Sunday 25 January 2009

B-Boy Breaks on 45

Whenever I drop a post about funky break 45s, I seem to get more comments and emails than usual. So I though this weekend I will give you some more of what you obviously like. Maybe it's just a co-incidence then that I found some dope 45s during this weekends trawl through the charity shops! wink wink maybe not. In fact, suffice to say the breaks were popping up everywhere, I guess it was just my lucky day. It wasn't until I returned to the lab though that I realised the 45s I had copped all featured old school b-boy breaks. Or maybe that's just what is programmed into my vinyl-drenched grey matter when I go out power digging (see previous posts for definition). Either way it was a nice haul.

(Click on the photos for an enlarged view)

OLYMPIC RUNNERS - "Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is" LONDON RECORDS 1974
First out the box was this little beauty on UK London Records. I have been searching for this on 45 for a while now, as I don't even have an LP version in the crates. I had to stop and think for a moment as I was unsure of the track title, but then I recalled Lenny Roberts' Ultimate Breaks and Beats compilation (the one with the records flying through space on the cover). This record was a must.
This track is a stone cold old school killer - I defy you to play this out anywhere and NOT get a reaction. Perfect for MCs (as it is instrumental) and b-boys to do their thing over. Check back on your old school tapes and this one will pop up frequently. Dope shiznit!
Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is


THE TEMPTATIONS - "I Need You" GORDY RECORDS 1973
Once again this track appears on a lot of old school tapes, possibly because the dramatic string section breakdown and funky drums are so f#ckin' intense. If I remember correctly, I have also heard this dropped back-to-back with E.U.'s "Freeze" instrumental as this track also has a similar horn breakdown. I can't remember which old school jam in particular but it raised the roof with the crowd! If I find the said tape I will happily upload a clip for your listening pleasure. Or if you know the one I'm referring to and can find it before I do, then please lemme know?
Getting back to the track, it doesn't actually feature a whole bar of drums, so it's not a "true" drum break in that sense, but the breakdown is so fierce and the drum rolls are so funky that it was spun by the pioneers for sheer crowd reaction. Produced by Norman Whitfield, and also featured on their LP entitled "1990" which is a bargain bin special. Keep your eyes peeled. I personally love this track and have dropped it a few times on our BREAKS FOR DAYS radio download.
I Need You


L.T.D. - "Love to the World" A&M RECORDS 1976
Once again we have another track with "love" in the title, just as with the ZZ TOP post. But please don't take that as a clue to finding a break record cuz it's purely co-incidental. Now at first I thought I had already dropped this funky 45 on you, but I cannot find the post on searching through the older pages (did I really write all these??). So if I am repeating myself, remember like SPOONIE G once said - "I ain't just a fool, I'm an OLD fool!"
My man BREAK DJ LEACY first played me this record, and I believe it also featured on his dope BREAKSPLOITATION break comp series (check 'em out). Once again it's an old school b-boy favourite, despite the fact that producer Larry Mizell makes us wait through three whole minutes of STYLISTICS style singing until the funk eventually drops! But as with all good b-boy records...the wait is worth it. On this break the drums are very much on the downlow, and the plucky electric guitar gives us the melody and rhythm for the dancers. But from the string intro and bass guitar (which I can only describe as sounding like a wobble-board) in the intro onwards it seems a very unlikely candidate for holding a b-boy beat, and the emphasis is definitely on "love to the world". An uplifting disco track if ever I have heard one, mainly due to the seductive string section and catchy chorus. I have yet to find this track on any of my old school tapes, but I have it on good authority that this track was a dancefloor sureshot back in the day (DJ LEACY hung with, and deejayed for PRINCE KEN SWIFT of ROCKSTEADY CREW for a few seasons).
(Great A&M 45 sleeve too - looks kinda like the UBB LP cover I mentioned above)
Love To The World

I see a circle developing...

Kid Dyno

Friday 23 January 2009

Big Beards, Big Breaks!

