Tuesday 27 April 2010

Just A Little Selection

I've enjoyed checking out the DOUBLES PHOTOS you've been sending in, so a big thanks to all of you who've done so already, and to those who are still to send their flicks in (keep 'em coming). I also see a lotta records I need to keep my eyes peeled for when I'm out digging - so thanks also for the tips fellas. I got more snappy snaps of my doubles to come - hold tight for those as you know I'm gonna drop some jewels.
But it's been a while since I featured a few records from the DAILY DIGGERS crates, so let's take a deep breath and dive head first into this sea of records here at the HQ. There's always a dusty corner somewhere that no-one has visited for a while, lurking beneath some trash wax no doubt (and I got a lot of trash wax - my buying techniques don't always pay off).
There's no theme this time, just a riot of random records from the racks. As usual I ain't trying to boost no titles, simply spread the word on a record or two you may not have heard, or forgot to pick up over the years. Just as my time spent on the web can enlighten ME on music I need to rush out and find, I also wish to serve as a hub for like-minded record people who wanna check out some good old funky music.

Enjoy the ride...

MC SHY-D - "Don't Sweat Me" 1990 BENZ RECORDS 12"
I was always a fan of SHY-D ever since the days of "Rapp will never die" and "Got to be tough" despite his high pitch vocals which put a few of my peers off him at the time. It wasn't just the music that appealed, but his crazy picture covers on 12" and LP releases particularly the "Got To Be Tough" LP cover. SHY-D always dressed to impress making these budget picture covers somewhat classic. And you can never beat a record with lots of cutting & scratchin', hence why "Don't Sweat Me" is getting some play. A great use of the funky drummer break even if a couple of years after it had already been used to near death. Throw in a bit of KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND, reverse the drum loop here and there and you got a perfect stage for SHY-D to rock. He brags about his status within hip hop, reaching his third LP, and telling other MCs "Don't Sweat Me". For a man with a small voice SHY-D always made his point with attitude and confidence.



MARVIN HOLMES & THE UPTIGHTS - "Ooh Ooh The Dragon" pts 1&2 196? UNI RECORDS 45rpm
I recently copped a double of this little beauty to replace a very cheap but cracked copy I found some years back. Snappy drums are the on the menu and believe me when I say these drums are hard! The whole track is pretty manic from start to finish. The screams in the intro lead me to believe there was some magic potion going on in the studio that night if you understand what I'm saying? And the references to the dragon - I will let you decide on that one.
At least now I have a copy I can play out, cuz I'm sure this will get a floor filled and rocking. Crank it up yourself and give a little hip shake here and there. I tell you the drums are crazy dope on this one. A little something for the b-boys and beatheads to sweat over.
Check out more of MARVIN HOLMES' music at the excellent FUNKY 16 CORNERS blog. If you don't know that site then you need to bookmark it with immediate effect.




FAMILY OF MANN - "First Light" 1974 ATLANTIC RECORDS LP
A project LP by HERBIE MANN bringing together some of his own favourite musicians in order to make an LP. Heavy drums coupled with funky flutes is always a winner with me, and this one is so funky, so damn funky. I picked up the LP in a cheap record shop noticing it had STEVE GADD on drums which is often a recipe for success. If you are not familiar with his name then check the back of your LPs and he will no doubt be providing the beats somewhere in your crates. He was responsible for the drums on PAUL SIMON's "50 ways to Leave Your Lover" amongst many others and also happens to be one of the best drummers there has ever been.
But the standout track on this LP is "The Turtle & The Frog" which you will no doubt recognise from the excellent "FIVE SINISTER SYLLABLES" mix by JAY GLAZE and PRO-CELEBRITY GOLF from a few years back. Now that's a mix I still play on the regular, so it's good to find a beat off that mix I didn't already own.

(EDIT: It's actually 3 SINISTER SYLLABLES not 5. DOH! Thanks to PRO CELEBRITY GOLF for getting in touch)


FISH - "Can You Feel It?" 198? CUPID RECORDS 12"
About 10 years ago I met a dude called RITCHIE from HEAVY ROTATION RECORDS, a heavy duty record collector and dealer in vinyl. A friend of mine had introduced us and immediately I was impressed by the guy's musical knowledge. You name a genre, he knew shit about it. At the time he was dealing with a lot of Japanese hip hop collectors, and a name that cropped up regular on their wants lists was this track by FISH. I had never heard of it, nor of CUPID RECORDS label for that matter. So what the f#ck was this record all about? And why had no-one mentioned it or played it to me before?
Eventually I tracked down a copy, although without the original CUPID sleeve, but nonetheless a cheap copy. The only name I recognise from the label is that of EDDIE SANCHO who went on to be DJ PREMIER's right-hand man when it came to studio engineering. Intrigued to hear what all the fuss was about, I flipped the record on. I gotta admit I was kinda disappointed by the rap side, but the instrumental dub version is breakbeat heavy ("Amen Brother", "Assembly Line", "Scratchin'", and even "Take Me To The Mardi Gras") and well worth a listen. The Japanese dudes never cease to amaze me with their in depth knowledge, especially when it comes to the obscure shit. Anyone know any more about this record?




