Saturday 30 April 2011

No Half Steppin'

On Saturday 21st May myself KID DYNO and THE BEAT DETECTIVE will be spinning funk breaks and hip hop along with DJ JUST ONE(The Hip Hop Sessions FUTURE RADIO) and CHROME (DEFTEX) downstairs at THE RUMSEY WELLS in NORWICH. Get yourself down there.

Static Hiss

If you are in need of some musical therapy this bank holiday weekend, take a peep at the selection of radio shows and mixtapes over at STATIC HISS. Covering more genres than simply hip hop and funk, STATIC HISS is a collection of cassette tape rips of some of yesteryear's most revered mixes and radio shows guest spots from legendary deejays. Including some vintage TIM WESTWOOD radio shows, rare WILD BUNCH SOUND SYSTEM mixes, MARLEY MARL & PETE ROCK, DJ CRAZE, and even RARE DAVE'S RARE FREQUENCIES tape. Get downloading!

Thursday 28 April 2011

45 King - Making The Beat

Spotted over at HIP HOP BATTLEFIELD, my man DRASAR always knows the scoop!



Monday 25 April 2011

Brazilian B-Beats Bonanza


It's always a pleasure when someone gets in touch with a new beats mix to help keep my breakbeat obsession in check! And this one's a perfect match for this beautiful summer weather we are experiencing in London at present. That's unusual as April in this country normally means a month of solid rain - it's as if we have imported some sub-tropical weather into the UK. I ain't complaining. So at great expense we here at DAILY DIGGERS HQ have chartered our own jet to fly in some b-boy beats courtesy of DJ GROOVY directly from BRAZIL. This is an uptempo mixture of red hot floor rockers. Have a listen and check out DJ GROOVY's record antics over at TRUE GROOVY.
MPB COMPLETO by deejaygroovy

Wednesday 20 April 2011

Tuesday 19 April 2011

From the Platform

Another absolutely essential graffiti book is out there to add to your collection, so search out a copy and give your well thumbed and heavily dog-eared copies of SUBWAY ART and SPRAYCAN ART a rest. FROM THE PLATFORM gives another installment of paint on trains, or "metal giants" as DONDI once called them. Featuring views from the station platforms between 1983 and 1989, this book has been compiled by PAUL CAVALIERI (better known as CAVS). I have yet to track down a copy yet myself, so be sure to grab me one if you find one. Or CAVS if you are reading this please hit me up.



Sunday 17 April 2011

UK Old School Footage

Some dope old school b-boy footage here from Glasgow Plaza circa 1984/85.

Caveman Live on Radio

As far a UK emcees go, MCM from the legendary crew CAVEMAN has always been one to listen out for. The CAVEMAN LP "Positive Reaction" was signed up by PROFILE RECORDS for very good reason - the production was more than solid courtesy bof THE PRINCIPAL and the rhymes were uber-competent despite MCM's tender age when they surfaced in 1990. Here's a live session on CAPITAL RADIO with Tim Westwood, and some true school stories from MCM himself.


Rakim Hits the UK

The microphone god RAKIM finally hits EUROPE in MAY of 2011 after many years away with several shows planned for the UK, although tickets have either sold out already or are selling out pronto. You'd better act quick sharp if you wanna see and hear the emcee that spawned a million other MCs.

Sat 7th May Academy Bristol with RAHZEL
Sun 8th May Rescue Rooms Nottingham
Mon 9th May The Arts School Glasgow
Tue 1oth May Apollo London with BLACKSTAR plus DE LA SOUL
Wed 11th May Apollo Manchester with Blackstar with BLACKSTAR plus DE LA SOUL
Thur 2nd June Jazz Cafe London

Friday 15 April 2011

Record Store Day

Saturday 16th April 2011 is RECORD STORE DAY once again. As the global vinyl enthusiasts flock to the dusty record spots across the globe they will be treated to live performances, special record releases and general frivolity by those with similar vinyl habits. Get down to your local record shop and participate!

..and don't touch my records! EVER!

