Hot Stuff 11

Welcome to the eleventh edition of Hot Stuff magazine!

Issue 10 was spectacular as together with Pat Vogt we made something really special: the poster, the size of the magazine and of course the record sleeve to hold the magazine and poster. In this issue we go back to the original size and you will find some great contributions by Skeme Richards (The Nostalgia King), Jason Armitage (Dr.J), Koe Rodriguez, Swifft edits, Wildstyle Guy, Oliver Way, Stuart Baker, Kid Sublime, DJ Ransom, Spankie Hazard, Sender and myself. The cover is made by Sender, a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and painter based in Amsterdam. In the article about him in you can explore more of his work.

For those who don’t know me yet, I have already collected many disco-related items, such as magazines, books, acetates and, of course, records! Like me, there are many other music lovers who have interesting stories to tell, know about the music’s history and have certain memorabilia. That’s why I thought it would be nice to share the disco, rap and funk knowledge we all have, so in this way we can share all of this info with the rest of the world. In my digging for records and acetates I have met many other interesting music lovers, which is why I have asked them to contribute to this magazine by writing articles.

This magazine includes a wide range of interesting articles on disco, jazz, rap, hip-hop, funk, house, rollerdisco and the graffiti & breakdancing culture. Furthermore, you will find vintage advertisements and magazine articles mainly from the 1970’s to the 1990’s.

Enjoy!

Groetjes, Discopatrick

HOT STUFF

EDITOR Discopatrick

DESIGN - LAYOUT COVER ILLUSTRATION

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Discopatrick Sender

DJ Ransom

Discopatrick

Jason Armitage (Dr. J)

Kid Sublime

Koe Rodriguez

Oliver Way

Skeme Richards

Sender

Stuart Baker

Swifft Edits

Spankie Hazard

Wildstyle Guy

© Discopatrick 2022

RICHIE WEEKS INTERVIEW

by OLIVER WAY (EPM MUSIC)

On 13 Feb 1944, a mirror ball from space carrying a new born, crashes into The Bronx, New York. Discovered by Mrs Virginia Weeks and Mr Ricardo Weeks they named this new born Richard David Weeks.

To disguise his real identity he initially was portrayed as a baseball player, and later kept his guise as a postman.

The powers he owned were his natural talent as a musician and vocalist. His symbol was a ‘D’ for ‘Disco’ and was known outside the post office as Richie Weeks: lead musician, singer and songwriter for labels like Salsoul and Prelude, with his groups The Jammers (which included his brother Sheldon Weeks as vocalist) and Weeks & Co.

It was as the latter group that in 1981 he

Yourself’ and ‘Confusion’; and more recently French band Cassius on their tracks ‘Under Influence’ and ’Til We Got You And Me’) states: “not enough people know about him”....... so let’s change that.

At a very young age Richie’s talents were nutured by his parents who had come from a musical background: his mother being a singer who had picked up her vocal abilities from her mother, who was a nightclub singer. His father was a music producer who had recorded for numerous bands such as Dion and the Belmonts, most notably a song titled ‘I Wonder Why’(1958).

Around the age of 5 or 6 his parents split up and he was sent to a boarding school in Staten Island with his sisters. It was here that his natural vocal abilities soon became apparent, winning a school talent show singing a song called ‘In My Kiddie Car’. Upon finishing school, and returning to The Bronx in the early 70’s he noticed that it had become popular for small groups to gather on the street corners and sing vocal harmonies. Giving hope, a positive message, and good feeling into a city with a grim backdrop of rubble and poverty. This captivated Richie and he began to sing along with these groups.

had a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart hit with “Rock Your World” (a title which his daughter Trenell R. Weeks came up with). As Leroy Burgess (singer / songwriter from the group Black Ivory, who produced hits such as Rick James ‘Big Time’; was lead vocalist for Aleem on their tracks with NIA Records: ‘Release

Richie recalls “Around this time my Pop reconnected with me, and he took me into a studio for the first time, I was around 11. He put me in front of the mic and asked me to sing. That experience had a big impact on me, and finding out that music was running in my family.”

Richie began to meet more and more professional musicians, and with the Disco age at its peak he couldn’t have

been in a better place, with New York being the epicentre of this new music. He worked with Frankie Lymon (from The Teenagers who had the doo wop hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”) and started a band with Frankie’s brother, Timothy Lymon. They formed a group called ‘The Fascinators’

“I ended up performing at The Apollo in Harlem for their Easter show at the age of 14 with my group Timothy Lymon & The Fascinators, alongside Tony Hunt and Chuck Jackson. That had a huge impact on me, and made me think this is what I want to do”.

A few years later he was back singing at the Apollo, but this time with another group called Central Park West. Unfortunately soon after the group broke up, but not before legendary studio producer Patrick Adams (aka C# Sharp, Mark IV, Cloud One, who worked with many esteemed artists such as Candi Staton, Gladys Knight, Loleatta Holloway, Main Ingredient, Rick James, The Salsoul Orchestra, Shannon, Sister Sledge, The Spinners, and later as an engineer at Power Play Studios working with artists like Black Ivory, which included Leroy

Burgess), Eric B. & Rakim, Heavy D. & The Boyz, Keith Sweat, R. Kelly, Salt-N-Pepa and Teddy Riley) had heard a demo of the group.

A friend of Richie’s who was a singer by the name of Paul Simon (not the one from Simon & Garfunkel) introduced him to Patrick Adams, Leroy Burgess, and Jorge Barreiro (who went on later to coproduce ‘Rock Your World’).

Patrick had taken a shine to Richie, noticing his ability as a talented musician and singer. How he was able to play around with harmonies, distinguish between them and identify inversions. Patrick started to hire him for studio sessions, and mentored him in studio production.

By now Richie had decided he wanted to start his own group and began poking for people to join him. He met Harris Punyan (keyboard player) who was performing and touring with Change.

“While I was with Harris I messed about with guitar and drums while we were in the studio. I decided then I wanted to be a multi instrumentalist, I already had some familiarity in a studio from being with my Pop. And although I had

Professional photographer’s studio: Chazro Record label for “Rock your World”

no formal training, I’d been in and out of studios growing up, plus Patrick was teaching me more about the studio and how to use it as an instrument”.

Richie started to meet a lot of session musicians, began writing more and more of his own songs, and couldn’t stop ! By now he was in his 20’s, had just finished college studying liberal arts & science, with a minor in music, and decided to take music more seriously as a career.

He put a group together with Jorge Barreiro, who previously had a band with called Bambu that had a small hit called ‘I Just Don’t Wanna Lose It’.

He met another gentleman by the name of Roy Bermingham and together they began Weeks & Co, also bringing in Augustus Temple (who was also in other later groups with Richie: The Jammers and Hot Cargo), and singers Margaret Blount, and Jocelyn Brown.

Jocelyn was also singing in bands such as the Salsoul Orchestra, Chic, Change, Cerrone, and later went on to have an incredible career singing in bands such as Culture Club, as well as internationally successful solo career. Her song ‘Love’s Gonna Get You’ produced by Jellybean

Benitez and released in 1985 had various parts of her vocal from that song sampled in several hit dance tracks:

“I’ve Got The Power” was later sampled in Snap ‘Power’; Moby used ‘yyyeeeeeaaaah’ in his anthemic ‘Go’; and “I’m gonna get you” was sampled by Bizarre Inc. for ‘I’m Gonna Get You’.

Richie declares “I want to do more with her but she landed up getting too busy”. We toured all over the UK and Europe. ‘Rock Your World’ hit the charts, no. 1 on the Disco Funk chart above Prince !”

He performed in a gold jumpsuit and headband which gained him the nickname ‘Love Magician’.

“But I also had a job at the post office to make sure I could pay the bills as I knew how fickle the music industry could be, and artists can quickly fall out of luck. Also I came to find out there was a lot of unsavoury things going on in the music business”.

