Saturday 26 September 2009

Just Messin' With Beats pt.10

It's a longtime since I been messin' with beats, so I've asked my man DJ OLSON from P&O PRODUCTIONS and VINYL DEES to step up to the ocky with a little remix beat for us to devour. And literally one week later he has provided the REDMAN & METHOD MAN "HOW HIGH" TIGHTROPE remix.
OLSON is tight with his beats so you now this ain't gonna be weak sauce. Plus you gotta check out the scratching in the outro. It's gonna feature on P&O's forthcoming "NUGGETS & GEMS PT.2" mix (remember the dope ass PT.1 we featured here), but we here at the DAILY DIGGERS HQ have the remix on the exclusive tip. Nice work mister OLSON.

REDMAN & METHOD MAN - "How High TIGHTROPE REMIX" by DJ OLSON


Enjoy!

Kid Dyno

Manchester Diggin' pt2

I like MANCHESTER - it's a colourful place, friendly people, and it definitely has a laid-back vibe going on that I enjoyed if only for a few hours. But I wasn't there to make friends or influence people, just to empty some record crates. The fact that many of the Manchester record shops are situated in the same district only adds to the appeal.
The best finds were in the VINYL EXCHANGE, a long established vinyl haunt, yet one which hasn't lost touch with the musical times. I wanna say a big "Thanks and What's Up" to MARK who works in there 2 days a week - a friendly face and some genuine banter always makes a record fiend feel welcome. I had some nice finds in VE, and I finally dug out the IKE & TINA TURNER track I had been hoping to find one day soon. Mainly for the superb drum break on "Cussin' & Crying", but also for the other funky cuts on this double LP...


IKE & TINA TURNER - Super Original Session LP FESTIVAL RECORDS
This French issued LP holds a real treat of a drum break on the very first track, namely "Cryin' & Cussin'" - a very apt title for an IKE & TINA track now I think about it.
You will probably best know this killer drum break as the one a young BIGGY SMALLS rhymes over outside a BROOKLYN grocery store (I'm sure you know the video I mean). The drums on this are slow tempo but hard and chunky. When looped or chopped up they sound so fat and gritty, hence they have been sampled by a few Hip Hop artists over the years, including DAS EFX on "Here We Go" and LEADERS OF THE NEW SCHOOL on "Zone Coasters" (see video below). Despite this I haven't found a decent copy worth buying for years. I'm just glad to now own an original press, such is my obsession for the classic drum beats. But as an added bonus, the LP also has the track "Up Hard" - another killer drum break and b-boy classic.

IKE & TINA TURNER - "Cussin' & Cryin'"


IKE & TINA TURNER - "Up Hard"


And here's a video of BUSTA RHYMES, DINCO D, CUT MONITOR MILO and CHARLIE BROWN doing their thang over the "Cussin' & Cryin'" break.





THE NEW VAUDEVILLE BAND - "Winchester Cathedral" FONTANA RECORDS 1966
This kitsch 1966 LP was the brainchild of GEOFF STEPHENS, the man who discovered DONOVAN. Here he attempts to bring together other musicians in order to re-create the 1930's Vaudeville sound. I'm not sure there was much call for it even back then in 66, and this LP has been relegated to the bargain bins ever since. But it does hold one loop on the track "Whispering" that you will all no doubt recognise, and even if you pick up the LP and browse it, you may even miss the loop entirely.
This wasn't expensive at £3.00 ... but to be honest this should really be a £1.00 LP all day - so keep checking those bargain bins! Let's just say it will make you go NUTS and wanna TURN IT OUT...

THE NEW VAUDEVILLE BAND - "Whispering"



CHRISTINE PERFECT - "Albatross" LP BLUE HORIZON RECORDS CBS 1970
A strange LP this one in the fact that it is a split LP with FLEETWOOD MAC on one side, and CHRISTINE PERFECT on the other. I'm sure there is an industry name for these type of LPs. All tracks on both sides of the vinyl are produced by MIKE VERNON.
But without doubt it is the track "And That's Saying A Lot" that stands out by a mile here. As featured on the DUSTY FINGERS compilations (what's up to DANNY DAN THE BEATMAN!), this downtempo moody joint is drum driven and has a funky little open break at the intro. Mellow key chords and funky guitar licks push the song along with CHRISTINE's seductive vocals caressing the beat. Dope shit.

