Sunday 31 January 2010

Hip Hop Biscuits

It's been a while since I featured a few heavy hip hop records on here, so it's about that time once again to bring tha noise for my boys. And when I say "heavy" records, I mean in the sense of beats rather than price tags. Cuz dope beats can come as cheap as a packet of biscuits.
Despite this global recession I see the going rate prices have only slightly dipped on some of the desirable "random" rap records out there, and some of these prices simply amaze me. I always thought I loved hip hop as much as the next man, but some of these dudes seem to WANT more than I do. Or perhaps they just PAY more than I do!
I have seen many a record sell for around the £50-£100 mark that I have found for a pound or two. Seriously. And this isn't a feeble attempt to obtain braggin' writes cuz I will happily admit to the records I have sold my grannie for (and she doesn't seem to mind anyway). But I've trawled the streets for 2oyrs+ in the search for vinyl, so it's only right that a few bargains come my way over the years. Record Karma and all that jazz.
I guess the moral of the story is, if you don't like the insane prices some of these records make on the internet or through dealers or at record fairs etc. then get out there into the real world, do the legwork and hit as many record spots as you can. The dope shit is still out there just waiting to be found.


J-ROCK - "Save The Children b/w I Get Rek" GHETTO GROOVZ RECORDS
The J-ROCK LP is one of those records that always makes loot. OK so it has a couple of nice early DJ PREMIER produced beats, and a great gangster feel to it (not forgetting the dope PORSCHE on the cover). But is it really worth the money it fetches? For me the LP came very cheap indeed, a £1 pick up at my local record shop SOUNDS FAMILIAR in Romford (now defunkt RIP). I copped many a bargains from that shop over the years, and made good friends of ROB FAMILIAR (as we call him) who manned the place for 15yrs. I could do whole post about the records I found in there, less than 2 miles from my home, but I will save that for another day.
Back to the program, the point I wanted to make was that the LP was overrated IMO, and a better purchase was the 12" release of "Save The Children" as it has the un-released track "I Get Wrek" on the flipside. Another case of the b-side wins again. Produced by EASY MO BEE with a real catchy sample and crunchy drum pattern. I love the stabs that punctuate the sample temporarily and allow J-ROCK to rhyme over the drums. His lyrics are confident and he keeps the flow tight with no interruptions or wack punchlines. One of his best tracks I think. Have a listen below...
J-ROCK - I Get Rek

I paid £15 for this 12" from a record shop in London not so long ago, so ignore the expensive copies you may see on the net and hunt one down in your local spots.


CASPER - "Adrenalin b/w War of Words" CAPITOL RECORDS 1991
I never saw this record in 1991 when it was released, nor did I hear anyone play it neither friends, on radio, or in the clubs. Or mixtapes come to think of it. And I thought CASPER was a friendly ghost anyway.
I saw this record many years later and never even thought to give it a try, but both RARE DAVE and AROE put me up on this 12" single which is both inexpensive and easy to find. Both sides have quality material, but it stands out mostly for the dope beats on display. "Adrenalin" is a mixture of James Brown's "Soul Power" and some early KOOL & THE GANG drums. Throw some CHILL ROB G-esque horns into the mix and this should be enough to give you the picture. The rhymes are maybe not as memorable as others, but for the price you ain't gonna argue. The beats on this record are better than many a $100 record for sure.
"War of Words" is a real grower too, with it's studio outtakes and launchpad countdown. The more I play it, the more I like it. A dash of "N.T." drums (also by KOOL & THE GANG) and some dope scratching over the ill breakdown and we have the ingredients for a great hip hop record. I don't even mind the mashed up and cue-burned samples here and there - that's hip hop YO! Make sure you check this track to the end.
CASPER - "Adrenalin"

CASPER - "War of Words"

There are lots of copies of this 12" going cheap HERE.


DOUBLE XX POSSE - "Not Gonna Be Able To Do It" BIG BEAT RECORDS 1992
Production by T-RAY on this 12" makes it a surefire winner, especially on his CRIMINAL MINDED remix of "Not Gonna Be Able To Do It". Slamming drums and rumbling bass start the track with a definite BOOM, and then the catchy horn riff introduces SUGAR RAY's well-homed lyrics. This one is a real headnodder - in fact the production is very much in line with the work T-RAY did for CYPRESS HILL. I rate this 12" highly along with other BIG BEAT releases like PERCEE P & EKIM, JVC FORCE and of course THE ARTIFACTS.
The bonus on this promo 12" is the remix of "The Headcracker" by DOUBLE XX member BK THE ORIGINAL BOOTSMOKER. A real nice flip on the original, with heavy bass and stabs in the vein of a SHOWBIZ & AG classic. Once again KOOL & THE GANG samples crop up which is never wrong in my book. Put ya boots on!
DOUBLE XX POSSE - "Not Gonna Be Able To Do It" Criminal Minded Remix

DOUBLE XX POSSE - "The Headcracker Remix"

Cheap and cheerful copies of this 12" available HERE.