To explain his untrustworthiness of the music business Richie tells a story about Kool & The Gang and a song of his called ‘Who Cares’ (which you can hear on Still Music’s Bandcamp: https://still-music. bandcamp.com/track/who-caresversion-4)

“A colleague of Patrick’s by the name of Royale Behane, who was a guitar player on some of the songs I did on Atlantic Records, had told Kool & The Gang about me as they were looking for new songs. A couple of the bands musicians and backing singers came by my house to listen to some of the music I had on reel to reel. I went out to get them some drinks while they listened to some of my tracks, when I got back they were leaving. I said where you going, they said: we heard your stuff we like it. Patrick called later to ask how it went, I said it was OK, they liked some stuff.

I didn’t hear anything more about it until much later when Patrick calls me up and says: turn on the radio and listen to the new Kool & the Gang song. I checked it out and thought that sounds like my song ‘Who Cares’. Patrick was upset and asked: did you make a deal with these guys and cut me out ? I told him no, they listened to some tracks and that’s it. The song that was on the radio was called ‘Ladies Night’, and was a huge hit for Kool & The Gang.

I didn’t get anything from that, so that’s when I learnt this is what the music business can be like, someone can hear your song, take it and just put it out. I asked Patrick if I should sue, but he said no as they were too powerful in the music business and I would loose”.

But one very important, good thing came out of this, Patrick decided he would try to help get Richie’s music released, and spoke to a label he was working with: Salsoul Records. Richie met with the label co-founder (and President at the time) Ken Cayre and Vice President, Glenn Larusso and played them some cassettes of his music. They loved it and signed him to the label. He was immediately amongst royalty such as Instant Funk, First Choice, Loleatta Holloway, besides Patrick Adams.

He ended up doing 3 albums on Salsoul: Weeks & Co, The Jammers (with the band of the same name which had the Top 20 dance single ‘And You Know That’), and working on the last Instant Funk album “Instant Funk V”.

The group ‘The Hudsonsa’ @ a London recording studio

Master tape rough mixes

During this time Richie had the opportunity to work with legendary mixer Shep Pettibone (whose mixing credentials are too big to list) on almost all the songs for Salsoul.

“I learnt so much and so honoured to work with Shep, I met him via an introduction from Salsoul. He is such a talented, creative guy, we had so much fun and we worked well together. He used to come to the mastering sessions with me.”

Richie later worked with Instant Funk, and outside of the Salsoul family with Vaughn Mason (“Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll’, Raze ‘Break 4 Love) as Major Weeks with the track ‘Don’t Give Up’ on Epic. At night he would go to clubs to hang out or perform at places like the Paradise Garage, Studio 54, Barnes International, Funhouse, Roseland, burning the candle at both ends as he was still working a full time job at the post office during the day, plus had a job as a high school teacher in Jamaica, Queens, and then Washington Irving High School in Manhattan.

“I just had unbridled passion for the music. But didn’t want to give up the financial security of the 9-5.”

Things began to pick up, and he began to be offered more and more work in studios, increasing his profile internationally as a producer.

He was recording with people like Danny Weiss and Dave Wilkes with releases coming out on Epic, Polygram, Atlantic for artists, such as Gail Freeman on ‘Mr Right’ (Mirage Records).

A lot of the music was then being licensed by labels in the UK and Europe. He was flown over to England to work with Morgan Khan for his label Streetwave with the group The Hudsons on the single ‘Don’t Try to Fight It / You Keep Me Up’ By now Richie was living 2 or even 3 different lives.

At this time he was making so much music, more than Salsoul could release. Then in 1985 Salsoul closed its doors, the Disco scene had its well documented backlash, and times changed. Everything suddenly stopped !

Back satge @ Funhouse, N.Y

Live @ Funhouse, N.Y

Live @ Studio 54, N.Y

Live @ Funhouse, N.Y

Live @ Bonds International, N.Y

“Patrick (Adams) was just so busy with so much music and projects. But I had all the original tapes so I catalogued everything and stored them away in a safe place. Later I moved to Florida for 10-11 years to be near my son, but I set up a studio there and just continued to write music.”

He moved back to NY in the later half of the 80’s. Around ’88 he worked on a release with Lloyd Price of The LPO Band (who had the hit ‘Mr. Personality’ & ‘Lady Miss Clawdy’ in the late 50’s) on the songs such as ‘Love Go Round’ & ‘Stick It, Stick It’. But their relationship came to an end when Lloyd wanted Richie to tour with the band, but Richie wasn’t willing give up his job at the postal service.

Later that same year Gold Qwest Records (N.Y) picked up on a song he had recently recorded under the name Jirrafe called ‘Outta the Box’.

“This was recorded in Pennsylvania with one of my students from the Satellite Academy in Queens, N.Y called Al Smith. He was a guitar player and had a small studio, I jumped on keys, drums and bass. Although it was originally released in the 1988, it wasn’t until it was picked up and re-released in 2016 by an Italian label called Omaggio Records that it actually received any recognition”.

As the 90’s came about Richie was recording in NY at The Rock Studio which was owned by a talented engineer and keyboardist called Warren Rosenstein. Together they released as Neu Face on Underworld Records (subsidiary of Apexton and City Limits), which was internationally known in the burgeoning House scene for their ‘Bonesbreaks’ series by N.Y DJ, Frankie Bones.

Fast forward 28 years later, in 2018 Richie was talking to an acquaintance who was a former French radio DJ, vinyl collector and admirer of Richie’s music by the

Back stage @ The Paradise Garage, N.Y

name of Henri Claude, about all the unreleased music he had stored away.

Henri told a fellow French friend, Jerome Derradji, who lived in Chicago and ran the labels Still Music & Past Due about all this unreleased music of Richie’s. The Past Due label had been re-releasing many Funk, Soul, Disco music of the era and Jerome was obviously very interested to hear this news. He contacted Richie, and states: “We clicked, as he has a lot of passion for the music, and we worked things out, he has 300 unreleased songs that we are putting together to release over the next forthcoming years.”

The first of which was just released in September titled ‘The Love Magician Archives, Vol. 1’. A flashback to that golden era of pure New York Disco from the late 70’s including 12 tracks which have executive production by Patrick Adams, alongside guest vocals from Leroy Burgess have all been mastered from the original reels up to today’s high standard of audio fidelity.

A man who went through numerous golden eras, and ‘births of’, with Motown, Philly, Disco, Hip Hop and House and is still

recording new music, I keep asking myself why isn’t Richie Weeks in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Nile Rodgers, and Donna Summer ? With all this music coming out, a huge hole from the Disco era is being filled and hopefully he finally starts to receive the recognition that is long overdue.

Check out Richie’s & Quemaxx Musik Soundcloud accounts for loads of unreleased demos and tracks: soundcloud.com/richie-weeks

https://soundcloud.com/quemaxx-musikllc

A Magician never stops the magic.

Oliver Way

Director | Rights Management

EPM Music | Maastricht Office

www.epm-music.com

www.facebook.com/EPM.Music

www.instagram.com/epmmusic www.twitter.com/EPM_Music

NEW ON SOUL JAZZ RECORDS

ROCKERS

THE MYSTIC REVELATION OF RASTAFARI GROUNATION

PUNK 45

I’M A MESS SJr LP/Cd505

SOUL JAZZ RECORDS PRESENTS

STUDIO ONE WOMEN VOL.2 SJr LP/Cd502

100% DYNAMITE SKA, SOUL, ROCKSTEADY & FUNK IN JAMAICA SJr LP321C

REGGAE FUNK DUB

STUDIO ONE MUSIC LAB SJr LP/Cd503

HIEROGLYPHIC BEING THERE IS NO ACID IN THIS HOUSE SJr LP/Cd518

PUNK 45

THE SINGLES COVER ART OF PUNK 1976-1980

EditEd by Jon SavagE & Stuart bakEr

DISCO REGGAE

SJr LP/Cd516

SJr LP/Cd495

STEVE REID ODYSSEY OF THE OBLONG SQUARE SJr LP/Cd514C

PRESERVING ALBINA MUSIC TRUST

By SKEME RICHARDS (THE

NOSTALGIA KING)

Over the last decade there has been an influx of labels globally that have sought out artists and labels from the 1960’s and 1970’s to license music for the purpose of reissuing releases from their catalog. From Jazz to Soul, Psych to soundtracks, no artist or genre seems to be off limits and often times those reissues seem rather pointless especially when the original pressings are still readily available on the secondary market and at a fraction of the cost of new pressings. With the addition of Record Store Day exclusives that not only sit in bins after the annual affair but also clogging up pressing plants during the year delaying first time and original pressings of independent artists from making their debut.