Kid Dyno

Got Doubles pt8

Hmmm ... two copies of "Lusty Lady" by JOHNNY BRISTOL and doubles of "Cold Sweat" on 45 - yo that's fresh! Racks of wax courtesy of FISH PWS.


Got Doubles pt7

Super rocking SKEME RICHARDS showing y'all how to "Shack Up"!

DJ Mark 45 King Gets Busy On The Doubles

Cutting up doubles of a break ain't just fun, it's a way of life.

Monday 26 April 2010

Got Doubles pt6

Looks like ADE has been hoarding doubles for years - nice work son!






Saturday 24 April 2010

Got Doubles pt5

BREAK DJ LEACY (RIP) in Miami rocking the doubles for the PRO-AM.

Got Doubles pt4

BEAT DETECTIVE with some of his wax stash. As you can see he likes to keep his identity a mystery, but those bright green AF1s might just give him away!






Friday 23 April 2010

If I Sound Doper, Take It Personal!

Thanks to the KOOL SKOOL for this GURU tribute. Dope footage from the legendary duo.

Thursday 22 April 2010

Got Doubles pt2

Just like GM FLASH in his kitchen in the film WILD STYLE.


Wednesday 21 April 2010

Got Doubles pt1

Oh yeah we got doubles baby!
The real art of deejaying and hip hop itself spawned from the deejay having two copies of a dope beat ... and I won't have anyone try and tell me any different! That's just how it was. From Latin b-boy beats to charity shop easy listening, to heavy rock, to the rarest funk - if it had a beat then the pioneers had it covered. So it stands to reason that I gotta have it covered. What doubles you got? Let's see some flicks from you people out there in cyberspace. I want you to show not tell. Send your photos to kidbiscuit AT hotmail DOT com.

Who's Gonna Take The Weight?

Tuesday 20 April 2010

Sad News

I have only just left hospital myself after my own surgery to hear the sad news that GURU KEITHY E (KEITH ELAM) from the legendary hip hop group GANG STARR passed away yesterday 19th April. According to the New Musical Express website he had been suffering with cancer for a year and also the after effects of his heart attack late in 2009. I personally am upset by the news, and it also puts into perspective my own medical problems of late. GURU and I are of similar age, so it seems I am getting off lightly.
You don't need me to tell you what kind of effect GANG STARR as a crew had on hip hop music. Suffice to say their sound became a blueprint for success, and synonymous with that boom bap sound of the 90s. The GANG STARR concept actually began in the 80s with DJ MARK THE 45KING originally providing the beats and cuts for GURU, followed by DJ PREMIER a few years later who took control of the beats and turned GANG STARR into one the popular hip hop groups. I remember first hearing HARD TO EARN lp in 94 and despite loving NO MORE MR. NICE GUY, STEP IN THE ARENA, and DAILY OPERATION LPs, I couldn't believe it was still possible to take it up a notch on a fourth album. And they achieved this level of competence. No weak sauce. Ask any SERIOUS hip hopper and he will no doubt drop the GANG STARR name in his all time top 10. Trust me on that.

I may not be a huge fan of GURU's solo work, and I am also disgusted at what I read of GURU's producer/business handler SOLAR (let's leave that subject alone) but more importantly I am saddened that we have lost half of the duo whose logo was the chain and the star. A logo which has been on my lab wall for over 15 years. I bought the poster from their 1994 London gig at THE FORUM in Kentish Town. What a night - real hip hop my man.

GURU you will be sorely missed. Love goes out to your friends a family, and a huge thanks to you personally for your contribution to this music we love. It was by no means a small one.

Kid Dyno

Saturday 17 April 2010

Beat Detective & Kid Dyno

Here's a flick of myself and my beat buddy BEAT DETECTIVE whilst out on a mission. In this instance we are out of our normal vacinity hitting those spots that other diggers don't reach. My man DJ CRO took us to this spot after rocking the FUNKBOX party the night before in BIRMINGHAM. That was one of my favourite play-out nights of the last few years no doubt, and despite my hangover the next morning the record hunting was fruitful too. In fact I copped a COMMAND percussion LP that day which I instantly had to own and have since used it for at least 3 beats. Thanks CRO.