Kid Dyno

Saturday 30 January 2010

The Guttersnypes

Every so often, a group of talented hip hoppers get together and create something rather special, only to then disband shortly afterwards adding another notch on the annuls of hip hop history. In terms of the UK rap scene, THE GUTTERSNYPES did exactly that. If you followed UK hip hop through the early 90s then you will already know that the scene had withered over this period on UK shores. Mainly due to the massive growth of other "dance" genres such as house, hardcore, and drum & bass. Hence the huge commercial success of acts like LONDON POSSE, DEMON BOYS, HIJACK, GUNSHOT, etc. was not being built upon at that time, and as a die-hard hip hop fanatic this was disappointing to experience. Record labels such as KOLD SWEAT deserve a mention as they continued to churn out some good and some not so good releases throughout this period and created quite a confident artist roster. But it all lacked the polish and hype of the equivalent US record releases. And on a limited budget it was a no-brainer which records you were gonna buy that week in the record shop, so I also confess to myself not supporting UK acts at their time of need.
But I remember a time in early '94 when my friend DJ LEACY told me about a UK crew who were putting together an EP and called themselves THE GUTTERSNYPES. In fact he had just sold them his AKAI S950 sampler to add to their arsenal. But even with that heads up, I wasn't prepared for what I was about to hear.
I cannot pinpoint whether it was CHOICE FM or WESTWOOD where I first heard a snippet of "The Trails Of Life" EP on LIBERTY GROOVES RECORDS, but suffice to say it blew my mind when I realised that it was UK hip hop that I was listening to. CEL ONE's rhymes were clever, well constructed and hypnotic, and the bar had been raised immensely in terms of production levels compared to other UK records of that time. The whole package with its 5 killer tracks, choice skits and artistic picture cover became a must-buy record and an instant UK hip hop classic.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the most beautiful and I'm sure for you entertaining as well as pleasant musical utopia. It takes place here on the north, south, east, west side of ... wherever you are ... wherever you are..... wherever you are."

From the banging intro and bouncy beat of "Flatline", to the crisp bassline, funky horns and organ riffs of "Who Fell?", this EP had no sign of any weak sauce whatsoever. And despite the odd critiscism I heard of CEL ONE's accent from the uneducated few, I couldn't find a fault on this release. It was taking UK rap to whole nother level - LIBERTY GROOVES, fronted by Jonny F had seen the potential and made sure the EP came heavy in beats and high on quality. They succeeded. Scratches and cuts were peformed by DJ PRIME CUTS, beats all by SIGHER, and even JEOPARDY aka BIG TED put in a guest vocal on "Nom De Plume". In 94/95 there wasn't a mixtape or radio show or hip hop club that didn't bounce that record on the regular.

LIBERTY GROOVES pressed up various colours of the EP, the white vinyl being the hardest to track down, but it is also available in red, green and even an INSTRUMENTAL version on clear wax (get 'em all!). But also look out for the promo 12" version with their live performance on CHOICE FM. CEL ONE rates highly in my MC book and certainly doesn't disappoint here. It's such a shame these guys didn't release more vinyl - I believe there were various factors involved there, including the fact that CEL lost his father not long after release. SIGHER will fill you in with the details. He has got beats to GO and still rocks the kicks & snares on the regular to this day. As for PRIME CUTS, I'm sure you all know what happened to him!

SIGHER has recently blogged about the history of THE GUTTERSNYPES (click HERE) ; how and when they formed, the details behind the release, and also shares some bonus material from The Snypes. As a taster check out the unreleased track entitled "Ego Trip" below, and be prepared cuz this type of dope shit doesn't come around every day! If you love the TRIALS OF LIFE EP then this is gonna be essential listening. If you never heard of GUTTERSNYPES but like UK rap, then this is gonna be a revelation for you. Thanks to SIGHER.

THE GUTTERSNYPES - "Ego Trip" (Unreleased)


CEL ONE live on CHOICE FM '94



Enjoy.

Kid Dyno

Confessions Of A Vinyl Junkie

My brother from another mother the BEAT DETECTIVE has got some crazy record action going on over at CONFESSIONS OF A VINYL JUNKIE. I particularly like the footage of 45 KING cutting up his trademark 45s, and not forgetting DJ MURO and his "FROM THE KING'S BIN" video and music mix featuring some of the best BLAXPLOITATION cuts. How smooth is that audio and video editing? Like peanut butter baby! So why trawl through the Internet and youtube looking for the dope shit when you can get it all in one hot spot. BEAT DETECTIVE is as sick for breaks & beats as I am, so you can expect some dusty vinyl stories over there. Take a peep over there and tell him the KID sent ya!