While I’ve always lived by the term “dig deeper”, very few labels seem to go the extra mile of either licensing music that’s below the radar or has never had a previous reissue or better yet, releasing music that sat on dusty reels in a vault and never saw the light of day. Music that should and needs to be heard, often times by artists that are still living and capable of telling their stories of how they began and where it all ended. With a handful of labels digging deeper to unearth these projects, there’s only one that I know of that has a specific focus on local homegrown musicians and situated smack dab in the middle of Portland Oregon, North Portland to be exact where some of the finest Black musicians recorded.

That label I’m speaking of is Albina Music Trust and their mission is simple, to preserve North Portland’s music culture with programming that documents the community’s oral history, archival media, and special events. In collaboration with Albina musicians, founders Bobby Smith and Calvin Walker have brought to light a

definitive catalog of historic regional music and the memories of its creators. This preservation initiative is a program of The World Arts Foundation, serving Oregonians at the intersection of arts and education since 1976. More than just a label, Albina Music Trust has a purpose as their mission statement expresses and that statement is preservation, preservation of artists and musicians that have gone virtually unknown to anyone outside of their community.

Having formed the label, their first release out of the gate in 2018 was a sure shot by The Gangsters recorded in the early 1970s. This collection of instrumentals is a crystal clear glimpse into a forgotten period of Portland’s music history. Fostered by the Albina Art Center, a hangout spot for creatively-inclined black youth, The Gangsters were led by trumpeter Thara Memory who produced the sessions heard on this release. After gigging around the city for a few years, the group—who were almost all in their late teens—laid down some tracks at Ripcord Studios, but they disbanded soon thereafter and the tapes sat in a closet, unheard for over 40 years.

Rescued from obscurity, the tracks on this album have all the punch and hip-swinging joy of fellow jazz/funk artists like The Crusaders, Weather Report and Pleasure. But with Thara Memory leading the charge, the music has a rich complexity, best exemplified by the nine-minute “Suite for Funk Band,” which runs through a series of movements that touch on Latin grooves and post-bop before culminating in an almost-psychedelic breakdown capped off by a devastating guitar solo.

In 2020 the label released the self-titled album by The Legendary Beyons who had previously never had a physical vinyl release, yet for fifty years have been performing and entertaining Porlanders with their music. The songs featured are the culmination of a story that began when these young men began singing in the locker room after basketball games at Jefferson High School. As their reputation grew, The Beyons––with the help of a crack backing band featuring arranger Dan Brewster and The Soul Masters–aspired for greatness in Albina’s club scene. On the cover of this previously unreleased 1977 album, there’s an image

that tells you nearly everything you need to know: four Black men, resplendent in custom-tailored suits, are working it with synchronized steps before the rushing falls of Portland’s Fourcourt Fountain. In their joyous faces is written a brotherhood that began when this core of singers— Jeddy Beasley, Thurtis Channel, James Tims, and Ira Hammon—endeavored to harmonize as The Legendary Beyons. The group’s presence in this image reveals the richness of their soulful, Motown-inspired

vocal sound.Alitany of touring acts on the Chitlin Circuit stopped through the area, performing side-by-side with The Beyons: The Whispers, Bloodstone, Blue Magic.

In 2021 the label released a pair of LP’s, first the self-titled by Slickaphonic which featured previously unreleased reel-toreel session by the nine-piece powerhouse in Portland’s lost funk scene. Recorded in 1975 at Recording Associates by engineer Bob Stoutenberg (The Wipers, Baba Yaga, Mel Brown), this carefully restored collection places the listener in the thick of a watertight disco-funk session done the Albina way. Following Slickaphonic, listeners and collectors were treated to first of two releases by Transport, a short-lived disco band who were active

corded in 1982 at Wave Sound Studios - a facility that housed local punk acts such as The Wipers and The Rats - the material on their debut LP was intended as a demo for Solar Records which obviously never came to fruition.

In addition to preserving the music

from 1978-1980 featuring members of The Gangsters, Ural Thomas’ 1960’s band and Nu Shooz. Doubling up the following year with their self-titled LP which was a full on listen of Jazz-Funk / Fusion. As the 1970’s had come to an end and a new decade and sound was approaching, Portlands music scene was changing from it’s Jazz and Funk roots and bands struggled to find bookings in Portland’s white-owned club circuit, Lights Out was born and evolved into a synthesizer-fueled funk group fronted by vocalist Andy Stokes and featuring guitarist Greg “Gee Mack” Dalton. It’s this era of Lights Out that made converts of the haters and annihilated 800-capacity dancefloors. Re -

through vinyl releases, Albina Music Trust hosts various events in the city including Summer of Sound, Soul Conversation ‘Living History In Albina’ which is a conversation that reveals little trace of the thriving Black community that once occupied this part of Portland. Much of what we can discover today rests in the collective memory of the elders who lived it and Time Sound ‘Albina’s Jazz Reimagined by Greaterkind’ which was originally conceived in 1981 by Thara memory and World Arts Foundation and focuses on how Portland’s Black music history has been largely misunderstood. As local institutions have told the story on behalf of Albina’s Black community, it is rare that the community has controlled the narrative.

I highly recommend that you take a deep dive into the world Albina Music Trust and it’s history of Black musicians that created and contributed so much to the music scene and culture of Portland.

DISCO 12” BREAKS AND BEATS

BY DJ RANSOM AND SPANKIE HAZARD

DJ Ransom has been active in the Melbourne hip-hop scene since the early 1980s as a graffiti artist, DJ and producer, and has been instrumental to the growth and development of the culture in Melbourne. He established Australia’s first hip hop label in 1989 and has continued to release breakbeat related material ever since.

Spankie Hazard started playing at funk, soul and disco parties in Melbourne in the mid-1990s, mostly under the guidance and encouragement of Ransom. In 2003 he moved to Mizonokuchi (Kawasaki, Japan), which just happened to be a mecca for breaking and street culture.

Ransom and Spankie run Sedgwick Records, an intentionally small-scale, vinyl-only label aimed to contribute to the hip-hop and DJ culture that traces its origin to 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in 1973.

In the world before the Internet, if you were a collector of club or dance music it was hard to identify the records you wanted, let alone find or be able to buy them. In the 1980s and 1990s in Australia, geographically positioned about as far away as you could get from most of the music we wanted, it was a cruel world. We would settle for any format but always hoped for the loudest, the clearest and the most dynamic–the 12” single.

The vinyl pecking order according to our teenage selves:

So, being of an old-school mind, breaks and beats on a 12” were pretty much the best thing you could hope to find, and that is why they hold a special place in our hearts.

8. Low-grade pressing compilation

7. DJ-use compilation

6. Australian LP

5. Original LP

4. Australian seven inch single

3. Original seven inch single

2. 12” E.P.

1. 12” Single

Here’s a taste: John Davis respect section

1) I Can’t Stop - John Davis Monster Orchestra

were around and the breaks were cuttable, even the 4x4 ones.

3) Gotta Get Outta Here - Lucy Hawkins Ransom - Is it Disco? Funk? Soul? I didn’t know when I found it and I don’t know now.

Spankie - In 1996 I was pleased as punch that I had an original U.S. LP with this on it. Then Ransom told me he had the 12”. I almost fell over. I didn’t even know it existed on 12”... It killed me. Ransom - Arguably the best break of them all, witness old footage of Whiz Kid cutting it up and be moved.

