Wednesday 30 June 2010

Rest In Peace RAMMΣLLZΣΣ

Hip Hop has lost another of it's troopers yesterday with the sad news of RAMMΣLLZΣΣ's death. Damn ... it was only a week or so ago that I
posted the video footage from The Rhythm Lounge from '83. So far I am unaware of the cause, but it just seems like we are losing too many legends lately.
RAMMΣLLZΣΣ started as a train writer, and progressed to become an emcee, and later an artist and sculptor. Despite being most famous in the hip hop community, especially for his distinctive voice on his "Beat Bop" record in 1983 with K-ROB, RAMMΣLLZΣΣ was of insular character - he even rhymed from behind those ski goggles of his. He Became in later years a master of the science of the alphabet. A little futuristic at times in his behaviour, even RAMMΣLLZΣΣ's graffiti and art work are based on his theory of Gothic Futurism. Despite "Beat Bop"'s success he only recorded his debut LP in 2004 some 21 years later. He will be missed but not forgotten. Rest in peace RAMMΣLLZΣΣ.

Photo shows RAMMΣLLZΣΣ and SHOCKDELL taken in The Kitchen NYC 1987.

EDIT: The NEW YORK TIMES reported RAMMΣLLZΣΣ's death and spoke to Ms. Zagari Rammellzee (his wife) who said his illness had slowed him down over the last few years and prevented him from pursuing a prodigious list of ideas. But she added that he never viewed death as an end, only a change in forms.

“His energy has just gone out to the Van Allen Belt, I’m sure,” she said, “and pretty soon it’s going to come back to us again.”

Tuesday 29 June 2010

No Weak Sauce - Just BBQ Sauce!

Saturday 17th July @ ABOVE AUDIO nightclub, Marine Parade in BRIGHTON UK - with likely lads MEX, MAC McRAW MR KRUM & BOBBY BOUCHER on the wheels of steel spinning a charred blend of beats, breaks and boogie. AND I'm reliably informed that they're also behind the grill flipping the quarterpounders whilst performing doubles on the turntables! Don't miss out - get down there and get your burger & beats on!

Monday 28 June 2010

Dres Re-unites the Native Tongues

BLACK SHEEP member DRES has recently gone all out to re-unite the NATIVE TONGUES posse, at least for an upcoming joint entitled "Birds Of A Feather".
I've heard the track today and the beat is bananas, and features MIKE GEE from the JUNGLE BROTHERS, Q-TIP (A TRIBE CALLED QUEST), and TRUGOY THE DOVE DAVE from DE LA SOUL. Although MR LAWNGE is no longer an active member of BLACK SHEEP, DRES plans a new album under that name also. I don't know about you guys out there reading this, but this is something I'm gonna look forward to. I've always enjoyed DRES's style, and he talks in the video about the current lack of inspiration in today's hip hop music, and how he vows to bring back those positive energies that the music created back in the days. I hope we ain't disappointed. Check out "Birds Of A Feather" right here.


Now let's bring back some of those good memories with "The Choice Is Yours"!

Hip Hop History 101 With Dante Ross

I hope you have been keeping up with the HIP HOP HISTORY 101 videos featuring DANTE ROSS - a serious figure in hip hop music. He was wise to the power of hip hop music very early on. Not only did he sign the likes of PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH, GRAND PUBA, BRAND NUBIAN, DEL THE FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN etc. but he worked for labels such as DEF JAM, TOMMY BOY and ELEKTRA before setting up his own STIMULATED label. And of course he is one half of STIMULATED DUMMIES. He has more hip hop stories than you could possibly count!

Sunday 27 June 2010

Dream City

Excerpt from the documentary DREAM CITY.

