is another joint I don't remember hearing back in the day. POSSE DEEP - "Side F/X" 12" on PUMP records is another one of those records where once again it's the B-Side cut that is worthy of talking about. The A-side "Candy" is too sweet and sickly to even listen to, despite the enticing picture cover. Side F/X utilizes James Brown's "Funky Drummer" loop to full effect, but in this instance without boring the listener (remember there were sooo many funky drummer records back then!) This killer hiding on the flipside begins with an entirely different and very upbeat drum loop and JB sample, and sounds worthy of Lord Finesse or Percee P (in fact I think they both used this sample).... but midway the tracks sloooows down and we are hit with with a slower time-stretched version of the Funky Drummer loop - awesome! Produced by Pete Lover, Kid Scratch and E.P., the crew from CA. come off hype! We're loving the Kid Scratch cut-up throughout and especially at the end of the "Slow It Down" mix. This is an easy record to find at a sensible price, and it seems a few sealed copies are doing the rounds. Don't sleep. "Mastered by Capitol" stamped in the run-out. Matrix no. VL-15188-1
POSSE DEEP - "Side F/X"


SAM Records is a label we always check for when out diggin', ever since copping ROCKWELL NOEL's mind-numbingly incredible "Massacre" twelve. So if we ever see a record on that label it's pretty much guaranteed one of us will bag it. And this next record was no exception! DESIRE - "Busted" 12" at first glance doesn't necessarily look or sound like a dope Hip Hop record. Nor does the name scream out "BUY ME!". But like I said we always buy first, and ask questions later. When I arrived home from that digging spree, I flipped this wax on my turns pretty much expecting nothing more than an average 1990 rap record for the ever-growing pile. But from the word GO! the funky familiar horns (I still can't quite place the sample!) and skillful beat had me hooked. The production and engineering on this track is pretty damn superb - and we can thank Ivan DJ DOC Rodriguez's involvement for that. IMO he blessed every record he ever worked on. DJ DOC engineered and co-produced this track with Nelson "Paradise" Roman at Power Play studios NY. The tough drums are well programmed and a heavily filtered bassline runs deep throughout, with the odd sub for added effect. Nice!
DESIRE is actually a girl MC, and a dope female at that. She comes off on some Antoinette-esque tip, and with similar venom levels! Here she is dissing the cheating men in her life, hence the title "Busted". I'm unaware of any other tracks by this fly female, but her clever rhymes on this one lead me to believe she must have had other releases. I will ask DJ DOC when I can and report back. F/W hand etched in the run-out groove (Frankford Wayne), and also BIG BEAT. Matrix no. SAM-5007.
DESIRE - "Busted"




...more GE gems real soon......KID DYNO

Friday 5 October 2007

Broadcasting Live!


DJ Just-One from Norwich's Future Radio has been kind enough to invite us along tonight to drop some record science on his weekly Hip Hop show. It's a pleasure to be there 'cuz our man in Norfolk Just-One drops real hip hop from back in the days, plus plays the best new releases, and some exclusive tracks you are not likely to hear elsewhwere. Don't snooze - if you didn't know, now you know!

You can tune in on 96.9FM in the Norfolk area, or catch it online at www.futureradio.co.uk. It's gonna be a madkap mix of breaks and hip hop gems from the days of old. Some of the records we are playing are so HOT we will be wearing oven gloves!
Myself and the Beat Detective will be joining Just-One around 11pm so make sure you are ready to press PLAY & RECORD cuz it'll be one you will wanna hear again!

Monday 1 October 2007

Deep Crates 2

A couple of years ago we here at DAILY DIGGERS HQ were pleased to check out Deep Crates the Movie - a cool flick that truly represented the art of beatdigging. Sure there had been other small documentaries before, but none quite made from a beat diggers point of view. The others always lacked a little something you know? It featured Lord Finesse, the Beatminerz, and Buckwild amongst others talking about how and where they source their wax to make their beats. I mean, how could you top that? Well our man BEATDAWG has done excatly that in the form of DEEP CRATES 2. Where else can you find out the truth about how much of BDP's "Criminal Minded" LP was actually produced by Ced Gee? Or what the deal is about the use of Tom Scott's "Today" sample in T.R.O.Y.? The answers to these questions and more lie within. For anyone involved in trawling for old beats, this DVD is music to your ears. Plus the secrets behind some of Hip Hop's greatest ever records are unveiled by those that made them. And to top things off, a superb soundtrack of beats is provided by Mr. Attic of Da Grassroots fame. Now we're already a big fan of Attic's so this was a great choice as far as we're concerned.