2) Up Jumped The Devil - John Davis Monster Orchestra

4) All I Need Is You Tonight - Arthur Prysock Spankie - I found this in New York in 2001 for 25 cents and bought it based on the label info only. I didn’t get to hear it until I got back to Melbourne a few months

Ransom - The remnants of our disco scene started turning up in the boxes on the floor at used record stores. “Disco is dead”, they said. Maybe so, but the 12s

later, and I nearly fell over when those strings stayed and everything but the drums fell away.

-Classic b-boy breaks on 12”

Spankie - I found this for $1 in a suburban Melbourne charity shop. I had one or two West End things at the time, but had no idea what this one was. When I got it home I sat flabbergasted through the full 10 minute mix with those ridiculously long drum breaks and even a reverse edit! Things were never the same for me after that.

Ransom - Found mine for 25c in the mid 80s at Blackburn Dixon’s in outer suburban Melbourne. Had no idea.

Ransom - With ‘Chove Chuva’ on the flip it may be the only two sider of the canon.

Spankie - By 1977, especially on RCA, mixers and producers were fully exploiting the 12” medium. This two-sider is a classic example

Ransom - Mid tempo, bells, great production values, not to mention the ‘Ease off your mind’ phrase as a lead into the break. Killer.

4)

Ransom - Another Zulu Nation Sure Shot, first heard by us on ‘Death Mix’. Spankie - This track announces its arrival at 115%.

Ransom - Most recognisable from its use in Deee-Lite’s mega hit ‘Groove is in the Heart’.

Ransom - As heard on Ultimate Breaks and Beats but worth a relisten on 12”. It sounds magnificent. No idea what they’re saying though…

1) Sessomatto - Sessomatto

5) Vernon Burch - Get Up

3) Get Happy - Jimmy Bo Horne

2) Mambo No. 5 - Samba Soul

Chocolate Jam Corporation - Chocolate

6) Phenomena Theme - In Search Of Orchestra

1) Every Dog Has Its Day - Esther Williams

Spankie - The rhythm and horn break just goes for ages. Such a lovely, under-rated track from start to finish.

2) Get Up Get On Get Out Get Off - Vince Tempera

Spankie - Ransom put me onto this one not long ago. Basically a disco cover of “Melting Pot”. Corker.

3) No No No My Friend (You’re Wrong So Do It Again) - Devoshun Spankie - Great track and I think mostly unknown? Great opening latin breaks and then driving guitar and rhythm-section breaks.

-Lesser known

4) Rock Creek Park - The Blackbyrds (Australian pressing)

Spankie - In the mid-1990s when I pulled this up on a dig, it just didn’t compute. I couldn’t understand how it was on 12”, let alone an Australian one. It was only years later that I found out that it was only pressed on 12” in very limited markets.

1) Coagulation - The Ludwig Band

Spankie - It’s just a rocking drum beat with crazy effects for about five minutes with an organ coming in now and then. Due to the year of production, the country and the style it is basically a sibling of “Sessomatto”.

-Should’ve had a drum break but still great disco 12”

Ransom - Another hybrid of disco and funk, or something… It has a bass break and a heavily percussive drum break as well.

Ransom - Definitely more on the funk side of things. Syncopated rhythm, but with big strings, a long instrumental section and a couple of breaks.

Ransom - One of the very few Australian breaks on 12”. A disco song with a break and bagpipes. Not sure how the Scottish feel about it.

Ransom - A tape was traded in Melbourne in the 80s, it was known as ‘Zulu Beats’ and this track was one of the many, many highlights. We had no idea about Afrika Islam’s radio show until years later as on this tape an unknown editor had removed all Electro and all station IDs from a number of shows leaving only breaks being cut and some routines by Cold Crush et al. It was life altering.

Ransom - According to Discogs they’re a UK / Afro / Caribbean band. Sounds about right. A few short breaks on this one, fun to catch.

Ransom - Cracker of a break on this one. Funky bass, wah-wah, you get the idea.

2) Sunshine Love - Metal Weeds

5) Indiscreet - DC LaRue

3) You’ve Got The Power - Camouflage

4) Disco Fling - Simon “Mac” Nette

6) Keep On Trying - Osibisa

7) Love Exchange - Sonny Craver

There’s a grey area between hip-hop, disco and b-boy breaks. The conventional wisdom, or at least the story as it has been told, is that the early parties in the Bronx were something of a reaction against disco. That may very well be true, but who are we, two gronks from Melbourne Australia, to say? Of note though is that around the same time as Kool Herc was doubling up and Grandmaster Flash was introducing the ‘merry go round’, Walter Gibbons was editing songs to extend the breaks and pressing them to acetate. B-boys and party goers in the Bronx loved breaks as did the disco dancers throughout the city–maybe not the same ones but drum breaks nonetheless. Were DJs from Uptown part of the NYC Record Pool? How often did tracks move from the block parties into the clubs? Which tracks? The particulars of this story are not something we can relay with any accuracy, but we look forward to hearing them from someone who can.

10) Slippin’ Away - The Independent Movement Ransom - I don’t think I’ve heard this one on an old NY tape, but I assume everybody had it. A nice long break with added percussion half-way through.

11) Hollywood Disco Jazz Band - Don’s Place Ransom - The guitar chuck at the beginning is super cuttable and the break is B-boy.

9) Say A Prayer For Two - Crown Heights Affair Ransom - Admittedly, some of the 12s on this list aren’t the best of songs. Not this one, though. Killer track with a short break and a long, incredible breakdown section towards the end.

8) My Love Supreme - Milton Hamilton Crystalized Ransom - Somewhere between a b-boy thing, disco and a jazz-funk dancer with some Latin-type percussion thrown in.

12) Menage A Trois - Bob Crewe Generation Spankie - Killer, killer opening drum break that feels like it goes forever. Beautiful track, too, if you like it lush.

KEEPERS OF THE BEAT THE DJS AND RECORDS BEHIND JAPAN’S HEAVY-HITTING B-BOY SCENE

BY SPANKIE HAZARD AND SWIFFT EDITS (SEDGWICK RECORDS)

It’s been nearly 40 years since the Wild Style Tour crossed the Pacific and officially kicked off Japan’s love affair with hip-hop. Japanese breakers, DJs and graffiti artists – inspired by the classic film and the flood of music and cultural influences that followed – have kept the flame alive in the decades since, and become influential creative forces in their own right.

Some Japanese breakers are worldrenowned – think b-boys Katsu One and Issei – and some are hard at work through design, photography, music and clothing labels to be not only respected dancers but all-round contributors to the culture – such as Katsu One (again), B-boy Tenpachi, and B-girl Mimz. Then there are DJs and producers like “Dr. Yann” Tomita, Krush, Towa Tei and Muro who have formed a solid and ever-expanding musical

have continued to re-issue otherwise impossible-to-find breaks and beats, and Soul Source from the early 2000s that put out a series of Earth Wind and Fire and Jackson 5 remix albums and 12” singles featuring the works of both domestic and international artists. (Kenny Dope’s vocal and dub remixes of “It’s Great to Be Here” by the Jackson 5 are a must!)

lineage from the 1980s to now. Forming another element of the foundation are Japanese music labels like P-Vine that

So, marking yet another decade on the planet for “Wild Style”, we talked to veteran Japanese DJs and breakers about the scene’s roots and the music that holds it together.

“I’ve asked a lot of people this,” said DJ Mar Ski (Mighty Zulu Kingz), one of Japan’s busiest and most respected breaker-battle DJs, when we asked why Japan embraced hip-hop and breaking so enthusiastically. “And I’ve asked people not only in the hip-hop community but also the soul and disco communities, which are also deep in Japan. The answer I get from the old-timers is always this: ‘Because we lost the war.’”

After World War II, U.S. military bases sprung up all over Japan and became hot spots for Black music culture, starting with jazz, then soul, then disco and then hip-hop. The soldiers brought their music and dances to the bars and nightclubs around the bases and people of a curious mindset flocked there to experience what was new. Each region had its own local flavor, influenced by the personnel from the local military base.