CHRISTINE PERFECT - "And That's Saying A Lot"




FLASH FEARLESS versus THE ZORG WOMEN Pts 5&6 CHRYSALIS RECORDS 1975
"What the f__k is that LP" I hear you cry. BREAK DJ LEACY played me this LP back in the very early 1990's, and I think it is only the second or third time I have ever seen a copy, and with my obsession for original breakbeats from back in the day, how could I possibly NOT buy this LP?
I could never remember the title (there must have been some good acid in the house when they chose that name!) but the dope artwork on the LP cover has stuck in my memory for years. This LP was a project involving JOHN ENTWISTLE and KEITH MOON from THE WHO, and also the likes of ELKIE BROOKS and ALICE COOPER. The concept being a comic book hero idea put to music. A concept album along the same lines as THE BEATLES' "SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEART CLUB BAND" LP ... but without the quality or the same level of success.
But it is the JIM DANDY track we are concerned with here. (JIM DANDY was a member of BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, a rock group who also sneaked in a few drum breaks onto their LPs so check 'em out). "Country Cookin'" is a bonafide b-boy classic, and the track name alone should give you enough clues. You will know this for sure, even if you don't recognise the LP or the names. Punchy drums and a sassy harmonica riff makes you wanna get down and break!

JIM DANDY - "Country Cookin'"




So thanks to MANCHESTER for the dope vinyl. I'll be back for more for sure.

stay dusty ...Kid Dyno

NOTE to FISHLY; Damn man, I only got your previous comment on my return from your neck of the woods. Now I NEED to go back and hit those other spots, so maybe we should meet up, dig for victory and then catch an pint??

Friday 25 September 2009

Manchester Diggin'

It's about that time to spread my diggin' wings and stretch my diggin' legs. Watch out Manchester, Kid Dyno is in your area!
This week I had an excuse to get out of the big smoke of LONDON and head for another city in search of some dusty vinyl. For my day job I sell luxury cars across the UK, and a perk of the job is that every so often there is a long distance delivery involved which gives me a fleeting chance to hit another city for it's vinyl resting places. This time I have a 4hr drive ahead of me to MANCHESTER in the north west of the UK, but I have the comfort of a CHRYSLER 300C SRT-8 on the way up there (Now that's gonna make my journey much quicker!). I got my DWG Lungbutters CD ready for the take off, the sat nav in the 300C is already programmed - now all I got to think about is the records I'm gonna find!
From what I know, many of the record shops in MANCHESTER are situated on or around OLDHAM STREET; just a few minutes walk from MANCHESTER PICCADILLY train station. And luckily a good friend has given me the quiet nod on which record shop I should hit first for the rarer pieces at the best prices. I'm not expecting a haul of hip hop records from what I've been told, but the breaks selection is ready for the taking. Apparently they have a large soul & funk section, plus some cheap prog rock LPs and many of the beats are left untouched for weeks. So you just know I gotta get up there. All you Mancunians out there, watch out for some power diggin' action DAILY DIGGERS style!
I'll be back posting again over the weekend and I'll spill the beans on the MANCHESTER mission. Until then ... hold tight to your records!

To get us in the Manchester mood, here's some graffiti action from the area - keep an eye open for a piece by one of very own regulars here at BREAKS FOR DAYS - the man they call FISH. What's up B!



Kid Dyno

Wednesday 23 September 2009

125th Street

Sunday 20 September 2009

GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA rest in peace

I'm very sad to inform you that the legend that was GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA passed away yesterday September 19th, seemingly after being involved in a martial arts accident. This news of his unexpected death is terrible! I can honestly say he was a very humble dude despite his on-deck battling persona, and the XECUTIONERS member was a true legend of the deejay game NO DOUBT. That's why they named him the GRANDMASTER. I was very lucky to see him on the wheels of steel both live in LONDON as he won the DMC world champs, and also out in New York at the ROCKSTEADY CREW anniversary 1994-96. I witnessed the legendary SKRATCH PICKLZ vs X-MEN DJ battle at THE MANHATTAN CENTRE in 1996, and my spine was till tingling weeks later such was the excitement that night.