Friday 25 June 2010

Hot Peas and Butta

If you live in the NY area your Sunday afternoons just got funkier! Every last Sunday of the month at Macri Park Bar in Brooklyn, free BBQ, cheap booze, and all the funky music and rare footage you can handle! What more can you ask for? It's HOT PEAS & BUTTA baby! DJs SKEME RICHARDS, AMIR and guest turntable mechanic FOREST GETEMGUMP will be spinning only the funkiest 45s this Sunday in Brooklyn, so you know the music is gonna be ON POINT - beats, beats, beats! There is a free BBQ and also a screening of some of SKEME's rare video footage. Be there or be squidare!

Wednesday 23 June 2010

Funky 45s





Here'a a few funky nuggets on 45 to accompany the summer sunshine. Play this half hour selection loud and proud. This is more a mixture of straight up and down good ole funkay music rather than our usual breakbeat offering directed at the beatheads amongst you (although you should expect some funky drums at some point!), but this is something that ALL who can hear should enjoy. You can either crank it in your crib, rock it at your BBQ, play it around the office, or maybe just crack open a brew (or hit your stimulant of choice) ... and hey presto, we're funkin'!
Click on the photo to observe some of the hand picked ingredients. I hope you enjoy ... KID DYNO.

Download here

So Much Soul


SO MUCH SOUL!
Funk and Soul from the 4 Corners...
Saturday 10th July 2010 @ The Social 
with DJ Chris Read & DJ Nickname
Classic Breaks, Sampled Soul, Rare Sides, 80s Soul and Boogie, Modern Funk and everything in between.


On July 10th, THE SOCIAL in LONDON's Little Portland Street plays host to SO MUCH SOUL! - a new night brought to you by two of East London’s leading soulful scientists. Joining the dots between all things funk and soul, from forgotten gems to classics in the making, Music of Substance’s Chris Read and Droppin’ Science’s DJ Nickname will be playing soulful sides to drink and dance to.

Chris Read (Music Of Substance)
With over 20 years of record collecting and more than 15 behind the turntables, Chris Read is no stranger to The Social having guested at numerous nights at the venue over the years. For over 10 years Chris was responsible for one of the UK’s largest regular hip hop events. Having enjoyed a residency on BBC 1Xtra and performed at some of the UK’s most prestigious venues as part of a BBC New Urban Music award winning jazz outfit, Chris is best known in recent years for his steady output of remixes and mixtapes, downloaded in tens of thousands by a loyal online following.
www.musicofsubstance.com

Nickname (Droppin' Science/55DSL)
Nick is the man behind East London’s hugely popular Droppin’ Science and Dib Dab parties. Cutting his teeth (and records) with some of the finest DJs London has to offer, Nick has a keen ear for floor shaking funk and soul. With a radio show on Sensei FM alongside DMC Champs Matman and Daredevil, and regular guest spots across London, Nick is entertaining London’s more discerning listeners and dancers on a weekly basis.
www.djnickname.com

THE SOCIAL JULY 10th
LITTLE PORTLAND ST
LONDON W1

See you there!

Tuesday 22 June 2010

Serious Loot

A sure sign that the recession must be over is when a rap record almost hits the $3000 (£2000) mark. I've seen several hip hop records fetch humongous price tags over the years (regulars include AKINYELE's "Break a Bitch Neck" Test Press, RAMELLZEE & K-ROB's "Beat Bop" OG on TARTOWN amongst others) but this is in a new league of price paid to my knowledge. But, and it's a big but, this was a one-sided acetate of "Chilling with Chuck Chillout" by ULTRAMAGNETIC MC's - most probably a one-off record as this seems to be pressed up for CHUCK personally to play on his KISS FM radio show of the late 80s. Pressed at DICK CHARLES mastering. The chances of finding another one are as close to zero as you can get, and seeing as ULTRAMAGNETIC MCs are possibly one of the dopest hip hop crews to emerge from NYC in the late 80s, you can be sure this price is no "random" rap affiliated bid war nonsense. Ask any serious hip hopper from back in the day and they will tell you that CED GEE and KOOL KEITH brought some futuristic shit to our ears in the latter part of that decade. Along with MOE-LUV, T.R.LOVE and their connection with PAUL C, ULTRAS certainly lead the way for years and any exclusive joint by them on vinyl has indeed got to be considered a hop hop holy grail.