Gettin’ down: Varied fashion styles at disco clubs in Tokyo (JJ Magazine, July 1976).

Direct from the dancefloor: Info on disco dance moves and the DJ selection at Lindy, a key club in the Honmoku area of Yokohama (JJ Magazine, July 1976).

So when hip-hop landed in Japan with the Wild Style Tour in 1983, the ground was very fertile. Hip-hop records were already being played by disco DJs and some had already been released locally, complete with a Japanese title and picture sleeve. In Yokohama through the 1980s and 1990s, the Sakuragicho Wall, a stretch of elevated train lines between Yokohama Station and Sakuragicho Station with concrete supporting walls, was one of the longest continuous stretches of graffiti pieces in the world. (Unfortunately, local tolerance waned, and the wall was painted over in the late 2000s.)

Back of “Wild Style” Japanese movie flyer from 1983. The flyer has extensive information about the film and the culture it was based on, along with lists of the breakers, MCs and DJs that appear in the film.

Wom on the Sakuragicho Wall, 2001.

Belbel on the Sakuragicho Wall, 2001.

SCA Crew on the Sakurachicho Wall, 2001.

In hip-hop music, there is a strong tradition in Japan of nurturing the roots. You can see it in local releases of “Wild Style”-related records, to dope-up Major Force records in the late 1980s through the early 1990s, to the flurry of manic cut-up Delic Records in the early 2000s, and to the morerecent recreated breaks of Q.A.S.B., Quiet Storm Kobe and the Super Break Orchestra. There is a sense of wanting to explore new styles and push the culture, but also to stay connected to what makes the culture valuable.

In b-boying, this balance of novelty-seeking and respect for tradition has motivated Japanese b-boys and b-girls to travel the globe and learn from a variety of teachers and sources. B-boy Anijha (Mighty Zulu Kingz, Ready to Rock and Fresh Sox) says, “We will just go where we can learn and hopefully contribute ourselves. There are well-established territories and affiliations, and those of course have their own value. But, for us it is just an open pursuit of knowledge and learning. And, of course, teaching.”

“Dance Koshien East Side” VHS tape cover, with the “West Side” version below. The show ran weekly in 1990 and 1991 and was hugely popular and influential. (Credit: Maki Corbett Collection)

About DJ Mar Ski and DJ Tee

Mar Ski moved to Tokyo in his early 20s from Kyushu, in southwest Japan, and his museum/gallery-like apparel shop Dancers Collection in Harajuku has been a focal point for the breaker scene since 2009. He and Tee (Ready to Rock) first met in 2000, when they had made pre-recorded “showcase” tapes for two high-profile breaker crews to face off. They heard each other’s work and had to meet. Tee was based in Osaka (he’s recently moved to Tokyo) and from then on they’ve been DJ partners for major events, representing East- and West-side Japan.

DJ Mar Ski. (Photo: Takahiro Why).

DJ Mar Ski and DJ Tee. (Photo: Takahiro Why)

DJ Tee playing at his birthday party at Dancers Collection. B-boy Anijha (white Kangol, right) looks on. (Photo: Takahiro Why)

Both DJs are focused on preserving the culture but also helping it progress. “It’s my job to select the right tunes to help the dancers perform to their best and also to educate people about music,” says Tee. “To do that, I have to stay educated.” Mar Ski approaches breaker-battle DJing like a funky King Solomon: “DJing for battles is very different from many other styles of DJing. The dancers are the performers, not you. They are the ones who will win or lose, not you. So you have to respect that and treat them equally–help them compete under the same conditions so that they can give their best and be properly judged.”

DJ Mar Ski at the entrance of Dancers Collection, his store/museum/hang-out in Harajuku, Tokyo.

Front of 30th Anniversary flyer for screenings of “Wild Style” in 2012. (This was one of two available designs.)

7” inner sleeve from the Q.A.S.B. + Ryuhei The Man (R.I.P.) cover version of “The Mexican” (2012) with long drum breaks in both parts.

7” sleeve cover for Quiet Storm Kobe’s “Taco Track”, 2022.

40th Anniversary movie flyer for “Wild Style “ screenings in Japan, 2022. (This is one of two available designs.)

Side 1 of promotional 12” picture disc for BBoy Park 2001 event in Tokyo. This side has a hype bboy track produced by DJ Yutaka and featuring DJ Kool Herc on the mic!

Side 2 of BBoy Park 2001 picture disc featuring artwork by Doze, West One, Serge, Brue (PNB Nation FC TC-5)

Mar and Tee’s Top Breaks

DJ Mar Ski (Tokyo)

DJ for Red Bull BC ONE World Final 2010 in Tokyo and 2016 in Nagoya; X-Games Japan 2022

“Apache” - Incredible Bongo Band

As all the legendary DJs say, “If you’re a hip hop DJ, make sure you have two!” When it comes to b-boy breaks, without a doubt this is the anthem of all anthems. Every part is special and of course has been heavily sampled. I’ve played this at so many battles and I can’t live without it. The original 45 was only pressed in Italy, and the effort required to find two copies created an even deeper affection for them in me!

“Funky Music Is the Thing Pt. 2” - Dynamic Corvettes

This is a heavy-rotation track for me and I can’t leave it off a list like this. In my sets I usually make the most of my favorite parts, using two copies to go from the break in Part 2 into the intro of Part 1.

“Rain Dance” (45 version) - The Electric Indian

The LP also has marvelous stuff on it, with “Rain Dance” being my favorite. But the 45 version has a different intro and the opening drum break sounds slightly different, making it far preferable! The second break is also cool, so it’s a favorite of mine and always in my crate for b-boy battles.

“A La Turka” - The Philarmonics

This is a disco cover of a Mozart piece. It still feels like only yesterday when I first listened to it and was jolted by the cheesy opening. Then I skipped to the middle and was floored by the break I discovered. I really love how there is a flow of development and sorrow from where the break comes in. I’ll always have two of these in my bag if I’m playing anywhere with bboys and b-girls in the place. Of all the instrumental breaks tracks, this one ranks really high for me.

“Y Ata A YoYo” - La Banda Salsa

I have some deep memories connected to this track. Quite a while ago when Afrika Bambaataa was visiting Japan, I was playing this and he came up and asked me what it was. I was a little taken-aback because the reason I knew the track and liked it so much was due to Bambaataa himself referencing it in his track “Renegades of Funk”! So I was more than happy to tell him and later send him a digital copy. Yeah, so, I’ll never forget this one!

DJ

“Organ Donor” - DJ Shadow

This track was introduced to me by B-boy Kousuke when it first came out in 1997. I had just traveled from Osaka to Fukuoka to play at a bboy battle and was literally setting up when Kousuke called me telling me about this new 12” from DJ Shadow that would be great for battles. Luckily, there was a Cisco Records shop just over the road so I started hunting around in there for it, with Kousuke still on the phone telling me what the cover looked like. I grabbed the one copy they had and went back to the DJ booth at the battle and quickly listened to the first part. I thought, “Damn! Definitely playing this!” So, I play it and it’s perfect–so good for b-boys to go off to. But then suddenly the beat drops out and the organ starts going crazy and all off-beat and stuff, and the b-boys are looking at me totally confused and I’m like, “Sh**t!” I quickly mixed out, cursing myself for not checking through the whole thing. But who’d expect it would have a crazy breakdown like that in it?! But I loved the track and got myself another copy as soon as I could. It has been a theme of mine ever since. I think “Organ Donor” really got into the minds of a lot of b-boys and b-girls due to an iconic battle in Korea at B-Boy Unit 2007 between Mind 180 Crew from the U.S. and Rivers Crew from Korea. I DJed for that and opened the battle with “Organ Donor” and man the energy was insane. That battle has since become a reference point; so many people have studied it and the music has just sunk in.

