DJ Red Alert - Hip Hop On Wax Volume 2

I wasn't that keen on this at one time. DJ Red Alert wasn't a big deal for me. Chuck Chillout's effort was much better, the cuttin' and scratchin' much heavier and harder, more to it altogether. I would have even said that this was slower and less interesting but I would be wrong. It has a darker sound to it, what with the sirens and that sinister sounding BT Express bass line he keeps dropping in. I love that. It was in the crate for a heck of a long time until I heard the P Brothers 'Zulu Beat' mixtape and I got an urge to spin it again. And I would say that both volumes are roughly the same tempo. Funny how you remember things. We use to b-boy to this one in my mates basement in '84. Didn't get my own copy until about 2003 and then I nearly didn't due to a dodgy ebay seller trying to tell me it had been 'on a shelf in the post office' where he'd mailed it and 'they'd forgot about it'. What kinda story is that?

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Roxanne (Fly) Shante - I'm Fly Shante

Kids these days think they know big beats but they've no idea. I don't think Marley Marl even made a beat as big as this. Earth shattering. Had it on my ipod on the walk to work this morning. Killer. Steady B makes an appearance too but he's not credited on the label, at least not with his b-boy name. It's a bit crackly in parts but it'll still knock your socks off, especially if you've not heard it for a while.

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The Russell Brothers - The Party Scene

The most recent bootleg to hit the streets is this one and about time too. At least I think it's a bootleg as I can't see it being re-issued after all these years. I'd like an OG copy one day but until then this'll do. Being my second favourite track on the streetsounds LP, 'Crucial Electro 2' (second only to 'One For The Treble' by Davy DMX) I feel it's a welcome addition to my collection of golden oldies. Nothing more need be said about this true electro classic except I thought I knew all the lyrics but apparently not.

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Twilight 22 - Electric Kingdom

I was never the poppin' and lockin' sort. This tune is perfect for that kinda thing. A friend of a friend 'back in the day' used to cite this as being his all time favourite (and this was in '83). He was pretty decent at the old poppin' and lockin' thing but something always bothered me about him. He used to hang his keys on one of his belt loops on this jeans and he was fairly expressive shall we say whilst electric boogalooing and they used to jangle like hell and really irritate me. Not to mention actually hanging them there in the first place. And why do you need so many keys at your age? I had one key. I was about 13 or 14 and it was always in my pocket. This is the 7" promo version by the way which I got off ebay about 5 or 6 years back for a quid. Never had the 12" but it's probably the same tune only shorter. I have loads more keys now I'm a grown up so there's only one thing I can think of doing as an homage to someone I didn't really know. In fact let's all do it.

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