As an apprentice beat digger many years ago, I recall being amongst other break heads much more experienced than I who were swapping knowledge on drum break LPs. The names dropped were very often so unforgettable or strange that I could only remember the more well-known artists. Damn this was frustrating! And I wasn't about to start pulling out a pad and a pen, as this wasn't the done thing either. Break collectors can be secretive cats, as I'm sure many of you are aware, but so would you be if everyone found out the beat you just sampled - both from the sampling & copyright aspect and the fact that other heads will be straight-up-and-down biting your shit!
So very often I left these conversations trying my best to recall as many artists and track names as I possibly could, and then I would set off in my hunt for those beats.
But the mere fact that I could remember the popular artist names, didn't always help in my quest for the perfect drum beat. Usually the desired LP will be an obscure or early release, and can be a bitch to find despite it being a major name. Right now I could drop names like Elvis Presley, Bryan Ferry, Jefferson Starship, The Eagles, Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Rare Earth, Cliff Richard, Joe Cocker..... but I guess you have these already.
I remember there was one name that popped up on the regular, but was only spoke of in vague terms so as to keep this domecrushing break under wraps! The name was ZZ TOP - nah surely these heavy guitar dudes with their huge beards couldn't be responsible for a killer drum break - could they? I rarely got to hear the LP name, or see the cover for that matter, but even when someone named the title I was still none the wiser. The search continued, until my partner in beats THE BEAT DETECTIVE (happy birthday homeslice!) finally unearthed what we were looking for. The album was named "TEJAS" and on LONDON RECORDS from 1976, and believe me these bearded guys drop it heavy!
With the banging drums in the intro, which by the way are great for sampling the individual kick snare etc., this track seems at first to be a solid country rock joint and then after 3 minutes flips to a sinister breakdown! I'm not sure from the title "It's Only Love" whether this is supposed to be a hairy biker love song or not, but when it breaks down it's more perfect for the beatheads and b-boys alike, forget your girlfriend! The guitar stabs over the break are absolutely massive, and laced over the top are some funky harmonica riffs! I still can't believe it's ZZ TOP.
So take a peep, the drums in the intro are merely a taster of what is to come. This might not be your normal listening, but hold tight .... wait a minute!

ZZ TOP - It's Only Love

Kid Dyno

Fresh Coast Cypher Pt1

Check out this west coast freestyle action - off the top of the dome type shiiiiit!

Just messin' with beats pt.9

This is the second time I've grabbed a RICKY D accapella to throw over a DAILY DIGGERS beat, so I can't deny SLICK RICK is one of my favourite MCs of all time. Classics like "La-di-da-di", "Mona Lisa" and "Treat Her Like a Prostitute" are instant winners for me, but I could also play the 1999 DEF JAM LP "THE ART OF STORYTELLIN'" for hours on end without becoming bored. And even cameo appearances on records such as MORCHEEBA's "Women Lose Weight" (Alchemist Remix) make compelling listening.
So here we pay homage to the LONDON-born RICKSTER...as he pours his heart out over his relationship problems!

"Call me the freaker, I bump it in your speaker
Week of my birthday met this girl named Tameka
Astonishing creature made the rest look tired
Desired, though was it beauty I admired?
Out by the 41, broke, no joke
Can I have a toke, fine hooker so I smiled and smoked
Gave the girl my number, though I still felt rejected
Hectic, called me more than I expected
Months passed by, even lived together and all
Dream come true, until suddenly a call
Oh brother, why do I discover
My honey, Tameka, yeah callin' me another
Broke hearted again, it offend, and I pretend
Mistakes of a woman in love with other men


Well, tried to block it out my mind, here it was again
Other men, confronted later and she said he was a friend
Didn't believe her, she packed
Brave her, strange behavior, so silly me forgave her
Late again Thursday, alone Rick sat
Left flat, look in the mirror and I wonder where she at
Gave the girl my heart and soul, it's after ten
And again couldn't manage if she slept with other men
Out with my jewelry so you know she looked truck
Struck three o'clock, here she come, fishy like a fuck
"Come here let me smell you", I wanted to say "to hell you"
"Hi honey, sorry I'm late, but let me tell you"
It's a fast chat, need the phone, so I'm roped in
"Could you go to the store and get some soda 'cause they open?"
Again it offend and I pretend
Mistakes of a woman in love with other men
"

SLICK RICK - "Mistakes..." DAILY DIGGERS REMIX

Kid Dyno

Friday 16 January 2009

Big Daddy Kane Remix

All day I dream about beats. Whether it be cutting up two copies of a bronx classic or maybe making a funky beat of my own, it consumes every hour of my day. Whilst at work I stare at the clock urging that hour hand to creep nearer to 6pm so I can get home and bring the noise!
But today was a day off, so I spent the afternoon with mixtape guru and DJ extraordinaire CHRIS READ, working on a little ULTRAMAGNETIC remix project, but I will tell you more about that at a later date. Then on returning to the DAILY DIGGERS lab I heard that DJ MIKE NICE had a compiled a nice little mix entitled BROOKLYN BULLSHIT - featuring rare and unreleased material from JAY-Z, NOTORIOUS BIG, and BDK. Mmmm sounds fresh I thought. But then I realised that "king of da crates" MIKE had included our very own DAILY DIGGERS remix of "Set it Off" by BIG DADDY KANE. Hey we take that as a compliment, as the remixes that the BEAT DETECTIVE and I do are purely for our own enjoyment. So if other heads are digging it too then we feel blessed. OK so it hasn't been credited to us (I'm not sure if MIKE knows who it is by??) but it's all gravy with us. Here's a fresh download of our BDK REMIX...I hope you dig it too!