After months of eagerly awaiting, the DVD hit our doormat, and we sat down to check out the DAWG's latest exploits. We knew Pete Rock was heavily featured in DC2, but even we weren't ready for what we were about to see. Get ready for some serious knowledge!
But first, some background on how things started at BeatDawg's HQ...
Deep Crates pts 1 & 2 are documentary films dedicated to the beatdiggin` culture and are the brainchild of first time filmmaker Jeremy Weisfeld / Beatdawg Films. The Toronto, Canada native has been involved in the Canadian hip hop scene as a DJ & record collector for over 20 years.

His background includes hosting & DJ'ing on one of Toronto`s premier HIP HOP & R&B radio shows `Partners in Crime` - CHRY 105.5 FM from 1989-1996. In addition he served as co-host to Toronto`s first ever breaks & samples program titled `Shifting Gears' dedicated to unearthing old forgotten soul/funk/jazz gems.

Out of his passion for hip hop developed the idea to film an entire documentary dedicated to the record element and it`s importance to hip hop culture. Production began on Deep Crates in the fall of 2002 which involved travelling back & forth between New York and Toronto connecting with some of hip hop`s most legendary DJ`s & producers.

The first film was produced, directed & edited entirely by BEATDAWG, and featured legendary DJ icons such as Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Buckwild, Madlib, Mr.Walt, Evil Dee & Maceo.

Following on the heels of the successful independent DVD Deep Crates - The Movie (2004), Beatdawg Films is proud to announce the release of Deep Crates 2 DVD.
Deep Crates 2 documents the history behind diggin` for samples & creating hip hop beats. Production began on Deep Crates 2 in the spring of 2006, beginning in Japan, followed with filming in New York & Toronto.

The second DVD installment takes you back to the origins of sampling records with the cultures founding pioneers. Worldwide diggin` spots from the USA, Canada & Japan are exposed and record knowledge is dropped from some of hip hop`s most elite DJ`s / Producers.

Featuring exclusive interviews and behind the scenes footage with some of Hip Hop's greatest beat diggers including Pete Rock, Marley Marl, 88 Keys, 45 King, King Of Chill, Ced Gee, DJ Doc, Grand Wizard Theodore, Tony D, Jake One , Moss, DJ Muro, and more...

The film has left a few questions burning in our brains, so we spent a few minutes with BEATDAWG and picked through them one by one!

Deep Crates 2 features some heavyweight producers – Pete Rock, Marley Marl, 45 King, Ced Gee, DJ Doc – how did you persuade these legends to take part on such an in-depth basis??
Many times I would link up with one producer, and if they were feeling the idea they wanted to help. Deep Crates is really their story of what they do, and they want the project to succeed just as much as I do. If they knew of someone that would fit then they would pass me their number, or help set something up. For example, the interview with Marley came through K-Def. He hooked that up 100%. In fact he was there at the time of filming. I remember following him in my car through the New Jersey highways to Marley`s crib. He lives upstate and I would`ve got lost for sure! I would have never got the interview if it wasn`t for K-Def co-signing on Deep Crates. Big Shouts to K!

Access to Pete Rock’s basement is reserved for the most privileged in the game, so how did you hook that up?
Again another lucky situation. Before I even began filming for part 2 I knew I needed to confirm Pete`s involvement. Hands down one of the most important DJ / Producers in hip hop. No question. When you think of a sample based producer you think of Pete. So my man DJ Amir who was featured in part 1 hooked me up with Pete.

I called him up and he was down with what I was doing. I won`t lie, it took a minute to pin him down. He keeps a pretty busy schedule as he DJ`s around the world constantly.

The original plan was to bring him out to Toronto to film his segment. He was amped for this, as he has family that lives here, loves Toronto, the people & loves to dig!