Monday 21 June 2010

New York City Breakers

Two NEW YORK CITY BREAKERS videos to check out here - one is footage from the subway battle from 1984-85 (excuse the poor quality), and secondly some practice footage. Both equally dope and worth a watch.

Monday 14 June 2010

Tag That!

Wax Poetics

It's real good to see a healthy dose of hip hop featured in this month's issue of WAX POETICS magazine. Plus you can choose between 4 different covers with this edition, featuring either west coast or east coast rappers depending on your preference. My favourite two are pictured below - but hurry to scoop your copy before they disappear off the shelves, the other two covers being original gangster ICE-T and ex-NWA member ICE CUBE.
Also in the mag this month are EPMD, DJ DISCO WHIZ, GRANDMIXER DXT, EASY MO BEE, DJ AMIR's record spot rundown, PEANUT BUTTER WOLF's video rundown, SOULS OF MISCHIEF, JIMMY SPICER, JUST-ICE, MIXMASTER GEE & THE TURNTABLE ORCHESTRA and SPYDER D. GURU, MALCOLM MCLAREN and CHILLY B (NEWCLEUS) are also remembered in this issue. For more details make your way over to the WAX POETICS website by clicking here.

Saturday 12 June 2010

ADE Supermix

While we pause for the cause in respect of the BREAKS FOR DAYS RADIO show, I have another couple of ADE's SUPERMIXES to bless you with. As you already know from his previous mixes featured here on BREAKS FOR DAYS, ADE is a real bargain hunter and seems to have this knack of finding the dope stuff for peanuts. This time he has raided one of his local record spots and compiled a half hour mix using his finds in his inimitable style. Consider this a musical energy boost for the summer. The second mix is a hip hop selection using some dope new cuts and some classics, including DJ FORMAT, P BROTHERS, JUNGLE BROTHERS, UGLY DUCKLING, PUBLIC ENEMY, plus an amazing PERCEE P recording WTF! Enjoy.


MINTYS MEGAMIX: called that for a good reason - the majority of the records were picked up by ADE at MINT VINYL (Eastbourne's only record shop). From what ADE tells me this place is loaded with stuff and most records are around a £1.00 with new stock coming in all the time.
DANIEL MINTY, who owns the place, is a good bloke and gives good trades (he doesn't pay a lot but doesn't charge a lot) on all your unwanted wax. Sounds like a spot for the real diggers. You can find it at MINT VINYL @ The Labyrinth Shops, 6 Mark Lane, Town Centre, Eastbourne BN21 4RJ. email: mint_vinyl@hotmail.co.uk

MINTY'S MEGAMIX


HIP HOP MIX

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Shine Like A Diamond

I've said it before, and I will say it again, the best thing about running this site is the contact I get from hip hoppers across the globe. I've met some cool people, been given the lowdown on some new breaks & beats to find, and been presented with some dope ass mixes from the UK, Europe, U.S.A. and beyond. Plus the odd artist has been in touch showing the love. And it makes me realise that appreciation for real deal hip hop is alive and kicking out there!
But this week my reward was stepped up a notch
when I received an email from the one and only DIAMOND D from DITC. It seems we have celebrity readers here at BREAKS FOR DAYS, and I'm not gonna deny that DIAMOND ranks highly as one of my idols - hence I had to pinch myself for a moment.
The man responsible for STUNTS BLUNTS & HIP HOP (that's one of my top 5 LPs right there!), HATRED PASSIONS & INFIDELITY, GROWN MAN TALK, and the HUGE HEFNER CHRONICLES had also checked out BREAKS FOR DAYS RADIO and wanted to comment on some of the beat-heavy 45s we spin.
But here's the newsflash....nowadays DIAMOND likes to rock the wheels of steel as well as the mic, and has been spinning a 45rpm only breakbeat extravaganza in his recent DJ sets. (Any promoters across Europe and in the UK need to take note - we need to see this shit in London.) We hope to bring you a short interview with DIAMOND in the near future, so stay locked to BREAKS FOR DAYS for the dusty scoop on the DITC trooper who brought us classics like BEST KEPT SECRET, F#CK WHAT YA HEARD, THE HIATUS and has worked with ATCQ, PHARAOH MONCH, JAZZY JAY, etc. etc.. And how can I forget "I'm Not Playing" by ULTIMATE FORCE, the record that broke the sampling mould in 1988. This was whaaay back when DIAMOND D was teamed up with MASTER ROB on vocal duties, and signed to STRONG CITY (see business card to the right). And DIAMOND is by no means a slouch when it comes to the mic skills these days, over 20 years later. While we wait for the interview, enjoy DIAMOND D rocking the m-i-c in association with DJ MARK the 45 KING and beat produced by DJ SCRATCH.