Skeme Richards

Props to DJ PRESTIGE over at FLEAMARKETFUNK for his recent interview with ROCK STEADY CREW deck technician and lover of all things funky SKEME RICHARDS. SKEME is always hard at work diggin' for 45s, watching old kung fu flicks, and chasing down that original boxed toy from the 70s. If not doing that he is travelling the globe rocking parties and providing beats for the b-boys & b-girls, so PRESTIGE did well to get more than five minutes with the man himself. Check it out over at FLEAMARKETFUNK, and if you are not already a regular on this site then I suggest you have a read through his vinyl delights while you are over there. I'm sure you will enjoy every minute of it. Big shout to PRESTIGE and SKEME.

Thursday 14 April 2011

Classic Material 1992

Once again it's on at THE CITY ARTS & MUSIC PROJECT in East London this Saturday, celebrating hip hop releases and associated breaks from 1992. This month CHRIS READ and DJ NICKNAME are accompanied by BIG TED and DANNY DELTA. It will be a packed house on Saturday as usual so get there early and take a trip back to 1992. To get yourselves warmed up here is CHRIS READ's 1992 megamix below.

Here's the news from the CLASSIC MATERIAL HQ...

"Edition #6 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1992, a year most notable for shifts in production techniques and styles and perhaps more importantly sampling trends. Abandoning over-saturated funk standards in favour of obscure jazz samples, producers such Showbiz, Diamond D, Q Tip and many others besides laid the foundations for the laid back jazz led sound that characterised countless East Coast classics of the early to mid 90s. On the West Coast, Dr Dre's seminal Chronic LP also broke new ground in terms of production style with a polished classicly LA sound that formed the blueprint for the 'G Funk' sound which ruled supreme throughout the early 90s.

The Classic Material Edition #6 party takes place at the City Arts and Music Project in London on Saturday 16th April with special guest Big Ted (Teddy's Jam / Blak Twang / Kiss Fm)"


Monday 11 April 2011

Pure Wild Style

The PAINTWASTERS (PWS) crew have got a wildstyle armory to strike fear into some lesser talented crews and certainly every toy writer trying to make their name. Trains, tracksides and walls are all amongst the authorised targets and it's hard to travel across the UK without witnessing some PWS burners here and there. Props to KELP, FISH, KAK, SONE, SORN, SYE and the rest of the crew - Pulverising Weak Suckers!


Dr Delay - Well Done Mix

DR. DELAY - a thirty-something producer, deejay, and record collector also known as Tom Shiner. He lives in Greenpoint and works at GOOD RECORDS, on Third Street between Avenues A and B in NYC. Check him out here and peep his WELL DONE mix from a few years ago. Quality!



Sunday 10 April 2011

Joe Conzo

Back in the 70s, Joe Conzos pictures were part of Hip-Hop. 30 years later, his pictures are part of Hip-Hop history. Born February 6, 1963 and raised on the tough streets of the South Bronx, Joe was definitely at the right place at the right time. Strapped with a camera 24/7 during the late 70's and early 80's, he intimately captured the birth of Hip-Hop music and a culture that would forever change the world.

Goose Busters

Check out this one of a kind leather DOUBLE GOOOSE jacket which has been pimped by DOSBUSTER and which features a gold zip pull in the shape of a GOOSE JACKET custom made by ANJUNA from France. Now that's fresh!



Saturday 2 April 2011

A Tribe Called Quest

Courtesy of my old friend SHUCKS ONE from THE KOOL SKOOL, here's a short but rarely seen interview with ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMED and Q-TIP from A TRIBE CALLED QUEST from 1990. Interviewed by Screaming Rachel (!?) and discussing the Zulu Nation, Jungle Brothers, and the making of the video for "I left my wallet in El Segundo". If you haven't been checking THE KOOL SKOOL on the regular then you're missing the scoop hops!
SHUCKS ONE is a dude who likes to go all out - he is a graff writer, Zulu Nation member, radio deejay, hip hop activist, youth worker, blogger, and general hip hop connoisseur. I met him around the turn of the millenium whilst deejaying on the now defunct ITCH FM, London's only 100% hip hop radio station. SHUCKS was already preaching the ways of THE KOOL SKOOL back then and has interviewed some hip hop heavyweights over the years. Check out his KOOL SKOOL website using the link above, and also his regular radio shows on SENSEI FM by clicking here.


Scorpio

Can you sit still during this video? I seriously doubt it. Get down with the Soul Train gang as they boogie their asses off to "Scorpio" by DENNIS COFFEY. In my opinion you will struggle to find a better breakbeat than this.