I would call him on his celly and he`d be in Paris or in a meeting somewhere. It just got kinda crazy so we both decided the best thing to do was for me to come out to NY and film there.

Thank god for that because the shots of Pete surrounded by his enormous record collection & samplers was invaluable. What your seeing is his actual home studio set up. 2 rooms full of vinyl and a few keyboards & samplers. I think this was truly one of the highlights of the film.

Were there any producers you wanted to feature in this film, but have to wait until DC3 to interview?
Yeah, Large Pro was at the top of my list for part 2 but couldn`t make it happen. Initially the idea was to feature Pete & Large Pro & build a narrative around that. You know the whole connection there. As it turns out, I connected with Marley Marl & ended up builing a story around him & Pete. I recently heard that Premier is a big fan of the DVD, and Showbiz told me he loved it as well. So who knows, if I wind up doing a third installment I will have to hit them up.

The bonus footage on the DVD is just as worthy of being in the film, so how did you decide what made the final cut?
It had to be cohesive. There was some great material or stories that just didn`t make it into the actual film for varying reasons, but I still wanted to share this material. So I decided to include a bonus feature of raw, uncut footage were your getting it straight from the horses mouth. People like Ced Gee, DJ Doc (see photo to the right), Marley & Pete Rock had great tidbits of info i needed to include. I knew it would leave heads salivating for more.


Both parts 1 & 2 are an incredible insight into beatdigging to those NOT in the know, but you also managed to cram in some real obscure knowledge for the veterans amongst us to chew on. How did you achieve that balance?
You have to try and find a happy medium between the two. It can be tricky sometimes. Like how do you make it interesting and poignant for the real heads who know a lot about diggin` already, and how do you present it so the average joe can follow what`s going on. That`s why included the beginning chapter taking it back to the Bronx and the Bam days. Now this has been discussed in hip hop docs ad nauseum, but it helps put things in perspective for younger folks. I kept it short & moved straight into the chapter on Marley & how he first discovered sampling in hip hop. To my knowledge this had not been covered before in a feature documentary.


The interviews in DC2 are more in-depth than the first film, and you clear up some legendary rumours of the beat-diggin’ game. Was there anything you couldn’t show us in the film??
Ummm, not much. I mean sometimes you may have a situation where someone is badmouthing someone else, and that other person didn`t have a chance to give their side of the story. So I may not use that material. That is responsible journalism. My thing was not to create Beef DVD. Sure it`s entertaining, and there are elements to this in deep crates, but it`s not the focus for what I do. I just try to use my best judgement when deciding what to include, and if it`s a bit touchy I would either discard it or i`d throw it in the bonus section.


As big Grassroots fans, we were happy to hear Mr Attic doing the beats for the soundtrack. What’s the history between you guys?
We met back in the day through a mutual friend on some diggin` shit. Through my man Seer, one of the original cratediggers out here that used to role with Main Source. Anyways we all ended up doing like a breaks style radio show together. We went on mad beatdiggin` missions back in the day to upstate NY, places like Buffalo & Rochester. They used to have real dope spots but are now dried up, or they`ve gone ebay.

Anyways Attic`s beats are always real dope, and he still keeps that boombap sampled based sound alive. So I hit him up for part 1. I know he does a lot of interludes & has tons of beats that never see the light of day so I would go threw his tapes, and see what fits for the film project. His sound really complements what I try to do. I wasn`t looking for fullout tracks just simple basslines with drums that provide more of a soundtrack feel. So he either submitted completed tracks or he would cook something up for me. It worked out well, so I hit him up again for part 2, in fact I would approach him again for future projects.


The film covers the fact that the early days of Hip Hop on wax didn’t truly represent the artform as was intended, until producers began to use the funk in their music. The music industry is in a similar position right now- do you think the "realness" will come back again?
Well the realness never really went away, it`s just no longer represented in what you hear on commercial radio or t.v. I`m not sure if you guys get things like BET over there in the UK, but we get it here in Canada, and its terrible. All day long it`s the same teenie bopper crap like Rhianna or Soldier Boy. Terrible music! And commercial radio is no different. Thank god for college radio. Apparently BET refused to play the last De La Soul video as it didn`t fit in with their demographic? That`s why to me artists like Common or Kanye are a breath of fresh air. It`s a rarity to be doing those types of records on a major label scale.