RAIDA, you will be very sorely missed. Our thoughts are with your family, crew and closest friends. Rest in Beats.

Statement from DJ Roc Raida’s Family:

Anthony Williams p/k to the world as The Legendary Grand Master Roc Raida has passed away unexpectedly today Sept 19 2009. He is survived by his wife, 3 lovely daughters, mother and friends. Raida was recently in an mixed martial arts accident, something that he has been practicing for several years. Although he had under gone 2 surgeries with great success, was released to an inpatient physical therapy facility and was in great spirits the past few days. This morning [sept. 19] he started to have complications and passed. The family asks for privacy at this time.

KID DYNO


Above Photo: KID DYNO & GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA at the ROCKSTEADY ANNIVERSARY, at ROCKSTEADY PARK, AMSTERDAM AVE, NYC 1996.

Video below: ROC RAIDA in the DMC world champs.




PEPSI COMMERCIAL ft. RAIDA & RAHZEL
Pepsi Commercial


RAIDA rocking the wheels at the VESTAX DJ CHAMPS in AMSTERDAM.


Now check out RAIDA on the wheels of steel, cutting up classic breaks. We're gonna miss his funky shit! Soundclip below...
GRANDMASTER ROC RAIDA - 52 BEATS Mix

Friday 18 September 2009

Record Heads

King Of The Beats - MIKEY D live

My man PRITT KALSI has been hard at work again behind the camera, filming his new documentary about the beat digging culture "THE MEN AND THEIR MUSIC" featuring interviews with legends of the hip hop game like DJ PREMIER, MARLEY MARL, JAZZY JAY, C.J. MOORE and others. If you have seen KING OF THE BEATS 1 & 2 then you already know how PRITT does his thing -
he gets close up and personal with some of the greatest beatmakers of all time, and unearths their secrets and a few stories from years of Hip Hop music.Plus as a special launch party, on SUNDAY 27th September at THE VIBE BAR, BRICK LANE in EAST LONDON, SPARKI SKI will be hosting a preview night with special appearance by MIKEY D, the 1989 NEW MUSIC SEMINAR MC CHAMP.

"I put holes in rappers who try to diss me,
and slap ugly girls who try to kiss me
"
MIKEY D - "I Get Rough"

MIKEY is best known for taking the mic for MAIN SOURCE's second LP release "FUCK WHAT YOU THINK" on Wild Pitch Records, but is also well known for his releases as MIKEY D & THE LA POSSE. Tracks like "My Telephone" and "Bust a Rhyme Mike" are essential classics fromthe late 80's. So DON'T SLEEP and get over to THE VIBE BAR on Sunday night and join in the fun. DJ MR THING will also be rocking a special birthday set, so you know it's gonna be 100% the real deal.
Myself and BEAT DETECTIVE will be in attendance, so come along and enjoy the film preview, watch MIKEY D (MIKEY DESTRUCTION) blow up the spot with his DJ JOHNNY JUICE, and meet some fellow beat diggers. Plus there's gonna be a live beat battle so you know the venue will be crammed full of talent.
So BIG PROPS to PRITT for making it happen again, and also to the man MIKEY D who is making his first ever trip to the UK. Word on the street from my man OXYGEN is that MIKEY tears the stage apart, so this one is definitely not to be missed.
Here's what MIKEY DESTRUCTION has to say....

See you at the VIBE BAR on Sunday ....