Kid Dyno

Monday 7 June 2010

No-one Can Beatbox Like Doug E Fresh

You can show me a million wannabee Rahzels, and I would still rather listen to the man DOUG E FRESH rock a beatbox. He still got it!

Rammelzee

I hate to rip posts from other sites, but this RAMMELZEE video turned my head and made my ears prick up. I spotted it whilst lurking on the Diggers With Gratitude forum, so a big thanks to RUSS ROCKWELL and SOUL SAFARI for bringing up the subject and sharing the video in the first place.
You all remember RAMMELZEE from the 1983 classic "BEAT BOP" on TARTOWN RECORDS (later picked up by PROFILE)? Despite none of his later releases achieving the same success as "Beat Bop", he is still involved with hip hop culture to this day. He can be somewhat "out there" though these days. Although, as SOUL SAFARI highlighted on DWG, he was a train writer in the 70s, an emcee in the 80s, and he worked with Jean Michel Basquiat as well as appearing in the film Wild Style. Plus he never fails to rock the MIC. That's a pedigree upbringing in hip hop terms. And he rocks the mic right in this clip here - RAMMELZEE live at THE RYTHYM LOUNGE in 1983.

Sunday 6 June 2010

Tim Westwood

Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the contribution to Hip Hop that the big daddy of the airwaves TIM WESTWOOD has made over the years. From his days on KISS FM in London (when the station was still pirate), to his legendary CAPITAL RAP SHOWS of the 90's and collaborations with MARLEY MARL,
TIM brought only the freshest hip hop sounds to our ears. I personally sat locked to my radio dial on many a late night as a teenager and into my 20's, not wanting to miss the exclusive joints TIM would play. A blank cassette was a must. How many UK hip hop personalities can claim to be receiving props on records as far back as early ICE-T records, and photos on the sleeve of 3RD BASS albums? Not many. TIM WESTWOOD still plays his brand of rap for the new generation on BBC RADIO 1, and although I might not agree on his playlist these days, I cannot disagree that WESTWOOD's sounds influenced me a lot. Some of the old cassettes I have of his shows contain tracks which never even got to see the light of day. The thought of his record collection scares me.
Anyway, it would be so easy for me to simply drop an old WESTWOOD cassette from back in the days, but I'ma take this theme in a different direction.
Those of you who checked out the WESTWOOD RAP shows back in the day will be aware of his trademark explosions, and the fact that he had more catchphrases than you can shake a stick at. "No left turns, no right turns, just straight ahead to the firing line!". Or something similar and just as random. People may knock him for sounding like a fool at times, but who else has lived the hip hop life over in the UK like big daddy TIM. Not many.
But another of my memories of the best WESTWOOD years, are those when he would introduce his show over familiar breakbeats that he would feature on rotation. Some of them became synonymous with the CAPITAL RAP SHOW itself as he would introduce the show over the beat. Let's reminisce shall we?

THE LITTLE BOY BLUES - "Seed Of Love" FONTANA RECORDS 197?
This track comes from the "Woodland of Weir" LP by the LITTLE BOY BLUES, a garage psych outfit from Chicago. The LP features some tripped out moments, and "Seed of Love" is no different with some real tension building and drama thrown in. My vintage copy is a little battered so please excuse the crackles and pops in the soundclip. This was a WESTWOOD favourite simply because of the tension the record creates, but it took me enough years to find out the title of the band or the track itself, then a further long period of time to eventually track down a copy of the LP. I'm sure you will still appreciate it.