I heard this record the other day by a local cat named Wio-k called Footloose. Incredible! Stuff like that restores my faith in hip hop, but it will never be exactly the same for me.


How long did it take to meet up with all these dope cats and shoot and edit the film?
Well i started filming part 2 in april 2006. I began in Japan, and then made my way to the U.S. I was filming there over the course of last summer, and finished up in my hometown of Toronto by the end of the summer. I spent the next few months editing the film, i guess roughly 4-6 months, as i was pretty much learning final cut pro as i went along. All in all I spent over a year putting this project together.


You must have missed out on some valuable digging time while shooting this, how did you make up for that??? (or did some trades go on after the camers stopped rolling?)

Yeah, it`s kinda tricky to hold a camera with one hand while diggin` through a shelf with the other. I really had to prioritize and remain focused on the reason I was there. If there was time following an interview than I would dig.


The DVD is due for release in Japan very soon. What’s your plans with that?
Well I hooked up with a company out there called Nowonmedia that is re-releasing both parts 1 & 2 together as one package, and will include Japanese sub titles.

You really need this to help crack the Japanese market. The release date is set for October 26th. I`m hoping we will have great success out there.

click here to see the trailer for release of Deep Crates 2 in Japan

The film has more references to stories behind actual hip hop records than the first instalment did. Was that something you wanted to include after making the first one?
I wanted to include the pics of records & record sleeves to help create meaning for the viewers. It was a mistake not to do this for part 1. I think it helped out a lot for the second installment especially those viewers that are not so familiar with the records being mentioned.


In the film Pete Rock mentions that Large pro once did a remix of "Think" in Pete’s basement. Us Hip Hop fiends love to hear nuggets of info like this, but more importantly where the fuck can we hear that remix?? LOL!
Good question. Next time I speak with Pete I will have to ask him about that. On an interesting side note he did make mention that he is not the same DJ Pete Rock credited for the scratches on that Ed Math 12". His first production credit I believe is for Groove B. Chill.


Finally Beatdawg please give us your personal favourite beats from these producers….?

Marley Marl - The Symphony, Rhyme Time (Kool G Rap), Nobody beats the Biz (Biz), The Bridge (Mc Shan)

Pete Rock - Shut `em Down RMX (P.E.), T.R.O.Y., For Pete's Sake

45 King - No Tricks (Latee), Motivation (Chill Rob G),We Got the Funk (Lakim Shabazz)

Large Pro - Just Hangin Out, Money in the Bank (Kool G Rap), Gotta Get Over RMX (Gangstarr)

Showbiz - Fine Tune Da Mic (Maestro Fresh Wes), 40 Acres & My Props (Show & AG), Hold ya Head (Show & AG)

K-Def - This Cold World (Lord Tariq), Real Live Shit & The Turnaround (Real Live)

Primo - All 4 the Cash / Mostly the Voice / Come Clean (Jeru)

Lord Finesse - Jewelz (O.C.), Actual Facts, Brainstorm



And one more for ya….please give our readers 3 dope breaks to go out and cop on the urgent tip?
1.Lorenzo LP -This is a Canadian break gem. Real solid drums. A cover for Mack The Knife. Possibly a BEATDAWG discovery back in the day?

2.Father LP - Another must have Canadian piece. Attic put me onto it back in the day. Features a cover for Garnett Mimms Stop And Check Yourself - the drums Premier sampled on the Militia. When I played this version for Pete Rock he nearly toppled over in his chair!

3. Frank Motley - Hook `N` Sling - You can find this track featured on most of his albums. I`ve had a few of them. Currently I have the split album he did with King Herbert. Real solid cover of a classic soul track. I played the beat for Diamond in a record shop when i was filming Deep Crates and he went crazy!



Just a few of BeatDawg's raers! (and you know he's got some!!)









Thanks Beatdawg - we can't wait for DC3!!


For more info or to cop your own DEEP CRATES DVD check out beatdawg or peep his myspace page. ...and tell him the DAILY DIGGERS sent ya!