MIKEY D freestyle

Kid Dyno

Thursday 17 September 2009

Another Mission - The Finds

Welcome to Drum Break Central!
It was a heavy mission yesterday, and even though I know all y'all beat diggers out there in cyberspace were fiending for the dope stuff, I just couldn't find enough energy to post 'em up for you last night. Plus I spent most of my night playing through the wax that I had bought. But best believe I had a nice record haul from only 4 spots - and all were bargain pieces too so I spent less than forty quid (50-60 bucks) in total on over fifteen records. Now that's the way to do it.
As per usual some of the haul was complete rubbish, and these records immediately got the frisbee treatment, as I like to call it. They're outta here already, but I still say you should always take a chance on some records if the price is right. Some of the best breaks I own are ones that I purchased by hunch alone, but of course it doesn't pay off 100 per cent of the time. Although having just said that, yesterday I got lucky. One record I bought was a pure hunch, but certainly sent my spidey sense tingling. I've added a soundclip below, but I'm gonna keep names and titles to myself on this one as it's gonna get the DYNO beat treatment at a later date. Not only is there a drum break at the start, but it also breaks down a second time after the guitar solo, and has some great chorus loops too (see if you can spot them!)

You like that? Well I got plenty more where that came from. The second track is by THIJS VAN LEER, best known for heading the Dutch prog rock group FOCUS. Once again we start with a sweet little headnod drum break ripe for the chopping on the SP or MPC, but it's the groovy bassline that makes this a playthrough track. It sounds very Stevie Wonder/Herbie Hancock-ish at times. VAN LEER plays Fender keyboard and his trademark flute, with other players including JAMES GADSON on drums, WILTON FENDER on bass, VICTOR FELDMAN on congas and percussion, and PAUL BUCKMASTER on arp Odyssey and Fender Keyboard Bass.

Hold on though, we are only just getting started. No mission is ever complete without copping an original breakbeat which we all know and love, and yesterday was no different. This time the classic break was "Sister Sanctified" from STANLEY TURRENTINE's "Cherry" album (see photo). I can't believe I hadn't already found a copy of this LP at a sensible price, but this UK press on Creed Taylor Records was a snip at only 8 pounds. That's a fair price to pay for a classic. We gotta wait four minutes for the drums to drop, so let's all enjoy this one ...

The list of players on this LP says it all - BOB JAMES, MILT JACKSON, BILLY COBHAM, RON CARTER and CORNELL DUPREE, and "Sister Sanctified" was arranged by none other than WELDON IRVINE. A classic "back in the day" break most notably sampled by BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS on "My Philosophy" to great effect, and also on ABOVE THE LAW's "Murder Rap" single. But listen out for the vibe hook as used by 3RD BASS on their "Soul In The Hole" track. DOPE STUFF!

Right, I have one more drum break to keep ya heads bobbin'! This time on a 45rpm seven inch single and by the legendary rock drummer COZY POWELL. The track is entitled "And Then There Was Skin" and features some manic drum skills from Cozy. Let's rock....

I think that's enough said for the moment about yesterday's haul, and we've only covered 4 of the fifteen records so far! In the photo you can also see another STANLEY TURRENTINE LP which has a dope MONEY BOSS PLAYERS sample on it, and a GRASSROOTS LP which I am convinced holds a hidden drum break somewhere within those grooves - but I'm damned if I can find it on my first listen through. Now it's time to give it a second spin on the turntables.

Keep diggin' hard YO!

Kid Dyno

Wednesday 16 September 2009

Another Mission

Ahh, I have a day off. That can only mean one thing - it's time for another mission into the Big Smoke to sniff 'round some crates. Who knows what lies in a dusty crate or rack somewhere, just waiting to be handpicked. You can spend all day searching for wax on the internet, but nothing equals the buzz of finding a gem in the flesh. I admit these days the pickings aren't great in one spot alone, so it's time to switch to military precision mode and make a plan of attack on the city's record shops. I'm fast and furious, and many fellow record heads complain as they cannot keep up with my power-digging style. But when I've got my eyes on a prize there is no holding me back. I like to dig deep & fast, scoop the beats, and then move on to the next target before I'm recognised. To my fellow diggers, I'm sorry but it's like that, and it means that on most of these missions I have to fly solo. The only tools I will be taking is a handy portable, and my spideysense. I often rely on diggin' hunches rather than go for the obvious stuff, and the record in the picture above is a perfect example. It's the JOHNNY DANKWORTH and PAUL HART QUARTET LP entitled "Octavius". I believe DJ PREMIER has a liking to DANKWORTH samples, so this was a purchase based on this hunch and the other JD records I own. And to be honest, this LP is probably the best of them, featuring 2 clean drum breaks to chop, plus some killer loops ripe for a hip hop track. I'm not gonna give the whole game away, but take a peep of "Long John" and see what you think.