Tee (From Osaka–the home of the Technics 1200–and recently moved to Tokyo) DJ for Battle of the Year International 2002, 2006, 2009 and for Red Bull BC ONE World Final 2008 in Paris

“This Beat is Hot” (Hard and Heavy Mix) - B.G. the Prince of Rap

In 1990/1991 there was a weekly TV show in Japan called “Dance Koshien”. It featured highschool kids from around Japan doing dance routines, from b-boying to hip-hop and funk. It was a real mixture and enormously popular. If you were into hip-hop and dancing you watched that show like an addict. In that pre-Internet era, that show was the main source of information and it is very difficult to overstate just how influential it was and has been to b-boying, dancing and hip-hop culture in Japan. Anyway, they always put the names of the songs on the bottom of the screen and I’d always try to find the good ones. “This Beat is Hot” was one of those tracks. I finally found it in a record store and I think it might have been the first 12” I ever bought. Up to that point I always bought albums because you got more tracks for your money! But with this 12” I finally got both the track I was after and understood the point of the different mixes. There is actually only one small part of the track I play, which is about three and a half minutes in. Just a great strong rhythm break that is different to the rest. When I play it, old heads in Japan still recognize it from “Dance Koshien”!

“Soulwanco” - Candido

The birth of hip-hop in Japan was due to the Wild Style tour in 1983. Such incredible legends such as DJ Afrika Islam, Busy Bee, the Cold Crush Brothers, Crazy Legs, Doze, Fab Five Freddy… they were ALL in Japan. Some of the foundational members of Japanese hip-hop and b-boying, such as the Tokyo B-boys, were there to experience that excitement and inspiration. Anyway, at one event, apparently, Charlie Chase (we think) played this unknown track that instantly became imprinted in the brain matter of these guys. Of course, they couldn’t ask what it was and just spent the moment trying to remember it. After that, the song became both legendary and mythical. It was excitedly discussed and its sounds and phrases were verbally handed down among the community because no-one had any way of identifying it. Fast-forward to the year 2000, I was visiting Tokyo and staying at a friend’s house. He had a crazy record collection and when he went off to work I told him I was going to spend the whole day listening through his records. And seriously, I did. I started from the top left of his shelves at about 9:00 o’clock in the morning and by mid-afternoon I was still going. That’s when I was listening through the album “Drum Fever” by Candido and I got to the last track on Side 2 and BAMN!!! It was THE SONG!! I was sure of it. I immediately rang DJ Mar Ski and said “I found it!!! I FOUND IT!!” and played it to him over the phone. He freaked out. Man, we were so happy. I dropped everything and went straight to DMR Records in Shibuya in the hope of finding a copy. By cosmic chance a re-issue of “Drum Fever” had just come out, like that week or something, and I excitedly bought two copies. Not long after, DJ Mar Ski played it at a b-boy battle in Tokyo. The MC was one of the original Japanese b-boys, Haruki Horie, from the Mystic Movers and Tokyo B-boys, and when it came on he became mesmerized and completely forgot where he was and what he was doing. He walked straight over to the DJ booth and yelled through the mic, “Yo, Man!? You got it??!!”

“Theme for Great Cities” - Simple Minds

So, in the year 2000 I went to the Battle of the Year in Germany. I was there to take pictures and write for a magazine back in Japan. The event was in a huge community center and I was just soaking it up and walking around in awe. Everything was so fresh and the vibe was incredible. From the UK, the legendary DJ Leacy–may he rest in peace–was playing and he was amazing. He was playing stuff like “Get Off” by Ripple and this cover version of “100th Street” and it was just mad. I introduced myself to him, having heard that he was the kind of guy who wouldn’t be too friendly at first, but if in time you passed his test then you’d be alright. Well, he was pretty damn cold–as expected. Then he started playing a track with haunting synths and driving bass and drums that was totally new to me. I knew it was very unlikely that he’d tell me what it was, but I just had to ask. He gave me a cold glare, turned his back on me, but then in a flash turned around with the record sleeve, held it in front of my face for five seconds, then whisked it away. As I walked off I tried to remember what I had seen: white and blue and the word “Simple”. When I wrote it down in my notes I second guessed myself, thinking that I must have seen the word “Simply” because the only artist I knew with a similar name was Simply Red. So, when I got back to Japan I started my search for a Simply Red record and got nowhere very fast!! About a year later, somehow, I managed to find the track: “Theme for Great Cities” by Simple Minds. Then the whole thing took on a new angle because later when I was talking to Mr. Wiggles of the Rock Steady Crew, he told me that “Theme for Great Cities” was THE uprock theme for them at the Roxy in New York back in the days. Not only that, but that the track inspired the track “Uprock” by the Rock Steady Crew! “Theme for Great Cities” was so powerful and established as the uprock theme, when the writers were conceiving “Uprock” they wanted to create something that had the same energy and vibe. Amazing, huh?!

“NY is Good” - BS 2000

This is something I’ve been playing since it came out. It’s another crazy important tune that has been used heavily in Japan and the U.S. for battles. It’s kind of different because I was able to buy two copies at once and explore it as a record to extend. The whole track is instrumental with heavy drums and synth sounds, so it was pretty futuristic back then. I use it a lot with “Organ Donor”, mixing from one into the other as there are some similarities that make them a great pair. For me, this track and “Organ Donor” are on equal footing and have been hugely important tracks for the b-boy scene since the early 2000s. I’d like to think I played a role in their importance. ;)

ERIC ORR INTERVIEW by

JASON ARMITAGE (DR.J)

Jason Armitage (Dr.J) is the founder of the Roots Forward Records label in Canada. The label ran successfully from 2011 - 2019 and put out rare and unreleased 80’s and 90’s rap music on vinyl and cassette. The label’s discography included music from legends Marley Marl, Schoolly D, Krown Rulers and countless others. Jason is an avid collector of funk, disco, and house music and has been deejaying actively since 1991. He also hosts the “Expansions” radio show - one of Canada’s longest running programs devoted to classic rap and funk music. Jason recently caught up with the legendary Eric Orr.

Eric Orr is an artist and designer from New York City. He pioneered the substitutive style of graffti art in the late ’70s, eschewing “writing” in favor of visual iconography, and in the process, created the distinctive robot that would become his signature and alter-ego.

In 1984, he collaborated with pop artist Keith Haring on a series of drawings in the NYC subways that featured his “robot head” character alongside Haring’s iconic “radiant baby”.

In 1986, he created and published four issues of “Rappin’ Max Robot”, the frst Hip-Hop comic book.

He has designed and illustrated images, covers, and logos for musical artists inclu -

ding Jazzy Jay, Busy Bee, Positive K, Jazzy Joyce, Masters Of Ceremony, Ultimate Force, Lord Finesse, Diamond D, and Diggin’ In The Crates (D.I.T.C.); worked with and exhibited alongside such notables as Futura, Seen, Doze, and Kaws; and his work has been featured in publications including Juxtapoz, Mass Appeal, Sketchel, Complex, and the International Graffti Times.

In 2014, his personal archives were acquired by Cornell University for the Hip-Hop collection in their archive of rare books and manuscripts, and in 2015, Columbia University added copies of his works to their permanent collection. More information on his work and career can be found at www.ericart.org

Mural painted in New Zealand at the bottom of Sky City bldg 2010

Right pic. Hand embellished poster of Rappin Max Robot comic book cover

Jason Armitage: It’s a pleasure to talk to you about your art and contributions to hip hop culture. Please tell the readers a little bit about your early art days, and your “Rappin’ Max Robot” comic.

Eric Orr: I went to high school with DJ Jazzy Jay. We later connected and he asked me to design his logo (which he still uses to this day). I later became art director for Strong City Records, where I designed all the logos for artists on the record label, and where I began to create my comic book “Rappin Max Robot”.

Jason Armitage: Who are some of the artists that influenced your style?

Eric Orr: I’m a big fan of Overton Loyd and his Parliament Funkadelic cover.