BIG DADDY KANE daily diggers remix

....and download DJ MIKE NICE's BROOKLYN BULLSHIT mix here

Tracklist...
INTRO - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
KINGSCOUNTY (BROOKLYN BULLSHIT ANTHEM) SHAKESPEARE
SPITTIN AT AGE 12 - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
VIDEO MUSIC BOX FREESTYLE - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
SOUL POWER 197 RHYMES - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
FULTON STREET BATTLE AGE 17 - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
BIRTHDAY PARTY FREESTYLE 9/10/91 - BIG DADDY KANE & JAY Z
GURANTEED RAW (DEMO) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
RAW (DEMO) - BIG DADDY KANE FT KOOL G RAP
RIPPIN IT UP (DEMO) - JAY Z FT SAUCE MONEY
AIN'T NO HALF STEPPIN (DEMO) - BIG DADDY KANE
BLIND ALLEY FREESTYLE (DEMO) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
I LOVE YOU (TEENAGE RECORDING) NOTORIOUS B.I.G
DON'T LOVE NO HO (DEMO) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
NOTHING BUT LOVE (DEMO) - JAY Z FT SAUCE MONEY
BIGGIE GOT THE HYPE SHIT (DEMO) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
RAW ATTITUDE (UNRELEASED) - BIG DADDY KANE
HIGH POWERED VERSE AGE 17 - JAY Z
BROKEN ENGLISH & DRUG SELLING (DEMO) - JAY Z FT SAUCE MONEY
PARTY & BULLSHIT (EXTENDED VERSION) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
16 BARS AT THE LYRICIST LOUNGE 1993 - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
WHAT'S IN A NAME (DEMO) - JAY Z
SING MY SONG (UNRELEASED) - BIG DADDY KANE
PASS THE ROC (DEMO) - JAY Z FT SAUCE MONEY

SET IT OFF (UNRELEASED REMIX) - BIG DADDY KANE

FOR YOUR OWN CONCERN (DEMO) - BIG DADDY KANE
CHILDHOOD RHYMES - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
GREATEST MC (DEMO) - JAY Z
COME ON (1ST TAKE DEMO VERSION) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G FT SADAT X
NIGGAZ BLEED (DJ MIKE NICE REMIX) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G
B.I.G MILLIONAIRE (UNRELEASED VERSE) - NOTORIOUS B.I.G produced by DJ MIKE NICE


Enjoy them both!

Kid Dyno

Sunday 11 January 2009

The TR808 is coming....

The year was 1987, and hip hop music was beginning to take on a new sound. New and more advanced music technology now allowed greater use of lengthy samples in the creation of a hip hop beat. Producers also realised that it was possible to loop a complete drumbreak for it to be used as the basis for a track. Hence the demise began of drum-machine based beats, despite the fact that DMX and ROLAND TR606 through to TR909 drum machines had dominated the music for so long.
Although a lot of hip hop collectors I know will buy very few releases from before this '87 timezone, and particularly from the "stupid fresh" era. I can appreciate that in 85, 86 and 87 some corny samples, badly programmed drum machines and bugged out lyrics can make for poor longevity where hip hop records are concerned.
But there are a few absolute killer tracks pre-1987 with dope drum machine beats, before sampling drum noises really took off. Hopefully I can uncover a few of these you don't know already....plus a few of the joints from later in 87 using the newer technology. From '87 on most often the weapons of choice became the EMU SP12/SP1200 drum machine coupled with AKAI S950 sampler - these became the standard for making hip hop beats for a long time to come.
I love to hear lengthy well-chopped samples particularly the later 80's heat, but I will still listen to a dope TR808 or TR909 beat from the early or mid-80s and instantly think to myself "ahhh ... now that's Hip Hop!"