Kid Dyno

Record Store Day 2010

Today is Record Store Day 2010 and this time the buzz has hit the UK. I have just watched the most hilarious article on early BBC NEWS TV discussing vinyl and how this "outdated" format is now "back in fashion". Come on, please!! Buying records isn't a fashion for Christ's sake, I've NEVER stopped buying records over the last 30 years. Even when CDs arrived in the 80's I ignored the format and continued hunting for wax. And the same goes for the mp3 revolution. I'm not saying I do not own any of the latter 2 formats, just that records for me have ALWAYS been my format of choice. So I am amused that the media declares "vinyl is back". For me the love of vinyl never went away, and in my world, every day is Record Store Day.

Taken from their website: "The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.

This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April."

So as much as I'm happy to see people supporting their independent music shops, I also think the help has come a little too late with many of our independent record shops going out of business in the last 10 years already. The surge of downloading music from the internet has certainly kicked every aspect of the music industry right up the arse, and the independent shops are where it was felt hardest as they were practically cut out of the buying chain. Hopefully we will continue to see the appreciation of real music, real records, real shops and less of that spoon-fed drivel that we suffered since 2000.

But I do encourage you to dust off your turntable, get down to the local record spot and enjoy the whole ambience of digging in the vinyl crates for yourself. Just think of the fun you can have....

Here's some of the things to expect....

1. Sometimes in a record shop, the LP and 12" sleeves will be so tightly packed in the racks it is impossible to flick through them without physically creasing the covers. A record graded as MINT will eventually be VG by the time everyone has thumbed and pulled it about. You could try to remove a handful of wax to ease browsing, at which point the sales assistant will scream "don't pull records out of the racks please" or "make sure they go back in the correct section mate". You can't win. That filing system took them years to think of and put into practice, so there's no way they are gonna change it for YOU!

2. At some point you might have to suffer the local record shop nutter (every shop has a regular weirdo that comes in). And he or she will not think twice about standing next to you and sparking up a conversation while you are trying to concentrate. Normally they smell pretty bad too and love to touch - that's not a good look. If you are very unlucky, then the weirdo may also decide to try and follow you home. In this situation do not panic, simply return to the shop where they will no doubt latch on to someone else for the rest of the day. Problem solved ... until next time.


3. Many record dealers tend to err on the eccentric side, so don't be surprised by spontaneous outbursts and off key remarks while you are browsing their racks. I have seen it ALL over the years, and they certainly can be a funny breed. I have been locked out of shops, locked IN shops,
and also chucked out once because the owner wanted to spend his day's taking on a prostitute. (Ahem!) I even had the money snatched out of my hand by one record dealer BEFORE I was ready to pay, so keen was he to fill his till. I also had the same shop owner (YOU know who you are) try to charge me £10 for a record I found in his bargain bin once simply because paranoia set in that I "may" be ripping him off. Needless to say I take my business elsewhere, and that's a LOT of business.

4. Quite regularly you will find an LP sleeve out in their racks at a bargain price, and this can make your day's hunt worthwhile. Until you get to the counter to be told they can't find the actual record, or it may be misfiled somewhere. It's always the record you really want, never the one you are not so bothered about. And if that doesn't piss you off enough, you will return to the shop a few weeks later and the sleeve is back out in the racks. Oh they must have found it, so you take it to the counter, just to be told again ... "sorry mate I can't find this one". AGHHHHH!!!!

5. But at least there'll be no crashing of i-tunes, no flashing pop-up adverts, no 45seconds waiting to download, and you might even find something you weren't expecting or would never think to look at. Maybe an LP you have never seen before, or a promo only 12" with that extra track you wanted. Even a recommendation from the knowledgeable shop staff (these people can be your friends if you ask politely). It's much more fun than pressing GO on your keyboard and staring at your ipod display. And it sounds so much BETTER! So get out there and get your fingers dusty.

The irony for me today is that I am awaiting surgery for an ongoing problem on Monday, so this weekend is probably the ONLY weekend of the year you WILL NOT find me in a record store. But that doesn't stop you.

Get diggin'.

Kid Dyno

Wednesday 14 April 2010

Zulu Funky Dope Manuvah

Check this out - music & visuals by SWIFT aka NastyM taken from the complete mixtape : TRUE BBOY ESSENTIAL (by Swift & Ekim). Dope shit from Germany.
Good to see my man Lil' Sput from ELECTRIC FORCE (at 2.03). What's up Sput!!

Jam On The Groove

Tuesday 6 April 2010