Jason Armitage:

I’ve always been a fan of legendary rapper Busy Bee, including his classic 1988 album “Running Things”. I understand you were involved with the artwork for the release. Can you please discuss how this came to fruition.

Eric Orr: While working as art director for Strong City Records, when it came time to design a logo for rapper Busy Bee, he wanted a logo design that stood out like the Jazzy Jay logo I designed.

Jason Armitage: Talk about your recent involvement with the Universal Hip Hop Museum in NYC.

Eric Orr: My involvement goes way back to my Strong City days because the executive director of UHHM is Rocky Bucano, who was part owner of Strong City Records along with DJ Jazzy Jay.

Some of the golden era logos Eric created while working with Strong City Records Circa 1985 thru 1988

Busy Bee logo Eric designed in 1987

A recent mural Eric painted at the Universal Hip Hop Museum 2022

Eric Orr, Rocky Bucano, DJ Jazzy Jay, lawyer Larry Lighter, and members of MCA / Uni records when Strong City Records signed a distribution deal with them.

Jason Armitage: You have you managed to stay relevant and active in the arts community for a significant period of time (40+ years). What has enabled you to do so?

Eric Orr: Divine guidance :)

Jason Armitage: Are there any upcoming projects in the works that you would like to discuss?

Eric Orr: I’m working with UHHM with some design ideas for the museum when it opens. I have a new limited edition print coming, to be released in the UK. I’m working with a licensing company to license my Max Robot artwork for the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop next year. I’m working with a booking agent to see if we can get a deal to reprint the original “Rappin Max Robot” comic book and a few

other things brewing. Ideally I’d like to get a vinyl figure done at some point.

Jason asked the following question to some legends in the game: What does Eric’s art mean to you?

DJ Red Alert: “Creativity Of The Mind”

Jazzy Jay: “Eric Orr: brilliant artist, as well as a good friend, who helped me to define my brand by making me the perfect logo for both my production company and record company. Eric is also a respected artist in the Hip Hop community”.

Diamond D: “Eric Orr’s art is the embodiment of evolution...from graffiti...to abstract art with Keith Haring...to comic books...to corporate & record label logos...to graphic designing. He’s done it all at the highest levels”.

Concept sketch of the Jazzy Jay logo

Early chalk drawings of Max for a Robot character Cira 1983

A collaborative limited edition silk screen print art Crash and Eric did with master printer Gary Lichtenstein

10 FAVORITE BEATS of KID SUBLIME

Growing up in a small village close to Amsterdam, Kid started playing drums and piano at the age of 5. Surrounded by his moms and pops record collection ranging from Frank Zappa, to Miles Davis to James Taylor and Bach, Kid developed his ears in music early on.

In his teens he played drums in a Hardcore Punk band and picked up the turntables. Hip Hop became his safe haven. Landing a job in the Fat Beats recordstore and picking up the MPC, Kid started focussing on producing beats, both Hip Hop and House.

In 2001 he released his first 12inch Tea For Two and from there things kicked off. Signed to record labels like Rush Hour, Kindred Spirits, BBE and Jazzysport, Kid slowly build his discography. Now almost 20 years later he toured the world many times, worked with countless singers and emcee’s in the underground, signed to record labels both national and international and his records are being played by taste making deejays across the globe.

Nowadays Kid focusses on producing records in his studio, gigging the globe, making hip hop beats for international rappers, collaborations with artists all over the globe hosting his monthly radioshow on 1BTN in the UK and teaching his workshop classes Sublime For Kids.

1. J Dilla- Thank you for being Dorythy.

Ofcourse i gotta kick the list of with Jay. My favo Hip Hop producer in the world. This beat is floating around on an early Jay Dee beattape on youtube. I couldn’t find the OG sample by this Japaneese piano player in my collection, but if you hear the original it’s just a stroke of genius the way Jay flips this beat…it sounds like a Dorythy Ashby sample, but it’s not…hence the title! :), and the Al Green chopped breakbeat perfectly matches the sonics of the sample. Wow! Dilla at his finest !

2. Pete Rock-Tru Master

This is one of my favorite Pete Rock beats. This was the opener track from his 1998 album Soul Survivor. Technicaly the way Pete flips The Impression’s tune One the Move is crazy !

Ofcourse Pete and the SP1200 are a match made in heaven and this beats shows you why Pete Rock was the original King Of Beats in the 90s.

And ofcourse Kurrupt and Inspektah Deck on the mic made this tune an absolute classic !

3. Group Home - Up Against Tha Wall.

Offcourse i had to put a Dj Premier beat on the list. It’s hard to pick one, but this beat from the Group Home album always stood out for me.

Premier single handedly started the chop style of records in the 90s and this beat showcases the man’s brilliance. The way he hears this litle piece in Isaac Hayes Windows Of The World tune is crazy…the man has serious ears…and ofcourse the heavy Preemo drums on top does the job! Classic !

4. Eest Flatbush Projects - Tried By 12

When i worked in Fatbeats in Amsterdam in the late 90s this song blew us all away.

For a producer it’s always a treat to find a sample from the beginning of a record..you put the needle on and there it is !

This is what happend with this beat. The song Sakura by Odetta just hits the spot !

Straight irie loop with the All Green breakbeat on top. An absolute underground clasic !

5. Pharaoh Monch - The Light.

Ofcourse i had to put a Diamond D beat on the list. This beat always stood out for me. The way Diamond flips Wes Montgomery’s Mi Cosa is just beautiful. I think he even added the strings from another record to make the beat even more soulful.

Pharaoh Monch’s best track on his Internal Affair album in my humble opinion.

What can i say ?

Diamond D is just amazing !

6. MOP - Breakin’ the rules.

Again another Preemo beat!

I’m a huge fan of MOP and this tune showcases why Dj Premier and MOP where a match made in heaven!

I always swear this was a Hubert Laws sample, but it happend to be a litle piece from a Michelle Le Grand tune. Preemo’s ears are just from another planet. What a tune !

7. Large Professor - Mad Scientist

Ofcourse LP can’t be absent from this list. His beat is a producer’s dream: Finding a straight loop from vinyl, loop it up and put some banging drums over it ! And considdering it’s a Dave Mathews sample makes it even more mind boggling….an absolute classic ! We played the hell outta this tune in the 90s !

8. Nas - One Love.

Man…to me Q Tip is one of most tastefull cats in Hip Hop. What he did with Tribe is groundbreaking. Q Tips ears for loops is just crazy. This tune from Illmatic is so special. The beautifull Heath Brothers kalimba sample just does the job and ofcourse Q Tips signature drums makes this beat a masterpiece. Somehow it sounds different than the beats he did for Tribe…a taylor made story telling beat for Nas. Wow

9. Common - 1999

Ofcourse Dj Hi Tek had to be on this list. This is one of my favourite beats by Hi Tek. he way he plays with the litle guitar sample reminds me of deep house cats like Moodymann would do… And the strings in the background?

Wow !

Put Hi Tek and Common together and you have a 90s masterpiece.

Love this track !

Last but not least i had to put a Madlib beat on the list. It’s impossible to pick a beat from him…huge fan of his work. He is just different.

I love this beat because he shows us he can also produce for other cats and find a sound that matches the artist. This beat screams The Roots, but it’s done in a classic wierd Madlib way.

This was of a bootleg remix EP in the late 90s. Gotta love yourself some Madlib ! :)

10. The Roots - Don’t See Us/Madlib remix.

R.I.P. MURALS

KOE RODRIGUEZ

James “Koe” Rodriguez is a recognized visual artist, Hip-Hop scholar and an entrepreneur. His work has appeared in published books, domestic and international magazines, documentary films, group photo exhibitions and on lifestyle apparel. Over the years he has interviewed and captured such notables as: The Cold Crush Brothers, Rakim, LL Cool J; Jay-Z, KRS, Wu-Tang Clan; Kenny Dope, the TATS CRU and Sal Abbatiello of the Disco Fever.