SPEEDY G and DJ TIZ - "Get Down" (APRIL RECORDS)
SPEEDY G certainly lives up to his name here dropping lyrics over this fast beat! Aggressive stuff outta Philly as you would expect, with some forceful beats and nicely performed cuts provided by DJ TIZ. On Philly's tiny label APRIL RECORDS, the same label as RHYTHM RADICALS "Dig the Move" and GORGEOUS GEORGE "Cabbage Patch Scratch".
BUDDY TURNER and RAY COVINGTON get the production credits here, and DAN the MAN is credited for engineering at INS STUDIOS.
SPEEDY G & DJ TIZ - "Get Down"


PRIME TIME - "He's Def" (HITS IN THE GROOVE)
A hardcore west coast record if ever I have heard one. Seriously under-rated and rarely played on internet radio - yet it is the source for most DJ's use of the "You can't get much fresher than this!"" sound sample. Both sides are raw, and to be honest I struggled to decide which track to upload, so good are they both. I decided to go for "He's Deff" because I love the use of RALPH MACDONALD's "Jam on the Groove". Dope though it may be, this track very rarely costs a lot to pick up and also appears on the SUNTOWN label as well as this first release on HITS IN THE GROOVE (which has a great company sleeve which looks like a turntable!). Once again heavy scratchin' is the order of the day here thanks to DJ SLIC VIC, and as you would expect from the west coast, their DJs rarely disappoint. And MC RUN DU is no wack emcee either, although here he is shouting the corner for his partner on the wheels of steel!
PRIME TIME - "He's Deff"


POET - "All Hell Breakin Loose" NU-SOUNDS RECORDS
I have always been a fan of POET, or ROCKWELL NOEL, or BLAQ POET - however you know him and his many reincarnations. And back then in the 80's when he dissed KRS, BDP, KOOL MOE DEE, RAKIM, COOL J and ULTRAMAGNETIC on wax, few thought he would live long enough a career to complete his claims. I'm sure many of you will be aware of the stories of JUST-ICE seeking out POET in his Queens hood with a view to a beatdown.
But to this day he is still dropping hardcore records with the legendary PRIMO by his side on production. You cannot dispute that POET got longevity as an MC. And his material with PHD deserves a whole post of it's own!! I'll leave that to another day.
But for now take a bite of "All Hell is Breakin' Loose". When I first heard the keyboard and electric guitar hook in this track, I wasn't that excited by it. But it's a joint that really grows on you, and POET carries the flow of the record in his inimitable style - dissing ALL competitors!!
POET - "All Hell Breakin Loose"


ALLIANCE - "Bustin' Loose" (FIRST PRIORITY RECORDS)
One of my favourite releases on the FP label without question ... and this comes from a big AUDIO TWO fan. And possible one of my favourite jams from 87 full stop. This track to me epitomises just how funky '87 hip hop can get. The "And now Ladies & Gentleman...the moment you have been waiting for..." intro sets the atmosphere, followed by some seriously slamming drums (sounds like an SP12?) with some dope string stabs dropped in by DJ SKILL. The crew chant for BROOKLYN, then KING OF CHILL and K-SWIFT really excel themselves on this track, and every line seems to be a hip hop quotable or killer punchline. In fact, all three joints on this 12" release make it worth every penny of whatever you have to pay. Have a listen to the snippet of "Bustin' Loose" and tell me this shit ain't fresh!
Black label FIRST PRIORITY 12" (although this 12" is also available on the more typical red FP label), but this US OG has CSB and 2 musical notes etched in the run-out groove.
THE ALLIANCE - "Bustin' Loose"

Kid Dyno

Monday 5 January 2009

New Year B-Boy Beats

Happy New Year beatdiggers! Let's hope 2009 is a prosperous year, and may the crates be plentiful for you all! To start the new year with a BANG here's a few classic b-boy & b-girl beats to take you back the days of the original park jams. I've tried to cram in as many of the "original" beats that you would have heard back in the day being dropped by the pioneers, plus maybe a record or two that also fit the mood but maybe hadn't been discovered in the early days. It's only just short of 60 minutes, but it's enough to help you get your groove on. I'm recovering from flu (damn it's cold here in the UK) so I really can't be bothered to drop a full track list, but highlights include...

DENNIS COFFEY - Son of Scorpio
FREEDOM - Get Up and Dance
EU - Freeze (Instrumental)
WE THE PEOPLE - Breakdown

...to name a few. But if any of the other joints are bugging you, then just drop me a line and I'll gladly oblige ... if maybe you can slip us a little nugget of info or two ;o). By sharing record knowledge it can only help keep real b-boy music alive.

Step up front....get down!

BREAKS FOR DAYS RADIO - B-Boy & B-Girl Beats
(In memory of BREAK DJ LEACY)

Kid Dyno