Click the Save Template button and now To The Break Of Dawn: November 2011

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Freddy B & The Mighty Mic Masters - Coolin' On The Ave.

The Tuff City label rocked. Back then you could just about buy anything on that label without having to spin it first. I didn't buy this one though. I was given it by my house music loving mate I may have mentioned before. He use to play records to death and get fed up within a few weeks and either trade, sell or give them away. I may have mentioned that before too. He'd usually trade, sell or give them to me. I got lucky this time. He bought it brand new. I've had this since he gave it up about two or three weeks after he bought it. I played it again for the first time in years last week. I put it on my fave three list over here. You should pick your fave three and get in on the action too. B-side wins again? I think so. A def record if ever there was one.

Monday, November 21, 2011

The Triple Threat Three - Scratch Motion

Not too long ago before the internet was invented sometime around 1988(ish) I was put on to and ad in Hip Hop Connection magazine for a mail order company called Beat Street Records. I ignored but a mate sent for the free catalogue and when he let me see his copy I nearly fell through the floor. Loads and loads of old school stuff that we couldn't buy as kids because we had no cash and also because no one in our town stocked U.S. imports. After my first order I received a monthly list and spent almost my entire weekly wage on records from B.S.R. After a while I started to fax my order from work and they'd fax it back with a reservation confirmation assuming they were all available. I didn't get them all as my mate's mail arrived before mine and he'd ring up and reserve his over the phone before I'd even got my list. That didn't matter though as he always played his stuff to death until he was fed up of it and he traded with me or sold it to me for less than he paid for it. I have to admit that it was fairly exciting anticipating the new list and what would be on it and when this one was delivered to my door I rang my mate to tell him I had it and he didn't and he'd just had his delivered before me. Still, I've got mine and he sold his some years ago on ebay as he's in to house music now the knob. I mean that in the nicest possible way of course. I don't know if Beat Street are still trading now and they did have a website eventually but it was crap. The stuff on it i mean. Nothing like the old days.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

D.ST. - The Home Of Hip Hop

I hated this record when I first heard it. I didn't like hearing rock style guitars on hardcore hip hop records, felt it softened it's edge slightly. I've matured since then and opened my mind a little and it's now one of my all time faves. D.ST. has always been a solid musician by rights and I wouldn't be the first to realise that he was way ahead of his time as far as skills on the turntable are concerned. I'm sure everyone would agree with that. I think when I was a lot younger the only thing I wanted to hear was the biggest beat around and loads of cuttin' & scratchin' and that's it. This record offers so much more than just that and I'm glad I wised up and gave it a second chance. (The second listening wasn't recently, it was a good 20 years ago). Some of the lyrics are great too, 'We say yes y'all before we talk' and 'real hip hop ma man' of course but the line that made me think a bit when I ripped the vinyl last week was this one; 'Just think, 1975, one whole decade has gone by..' 1985 and he's already talking about the old school talent. A fad it was not and like punk rock the new jacks have destroyed something that was once life consuming, for me at least and I don't know about you but I still can't get enough now and even though my life isn't quite as consumed with hip hop as once was these are the kind of records that I'll keep for ever.