Tuesday 26 January 2010

Top 50 Nike AF1s

I'm a creature of habit, and routine serves me well. One of my weekly stop-offs is at the excellent HIP HOP BATTLEFIELD site hosted by my man DRASAR MONUMENTAL. Whether it's crazy hip hop news, knowledge, dope mixtapes, or live hip hop video streams - DRASAR got it all (and he knows his onions!). If you're not familiar with HIP HOP BATTLEFIELD then I suggest you take a peep over there right now! Thanks to DRASAR and others like him I get my daily feed of hip hop to keep me trembling. This week he links to Mayor's Top 50 NIKE AF1s, and just as I enjoy a routine with my web surfing, I'm also a regular NIKE AF1 fanatic. In my sneaker cupboard I have approximately 50 pairs of the said shoe. Many have been rocked to death, and many are boxfresh and just waiting for a (not) rainy day. In fact, over the years I'm surprised my feet haven't taken on the AF1 form, so regular do I wear them. In terms of their shape and colour, there ain't a NIKE sneaker more pleasing to the eye IMO. So I was intrigued to see which pairs had made MAYOR's top 50.

Check out his top 50 AF1 kicks right here....
TOP 50 AF1s

Monday 18 January 2010

BUSK ONE


London graffiti veteran BUSK ONE certainly kept it fresh during London's worst snow for 30 years. Whilst kids were building snowmen, BUSK was busy in East London creating possibly the world's first Cheech Wizard Snowman. And with a can of trusty Krylon that size you need to keep your eyes peeled for a few Cheech tags on the Central Line this winter. Props to BUSK for freshness and originality.

Sunday 17 January 2010

Kick A Hole In The Speaker Pull The Plug Then I Jet...

Lately we have featured many BREAKS FOR DAYS, so it's about that time we flipped a few BEATS FOR WEEKS to satisfy the hip hoppers amongst you. I shouldn't neglect our heavy hip hop audience who aren't so partial to the funk (is there such a breed? Surely these are one and the same!) The good news is I'm currently digging hard through the 80s & 90s hip hop crates to find some dope joints from whaaay back to drop on your domepieces in the next week or so. But in the meantime here's MY favourite mic controller of all time, the legend that is RAKIM. OK so his new LP might stink, but you can never take away the feeling that RA brought with him when he first came to the masses. He will always be a God.



I was a fiend before I became a teen
I melted microphones instead of cones of ice cream
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated
Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated
Cuz I grabbed the mic and try to say "yes y’all!"
They tried to take it, and say that I’m too small
Cool, cuz I don’t get upset
I kick a hole in the speaker pull the plug then I jet


A big thanks to MR SP1200 for the RA footage - check out more of his antics here including some dope SP action (you can't beat the 12-bit grit). Raw like sushi!

Kid Dyno

Saturday 16 January 2010

Mystery Nugget #1

It's good to share, but then sometimes I like to keep the odd record or two under my "secret squirrel" hat. I have been asked several times by diggers why I share break knowledge so freely. Of course it goes against tradition to share your baddest beats in order to maintain exclusivity, especially amongst break DJs. I'm sure you know already that BAMBAATAA would peel the labels off his records for very good reason - to keep that shit exclusive to a BAMBAATAA party. And rightly so in my opinion. BAM has even told us that other DJs hired secret spies to follow him into record stores to see what wax he was copping for the next party. The game got to the point where people would know what record was playing by the colour of the label etc. leading BAM and his crew to peel off the labels with hot water. The level of competition back then was fierce.
So I accept that here at BREAKS FOR DAYS we often go against the tradition and spill the beans on the baddest beats around. But I do this for a reason. Firstly I know that only hardcore hip hoppers and beatheads check this site on the regular. Suckas and wannabees would only get bored of the content so I'm kinda confident that our listeners are those that LOVE hip hop music for the right reasons. So in that scenario I am more than happy to spread the love on the best break records to look for. Most are not easy to find anyway, so you gotta be putting in work to find 'em in the first place. I'm just pointing you in the right direction I guess.
And as for exclusivity, I don't have to worry about that. I could bore you about break records for a whole 24hrs and still have many big guns left unmentioned. If you've been to the DAILY DIGGERS HQ then you know the score - mountains of records piled up to the ceiling.
I got a mystery nugget here I want to share with you. I'm sure some of you may know this record already, but I'm naming no names this time.


Enjoy.

