Sunday 28 March 2010

Remember Where You Got It From

Here's a video of one of my all time favourite DMC DJ routines. DJs like Q-BERT, MIXMASTER MIKE, CRAZE, ROC RAIDA, ROB SWIFT and BABU took the whole DJ culture into the next level around the mid 90s. But I gotta give props to one of the DJs who gave them the platform to build upon in the first place, and that man is none other than DJ STEVE DEE. As early as 1990 you can see STEVE DEE begin to create the base on which DJing would stand in later years. He took the whole competition away from the typical double copy backspins of "Rock The Bells" and began to manipulate the records into new and more intricate patterns of his own. These were the basic building blocks of the beat juggle, but years before it was the norm. Back in 90/91 when I saw STEVE DEE's set you are about to see, I realised I was seeing something new from the DMC competition, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was. The repetitiveness of previous years had gone. It was only years later when I look back on the old footage that I can see exactly where STEVE DEE was coming from.
Now you may watch this now and consider STEVE DEE's performance a little "rough around the edges", but YO this was 20 years ago homeboy! DJs just didn't scratch like that back then ... this dude was on some next shit! Just watch the legendary JAZZY JAY's face in the background and you will see that he obviously approves. Later STEVE DEE went on to become a founder member of the X-MEN.

Saturday 27 March 2010

The Foundation

Hip Hop's history pre-records has always fascinated me - the stories behind the park jams and nightclubs like DISCO FEVER, HARLEM WORLD and T-CONNECTION etc.. The development of hip hop as we know it took place years before rap records were on the shelves. At a time when hip hop was all about having fun and not making money.
Brush up on your old school knowledge (yes I mean the REAL old school) over at JAYQUAN and TROY L SMITH's excellent website THE FOUNDATION.

Knowledge is King.

Kid Dyno

Thursday 25 March 2010

DWG Dropping Jewels Once Again

Yes, those crazy hip hop cats over at www.diggerswithgratitude.com have done it again. If securing unreleased JUICE CREW, UNIQUE and PHILL MOST CHILL material wasn't enough already, they have now pushed the envelope further as far as the "unreleased" game is concerned by unearthing some never heard before TDS MOB cuts. If you are familiar with the Boston crew's 12" releases you will know "Scratch Reaction" and "Dope for the Folks" are certified dope. Peep the sounds below and see what DWG have in store. Both a re-release of the classics, plus some unheard joints to bend your domepiece. Samples including Nautilus and Bounce Rock Skate Roll.

Check it out...then get over to DWG to check for release dates.

Adrian Younge & the Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra

You know Adrian Younge - he's the dude responsible for the super dope BLACK DYNAMITE soundtrack. Peep this new single available soon as part of the Wax Poetics x Converse 45 Series.


Adrian Younge presents the making of BLACK DYNAMITE.

Wednesday 24 March 2010

Second to None - B-Boy Mercenaries

Watch out for the forthcoming DVD from the UK's veteran b-boy crew SECOND TO NONE. If that name ain't familiar, then you need to ask any European b-boy crews who their major influences were. Then you'll know.

From VG to VG++

Nothing annoys me more than a dope record in my crates which is in less than great condition and has a few pops and crackles here and there. When this happens I try my best to rejuvenate that shit with a few of my tried and trusted techniques (remember this post here?). Well now I wanna educate y'all with a clever way of bringing up the lustre on your favourite vinyl whilst at the same time improving the sound quality. Does this sound too good to be true.....well read on and you won't be disappointed
Recently I spotted a new method of buffing your vinyl over at the excellent CRATE KINGS website. Deep cleaning the grooves has always been fraught with danger, and it is easy to ruin a record's condition whilst trying to improve it. Particularly those stubborn pop-causing nuggets that wedge themselves deep into the vinyl. No brush or fluid will ever remove those. However this new method, using PVA wood glue, can even eliminate many of these. Apparently the chemical relationship between the PVA (poly vinyl acetate) and the the record (poly vinyl chloride) is such that the bonding process is inhibited to the point where the PVA can be peeled off once it is dry.
The process works like this:

1. using stickers, place small flaps onto the run-in and run-out grooves.
These make the dried glue easier to peel off. I suggest four stickers at right angles, both on the outside of the vinyl and also near the label.