Friday 1 April 2011

Mighty Zulu Kingz



Under The Radar

Every so often I browse through the warped shelves stacked high with records here at the DAILY DIGGERS HQ and pull out some wax that maybe has not seen the light of day for some years, or has been bought by me and immediately shelved then somehow forgotten about. It's often a nice surprise when I spot something I forgot I had, just so I can relieve it of it's sleeve and again remind myself of the reason why I bought it in the first place. This is often confirmed with an approving nod of the head followed by an increase of volume threefold and sometimes complaints from the neighbours.
I've been digging through some tight corners of the HQ record racks and pulled out some under the radar rap rippers. I found a few bum records too, but here'a few hip hop 12"s from the racks that DIDN'T get the frisbee treatment...



GOLDEN FRESH FEMALES - "Golden Fresh Females" 1989 SAM RECORDS
I f#cking love this record, the group and track name should tell you all you need to know. These females are golden fresh indeed. KING OF CHILL provides the beat on this 1989 stormer of a record, so you know the beat will lack no lustre! I'm assuming that LADY J and SHA LOVE (collectively known as GOLDEN FRESH FEMALES) were no wannabees in the hip hop game, as their rhymes and routines were too well constructed and fly. From the funky horns in the intro, this record screams out dope material. The drums are funky and gritty (sounds like an SP) and the filtered bassline rumbles your speakers and lays out the funky groove for the girls to rhyme over. I'm not normally a fan of girls on the mic unless they can hold their own with ease, and these girls have got that qualification. They claim to be "...the ones to keep the party rockin hour hour after hour" and I believe them.
"All the people scream SHA LOVE is outta sight!"





FREDDIE FOXXX - "The Master" 1989 MCA RECORDS

Yep FREDDIE or BUMPY KNUCKLES as we now know him has been around for eons. Most people remember him from the FLAVOR UNIT days but I remember him more as a sidekick of the legendary ERIC B and if the rumours are true the MC who was originally intended for ERIC B's "Eric B For President" beat. He has certainly been a consistent MC over the 20 plus years he has dropped verbals on the mic. So his reputation for lyrics is as strong as his reputation for breaking bones - certainly not the sort of dude you want to have any beef with. This release entitled "The Master" was whaaay back in 1989 and as far as I know is his first solo release. The beat is a straight up loop of "Give It Up Or Turn It Loose" with some adept cuts and drops here and there, but for me it's just as classic as many other better known and higher revered records from that year. Have a listen for yourself and you decide...





RHAMEL - "Straight Outta Brooklyn" 1991 HEATED RECORDS

I probably bought this record within a few years of it being released, but I cannot recall exactly where or when I purchased it. I remember thinking it was a strange record to find in some hip hop racks as it had no obvious artist name on the label, no picture sleeve, nor a sticker on the shrink to promote it at all - unlike most other hip hop releases from that time. In fact I'm surprised I bought it all on looking at it, as back in the 90s I would usually buy a more familiar artist over an unknown rapper back then. But anyway it's sat here in my collection for years alongside his "Power b/w Peace" 12" record from 1989 (originally on HEATED RECORDS then picked up by RHYME SYNDICATE). Then recently I wanted to find out more about RHAMEL RICHARDSON and these releases and was surprised to find out he also has another two dope 12" releases which I need to get my hands on - "The Pusher" 12" and also "Coming Right Outta Brooklyn" from 1992 (check the video, this is basically an updated remix of the record I have). I couldn't find a mention on any other hip hop blogs, but I know one version of "Brooklyn" featured on one of those "random" rap comps released a while back. If anyone has soundclips of "The Pusher" or "Knock the Boots" by RHAMEL please get in touch.
Have a listen to "Straight outta Brooklyn" below... a dope loop of MAGIC DISCO MACHINE's "Scratchin'" brings in an uptempo drum machine beat with KOOL & THE GANG guitar stabs peppered over the top, and the odd scratch from BILLY SQUIER's "Big Beat". RHAMEL is proud of his BK hometown, and supremely confident on the mic and he describes himself as " a one man team" who "got more game than Parker Brothers". It's not easy to find out more information about RHAMEL, so can anyone out there fill in some gaps?





Kid Dyno

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