Kid Dyno

Saturday 9 January 2010

Wonder Wazun - Never Stop Rockin'

I have mentioned before that this site has connected me with so many serious hip hoppers and breakheads from across the globe (cue KRS saying "Worldwide"). And I really do mean across the globe, cuz over the last year I've spoken with Brazilian b-boys about BREAK DJ LEACY (RIP), discussed rock breaks with hardcore German diggers, and overdosed on random rap with my buddy KWOTE ONE from Australia. I've received mixes from the UK, USA, EUROPE and as far away as NEW ZEALAND and KOREA. This shows and proves that Hip Hop certainly ain't dead, well not genuine hip hop anyway. And something tells me this commercial bullshit referred to as hip hop is about to go "pop" if you will excuse the pun. Because "pop" is exactly what it is. It certainly ain't hip hop, but you can call it rap if you wish (I can live with that because it is a descriptive). I'm always happy to pull people's cards and refer them to a dictionary definition like this one ....

"Hip hop as a cultural movement incorporates B-boying (breakdancing), graffiti writing, DJing and MCeeing. It originates in the African American, Afro-Caribbean and Latino American communities of New York City (with the South Bronx as the center) in the late 1970s.It was DJ Afrika Bambaataa that outlined the five pillars of hip-hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking, graffiti writing, and knowledge. Other elements include beatboxing, hip hop fashion, and slang. Since first emerging in the Bronx, the lifestyle of hip hop culture has spread around the world. When hip hop music began to emerge, it was based around disc jockeys who created rhythmic beats by looping breaks (small portions of songs emphasizing a percussive pattern) on two turntables, which is now more commonly referred to as sampling. This was later accompanied by "rapping" (a rhythmic style of chanting or poetry more formally in 16 bar measures or time frames) and beatboxing, a vocal technique mainly used to imitate percussive elements of the music and various technical effects of hip hop DJs. An original form of dancing and particular styles of dress arose among followers of this new music. These elements experienced considerable refinement and development over the course of the history of the culture.

The relationship between graffiti and hip hop culture arises from the appearance of new and increasingly elaborate and pervasive forms of the practice in areas where other elements of hip hop were evolving as art forms, with a heavy overlap between those who wrote graffiti and those who practiced other elements of the culture.
"

Anyway, if reading the above you think to yourself "What...? No murder, no gun-toting or drug-selling? No fat ass bitches in fat ass rides?" Well I'm sorry to disappoint you but you have visited the wrong website. That has never been hip hop and never will. All others please read on...

So that's my rant over, let's get back with the program. We've got plenty more BEATS and BREAKS lined up for 2010. And that's without our new finds out in recordland.
Real hip hop lives right here. But once again I have been absolutely blessed with some more seriously dope mixes to share with you. This time a couple of flaming hot b-boy mixes courtesy of WONDER WAZUN from Germany. Both mixes were created a few years back with the intention of inciting floor rock at b-boy jams. And that they do to MAXIMUM effect; some of my favourite floor rock jams are included, and there are plenty I NEED to know more about. Respect and props to WONDER WAZUN. WARNING: not for the feint hearted - this mix of genuine b-boy beats is designed to make your body move and make you wanna get down with the get down. We can accept NO responsibility for ANY injury or damage caused whilst you are busting your moves. Hold on to your hats and get ready to rock...

WONDER WAZUN's Enter the Octogon & Never Stop Rockin'

http://www.multiupload.com/KXDW17UG1I
http://www.multiupload.com/ZUX7T5JRBI

Quality listening I'm sure you will agree. To contact the man himself click WONDER WAZUN

Get down!

Kid Dyno

Friday 8 January 2010

Rocket in a Pocket

Just check out B-Boy Pocket and be amazed at his speed and technicality. There ain't no arguing that this 14 year old Korean kid from the Morning of Owl crew is FULL ON in a circle! I have spent hours pushing my way to the front to watch b-boy circles over the years, and reactions get no bigger than this; Pocket makes seriously technical power moves look like ... well, childsplay.

DJ Cheese & Word of Mouth live in London 86

Wednesday 6 January 2010

Happy New Year

We've entered into another decade, so a happy new year and best wishes to everyone. However my new year didn't start quite how I had anticipated; shortly after my "Last Dig of 2009" I became ill and spent the new year in hospital with kidney problems. Not a great start to the year, but hey I'm still here, although I'm now waiting for an operation to put me right. So apologies for the lack of the promised Breaks For Days Radio Show, and as soon as I'm on form I'll be back with the beats.
But for the meantime, I wanna keep your heads bobbin' and so I'm gonna throw your way another supernice mix from my man ADE. I've come to realise that ADE is somewhat of a mix-it-up veteran with a reputation for nice blends and a leftfield sense of humour. But he likes to keep on the downlow. Check out his latest mix from November 2009...
ADE supermix Nov 2009


Enjoy....Kid Dyno