2. take one dusty noisy record and whilst rotating it on a OLD turntable, cover the grooves with concentric lines of PVA glue. Then use a credit card to smooth the glue lines into a thin disc covering all of the grooves. Make sure your sticker flaps are still visible.

3. allow to dry for 12hrs+. Although the glue doesn't permanently bond with the vinyl, it does however eat up all the crap in between the two. So when the dried glue disc is removed, it takes all of those dirt particles with it.

4. remove the glue, play the record and rejoice at the improvement.

The pictures above speak for themselves - this is one ingenious way of removing the snap, crackle and pop from your beloved records. And yes I can confirm it works, although I recommend you try a test record first, and do NOT try it on your TECHNICS or other expensive turntables. You risk gluing the platter down solid. And you don't wanna do that now do you?

Get cleaning...

Kid Dyno

Class Is In Session

For years now I have banged on about the importance of knowledge within the hip hop community, and I do my best to steer our readers the right way at all times. Luckily I am amongst like minded people, and one thing this site has taught me is that real die hard hip hoppers are still out there in force and in every country you can imagine. When I see the TV and other media with their bullshit references to what they call "hip hop" I am appeased by the fact that there are still thousands of us real heads that know the real deal.
From the beginning of my experience with hip hop, knowledge was an essential part of the game. This is back in the days when kids earned respect rather than claimed it. There were no formal rules, but if you didn't know your shit back then you were considered a sucker! No question. And ever since then my thirst for hip hop knowledge has never wained.
Around 2000 I did a brief stint on ITCH FM 105.15, London's notorious Hip Hop radio station, and met a DJ there called SHUCKS ONE who hosted the KOOL SKOOL RADIO SHOW with fellow DJ O-DUBS. Now these dudes were coming from the same traditions as myself, and loved to spread the knowledge to anyone who would listen. We even had the same records in our bags at the studio one evening! I learnt most of what I know about the ZULU NATION from my man SHUCKS, and I still got a lot of time for what he has to say. He's an all round friendly guy who loves to act the idiot ... plus he's kinda nice with his when it comes to can control. But most importantly he has got stories to GO.
As you would expect with pirate radio stations, you never have the same broadcast location for too long to avoid detection. Hence ITCH FM's station moved premises and at one point we were doing shows from some pretty unsavoury locations I can tell you. But the passion for hip hop kept myself and also SHUCKS ONE turning up to the studio with our record bags, not knowing if a DTI raid was imminent that night.
Luckily my homeboy and head KOOL SKOOL teacher SHUCKS ONE now has a more stable home where he can spread the love and preach the message, and I'm happy to say THE KOOL SKOOL is still in session and taking class every week. So take a peep over there and get yourself a helping of real knowledge.

THE KOOL SKOOL

Knowledge is King!

Kid Dyno

Monday 22 March 2010

Goose Country V-Stitch

OK so now I'm taking this GOOSEDOWN addiction of mine up another notch. Summer is coming and I need to be warm yet cool at the same time ya dig me? Recently whilst lurking on the internet I solved my temperature conundrum in one very swift purchase - I spotted this vintage yet unworn v-stitch GOOSE COUNTRY leather body warmer which would be ideal for an old school fool like myself. I'm a sucker for the GOOSE COUNTRY v-stitch bomber as most of you know already, so a body warmer was a no-brainer for the warmer months. I bought it described as black in colour, but it turns out to be a very dark blue which is preferable to me. I'm always happy when a purchase like this comes off. The guys at my workplace think I'm stuck in a timewarp circa 1988, and I think they may be right! The thought appeals to me.

Kid Dyno

Ah Memories!

Those of you who were infected with hip hop back in the 1980s will no doubt recognise the shop in this photo below. This is a rare snap of the legendary hip hop record spot that was GROOVE RECORDS in London's SOHO area - Greek Street to be precise. Firstly I gotta say I have to thank UK graff veteran SKIRE for the photo; I have searched high and low and asked old friends for photos without success. The memories I have of this shop are very fond (hi Jean!). Then recently I spotted this great shot - apparently SKIRE has ammassed a huge hip hop and graffiti archive over the last 30 years. I don't know the man personally, but if you're reading this SKIRE please get in touch, I would love to see more.
In the latter half of the 80s, GROOVE RECORDS was the place to go in LONDON for the latest hip hop records. The shop was tiny, and often it meant queuing for an hour or so to even enter the shop on a busy Saturday. If you were lucky, BLADE would be outside peddling his vinyl wares. But all in all, the journey to London's SOHO area was worth it just to see what GROOVE had in stock. I can still recall records I own that came from the GROOVE racks. And the TIM WESTWOOD Future Rap chart on the wall as you entered the door. My man DJH has kept one of the poly bags from back then, and won't part with it despite my constant hassling. Please let's raise a glass to London's legendary Hip Hop spot GROOVE RECORDS - they knew what time it was!