JOHN DANKWORTH PAUL HART OCTET - "Octavius" LP on SEPIA RECORDS 197?
"Long John"

I will let you know what rewards I find when I return from my mission. I cannot divulge the exact locations in order to preserve beat security. Please maintain radio silence throughout the operation. Kid Dyno signing OUT. This webpage will self destruct in 20 seconds...
19,
18...

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Dig For Victory

Now it's no secret that I don't buy a whole lot of new Hip Hop releases on vinyl, and OK I agree that there is a lot of dope new shit that completely misses my radar these days. Essentially I'm an old school fool who pines over the golden era days and I whole-heartedly admit that fact. I was born in 1971 and grew up as an 80's kid so a strong hip hop influence on me growing up was inevitable. But because of that my tolerance now in the noughties for every wannabee rapper and producer has worn thin. In short, I only listen to "pedigree" hip hop.
But every so often I hear a new record that knocks me down from my self-created hip hop beliefs, and opens my eyes and ears to new dope music. You may remember a year or so ago this happened to me with SPUTNIK BROWN (and I still say watch this space where they are concerned). Now once again I have some more of the raw to bring you in the form of SOUNDSCI - The DIG FOR VICTORY EP.

Released on CRATE ESCAPE RECORDS with the hardest working man in Birmingham, namely DJ CRO, behind the label - this is a very limited 12" release pressed on luscious red vinyl and in a cool picture sleeve. SOUNDSCI is the brainchild of JONNY CUBA (One half of now disbanded Dynamic Syncopation) and AUDESSEY (Founding member of MASS INFLUENCE) after collaborating previously on numerous occasions for Ninja Tune (Ground Zero, Dedicated, Systematic and 2 Tha Left) they kept in touch and continued making music together. Fast forward a few years and Jonny met Cro through Diggers With Gratitude and mutual friend, Juice Aleem. As more tracks were recorded and friends Ollie Teeba (Herbaliser),U-George, and Therapy got brought into the mix it made sense to make an EP rather than single and the "Dig For Victory EP" was born. As a bonus track included is an older track produced by Audessey featuring Jax from Binkis (who unfortunately passed away last year) and Reality. Using their b-boy ethics while not getting caught up in the past, it thumps hard and reminds you why you love hip-hop.

DIG FOR VICTORY SNIPPETS - "The Remedy" and "Show & Prove"

Produced by SOUNDSCI
Cuts by Ollie Teeba, Jonny Cuba and Cro
Mixed by No Sleep Nigel
Mastered by Simon @ The Exchange
Artwork / Design by Stilts

If you haven't heard this release already ... you're about to get your chops busted! My man DJ CRO had told me about this project a few months ago, and I was already familiar with JONNY CUBA's more-than-competent beats, so to say I was hyped was an understatement. Both DYNAMIC SYNCOPATION & MASS INFLUENCE have their place in the DAILY DIGGERS crates. But not even I was ready for tracks like "The Remedy" and "Show & Prove". The beats are on some funkier than funky type steez, and the whole EP reeks of longevity. JONNY and AUDESSEY; you guys have dropped jewels on our unsuspecting asses. Props to you both, and YO! JONNY it was good to finally meet you on that digging mission a few months back. Your beats are definitely solid bro.

SOUNDSCI "Dig For Victory" EP - get your copy pronto through...

info@crateescaperecords.com

or contact DJ CRO at MAIN INGREDIENT RADIO

The return of truly classic material has finally arrived. Pedigree hip hop.

Kid Dyno

Tuesday 8 September 2009

Saturday 5 September 2009

B-Boy Alien Ness