JAMES BROWN - "Blues & Pants" POLYGRAM RECORDS 1971
Not the most obvious James Brown joint, but WESTWOOD certainly made this JB beat his very own by dropping it regularly, and eventually just by hearing it you knew you were listening to the CAPITAL RAP SHOW 95.8FM. His format was crisp back in the day, and you knew you were gonna get a healthy dose of the good shit when TIM was on the dial. God bless you WESTWOOD.
I'm surprised how little I have included JAMES BROWN joints here on BREAKS FOR DAYS, maybe I will change that with a little JB dedication in the very near future.



LOVE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA - "Strange Games & Things" 20th CENTURY RECORDS 1976
Barry white does the arrangement and production on this serious number from 76. Again this was a firm WESTWOOD favourite for the start of his show, and being an instrumental he could let it play as long as necessary and talk over the top. I remember EPMD also successfully using this break to dope effect, on their rap banger "Manslaughter". Either way it's a great track and also a floorfiller - the strings build and build throughout and the bassline provocative from the beginning. Dead easy to find in vinyl too, check the bargain racks in your local record shop for this one.


And of course I found a copy of EXPERIENCE UNLIMITED "Knock Him Out Sugar Ray" recently (see posts below) which was also a WESTWOOD intro fave.

All that and not a pimped ride in sight!

Kid Dyno

DJ Day - Credit Is Due


Now you already know that we only bring you the dopest of the dope here at BREAKS FOR DAYS. And today is no different with a banger of a mix by DJ DAY. Let me tell you this blend of hot shit is perfectly executed, and I mean perfectly. Aptly titled "Credit Is Due", this mix hits you square in the face from the word go, and DAY kills the one's and two's with his supertight cuts n scratches too. This mix is from a couple of years back but has been on heavy rotation since I got it. So don't delay, get your earholes around this...

Hailing from California, DJ DAY has this to say about his love for music..."I was born in the mid-seventies in Palm Springs California. I started DJing in 1989 with a cheap 1-piece turntable/radio/tape deck, 2 boom boxes and dreams of being the best. After years of practicing and listening to DJs like Jazzy Jeff, Joe Cooley, Miz and DJ Aladdin I decided to venture out of my room and started doing local house parties. In 1995 I hooked up with a DJ from Los Angeles named Rip One and we formed a group called Innernational. After doing songs for Return of the DJ and Laid In Full I decided to focus on my own career. I try to be a well-rounded DJ incorporating mixing, juggling, scratching, & blends, being both technically proficient and soulful at the same time. Music, to me, is the most immediate form of expression and one that transcends culture, class, race, language and all that. Whether I'm making my own music or playing records in front of a crowd, I'm out to make people feel something."

Check out DJ DAY here. And you can get a copy of the mix CD through JUNO in the UK.

Saturday 5 June 2010

You Can Get With This...

If you're gonna use hip hop in a TV ad these days, make sure it's as fresh as this KIA advert for the new SOUL model. It near makes me want to go out and buy one!

Thursday 3 June 2010

Who's Up in London?

Just so you know, we're gonna keep you updated on who's "up" in London town. Someone who is aiming high for all city status at the moment is VAMP. And "high" has been the keyword here - I'm guessing VAMP is not only accompanied by ENOY on his midnight missions, but also his trusty stepladder. Now that's preparation for you. VAMP - keep bombing.





MET CBM

MET CBM telling it how it is (spotted at HURTYOUBAD superblog). My thoughts exactly about the London graff scene.

Wednesday 2 June 2010

Break to the Beat

TIMMY THOMAS - "Sexy Woman" GLADE RECORDS 1975




KOOL G RAP - "Truly Yours" COLD CHILLIN' RECORDS 1989