Kid Dyno

Sunday 21 March 2010

Daily Diggers - Born To Get Down

What's good y'all? Over here in the UK the weather is much better right now than it has been over the past few months. It's amazing how much some brighter weather can improve your mood. I reckon it's been gloomy here since the end of 2009, but now the sun is beginning to make an appearance and it's time for some uplifting music to bring on the summer of 2010.
This week I've been busy here at the DAILY DIGGERS HQ handpicking some uptempo b-boy records perfect for the circle. Whenever I post up some b-boy beats on 45rpm there is usually a good response and some interesting comments, so let's see how you rate this little selection of floor rockers.

DAILY DIGGERS proudly present....

BORN TO GET DOWN - a selection of super tough b-boy cuts


If you need music for playing at a battle, practice session, b-boy throwdown or house party, or simply to crank up in your whip then this is FOR YOU.

So get your itchy download finger at the ready, and then click on the image above to enlarge the CD cover.

Were you "Born To Get Down"?

Download HERE and enjoy

Kid Dyno

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Thursday 11 March 2010

Emelvi - Dusty

Personally I've been kinda slack on the beatmaking front lately, but that's about to change real soon. Work commitments and below par health has kept me from rocking the pads for too long now. But finally I have a week off work next week so you better believe there's gonna be some heavy drum beat action at the DAILY DIGGERS HQ til the break of dawn! I'ma blow the dust of the SP and AKAI and get real noisy on my neighbours!
Although I need inspiration before I can switch on the outboard gear. Working to a set time frame just doesn't suit me at all - I like to make a new beat spontaneously maybe on finding a dope sample, or when someone has impressed me with their own beats. I like to bounce off other beatheads, and the peer pressure keeps me on my toes. I can't just sit down every Tuesday night and produce a new banger, it doesn't work like that. I gotta feel the music and synchronise my mood.
But luckily someone HAS been busy on the boards knocking together some crisp beats for our pleasure, namely EMELVI from SPAIN. He has remixed some classic hip hop records in true hip hop tradition. These remixes have that raw crunchy SP sound so familiar in hip hop, and the samples choices are nothing short of beautiful. I also like the fact that these aren't over-produced by any measure - just simple effective joints that fit the accapellas nicely. I think you're gonna like this. For example, I never did like JAMAL's "Fade Em All" joint, yet I like this remix version.
EMELVI uses trademark hip hop outboard gear including AKAI MPC4000, MPC2000xl, EMU SP1200, KORG microkorg, TECHNICS 1210, MACKIE VLZ 1640 and of course a heap of records.

EMELVI says "Ive been buying records since 2005 but very involved in
hip hop music since the early 90s. In my city there are no records shops to go diggin so I have to move to other cities like Madrid or Valencia, but I've been diggin in cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona - I go diggin wherever I move, U know how it goes...ahahaha."


EMELVI - DUSTY remixes
THE BEATNUTS - "Props Over Here"


GRAVEDIGGAZ - "1-800 Suicide"


JAMAL - "Fades Em All"


THE LOST BOYZ & PETE ROCK - "The Yearn"


LARGE PROFESSOR - "Amaman"


LORDS OF THE UNDERGROUND - "Tic Toc"




You can also enjoy and Download them HERE

Kid Dyno

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Daily Diggers are Funky

You'd better believe it!

Monday 1 March 2010

Guru in a Coma


One half of the legendary hip hop group GANG STARR, GURU KEITH E is reported to be in a coma following a cardiac arrest over the weekend. That's sad news indeed. GANG STARR hold a firm place in hip hop history and have always been a DAILY DIGGERS favourite, you only have to peep the lab wall to see that. Here's wishing GURU a speedy and healthy recovery.

Vinyl Pressing Plant

Gotta Groove Records - "Groove With Us" from Nick Cavalier on Vimeo.