In 2005, Rodriguez curated his first group photo exhibition in Brooklyn, New York entitled ‘3 The Hard Way.’ The exhibition featured the works of renowned New York photographers, Joe Conzo, Ernie Paniccioli and Jamel Shabazz, and represented the first time all three photographers exhibited their timeless works under one roof. That year, Rodriguez would go on to pen a powerful afterword in Shabazz’s acclaimed book ‘A Time Before Crack’ before heading to Paris, France to helppromote the seminal sneaker documen -

tary, ‘Just For Kicks,’ in which he co-starred.

Rodriguez is the Owner / Founder of Koe Rodriguez LLC, a sole proprietorship specializing in creative representation and media licensing. The company represents a number of renowned clients, such as: Martha Cooper, Ernie Paniccioli, Joe Conzo; Jamel Shabazz, Henry Chalfant and Thirstin Howl the 3rd. In conjunction with his clients, Rodriguez has worked on a number of international lifestyle projects with Adidas, Montana Cans, Sony; Nike, TriStar Pictures, Puma; ESPN+, Beyond The Streets and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, to name a few. He is the owner / founder of the curatorial apparel and art brand ATW (www.atwcrew.com).

The following pages feature a selection of Murals captured by Koe with a short introduction:

For as long as I can remember, a painful tradition has existed in urban cities across America, R.I.P. murals. Those living in inner-city dwellings are far too familiar with them. A bodega wall emblazoned with a spraypainted portrait flanked by a colorful array of votive candles and liquor bottles. A hand painted name on the side of a tenement building accompanied by balloons, flowers and personal items that mark yet another birthday in the afterlife.

Memorial pieces in the hood are about as common as liquor stores and fast-food joints. They honor the lives of the young and old; rich and poor; and the victims of violence, drugs, terminal diseases, or bad luck. Artists like the legendary TATS CRU from the Bronx are commissioned to paint what can only be described as morbid masterpieces. No matter the medium, size or execution, every memorial piece is a reminder of the importance of life and the reality of death.

Here are some of my favorite memorial pieces captured during my time documenting Graffiti culture in New York. Words, photos and Rest In Piece graphic © 2022 James “Koe” Rodriguez. @koerodriguez

Graff legend and star of the seminal Hip-Hop film Style Wars, Michael “IZ THE WIZ” Martin is immortalized in this 2010 memorial piece by Python. This piece was one of many rocked by a number of artists in New York remembering the once All City king of Graffiti.

Nano memorial piece by the TATS CRU. Bronx, NY 2002.

Antonio memorial piece. Brooklyn, NY circa 2000.

Benjamin O’Garro, aka “Killer Ben,” was a notorious street figure from Fort Greene, Brooklyn during the 1980s. He was famously name dropped by Rakim on his 1991 song “What’s on Your Mind.” Ben was shot to death in a phone booth on Myrtle Avenue in 1995 after allegedly stealing a gold chain from an associate of the Notorious B.I.G. His 2008 memorial piece by the TATS CRU was ultimately defaced.

“Mirage” memorial piece done at the Graffiti Hall of Fame in New York by the TDC Crew. Mirage was a talented Graffiti artist who was known for his feet “throw-up.” His life was sadly cut short at a young age and in true Graff fashion was immortalized in paint by a number of colleagues and loved ones. The epitaph in his memorial feet read: “No one can follow in your footsteps.”

Lil Edgar memorial piece by Poke IBM. New York 1990s. Take one look at the fresh dressed character in this piece and you’ll understand Edgar was about that money and NYC fast life. Unfortunately, in the Rotten Apple, the streets are unforgiving and those who live fast will more times than many die young.

Nelson memorial piece by the TATS CRU. Bronx, NY 2006.

Jeff

Jeff, better known as Case 2, was another legendary Graff

A true style master, King Case was charismatic, no-nonsense, and cooler than an Eskimo’s ass. His legacy will live on through his timeless artwork and classic lines from Style Wars. This awesome tribute was rocked at the Rooftop Legends event in 2011.

and star of the film ‘Style

Brown memorial piece by Keo TC5.

writer

Wars.’

Angel Luis Juarbe Jr. memorial piece by the TATS CRU. Bronx, NY 2011. Nicer, Bio and BG 183 of the legendary TATS CRU stand in front of their beautifully rendered memorial piece for one of New York’s bravest who sadly lost his life on 9/11.

Big Pun memorial pieces by the TATS CRU. Bronx, NY 2000s. The official Big Pun memorial wall at Westchester Ave & E. 163rd Street in the Bronx has seen a number of awesome pieces over the years. Rocked exclusively by Pun’s friends and masters of memorial art, the TATS CRU, people travel far and wide to visit and take photos of these one-of-a-kind murals honoring the late Puerto Rican MC who became the first solo Latino rapper to go platinum.

D Nice memorial piece by the TATS CRU. Bronx, NY 2002.

Evelina Lopez Antonetty memorial piece by the TATS CRU. Bronx, NY 2011. Dubbed “The Hell Lady of the Bronx” by a member of the New York Police Department brass, Evelina was an educator, organizer, and fierce activist who fearlessly spoke truth to power. She passed away in 1984, but left behind a legacy in equal rights and education that proudly carries on today. She also happens to be the grandmother of renowned Bronx Hip-Hop photographer Joe Conzo.

THE EGYPTIAN LOVER PEN-AND-INK DRAWINGS

Egyptian Lover got his start compiling electro mixes – Kraftwerk, Prince, Rick James, Zapp – including his own instrumental beats created on the Roland 808 drum machine. The club-ready cassette tape mixes were selling in the thousands. He joined hip-hop crew Uncle Jamm’s Army. In the mid ‘80s, L.A. was the electro rap capital and Egyptian Lover was at the forefront of this new West Coast sound,

not only as a performer, but also as label owner of Egyptian Empire Records. He decorated covers with Ancient Egypt (with several self-portraits as The Egyptian Lover), his beloved TR-808, aliens & outerspace, robots, boomboxes & turntables, Hip Hop, and more. See here a few of his custom made covers.

SENDER

GRAPHIC DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR, AND PAINTER

This magazine’s cover is by Sander Pappot (1974), also known as Sender, a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, and painter based in Amsterdam. In this article, we will highlight his work.

Sander was born in Amsterdam in 1974, and at age 10, he had a significant interest in comics, so he started an Artist drawing class in comics with four of his friends. At that time, punk was all over Amsterdam, and across the street from his house was the Zebra house, a squad building covered with stencil art by Hugo Kaagman, a punk activist who inspired Sender greatly.

But the most influential was the Dutch graffiti movement.A completely bombed Amsterdam formed the backdrop of his youth. And the best pieces back then came from the United Street artists, an Amsterdam-based graffiti crew originated by Shoe, Delta, Jezis, Jaz, and Joker.

Sander’s first tag name was ZIP, and his first tag was across the street from his elementary school, where he met Mathijs Hoogenboom (Math) as a new student in his class.

The Zebra-House in Amsterdam, a squatted house serving as a punkclub, studio and Underground graffiti gallery in the seventies and eighties.

Sender and Math got hooked on graffiti after seeing “Style wars” 1984, a documentary about Newyork subway graffiti in the seventies. At the same time, the graffiti bible “Subway Art.” appeared and sparked the graffiti move -

ment across Europe. On Dutch television, “Jonge Helden” appeared and had a special about the United street artists. This input made such an impact that sander’s goal became to be a graffiti artist.

After a few years of tagging with Edding 3000’s, his first piece was together with “Jerk,” who was his friend’s older brother. He helped Sander understand the spray paint techniques better.

Because Hip-hop has always had a strong connection with breakdance and the graffiti movement, Sander started Dj-ing in 1989; With two old decks and the cheapest mixer ever, a new hobby was born.

First ‘serious’ piece with the help of his friend Jerk, 1987

First piece in 1984, “Maddy” the name of his friends mother. Age 10.

Around 1987 Sander started skateboarding and won 2nd place in a 1990 Dutch tournament. His skate friend and mentor Clyde Semmoh (rip) introduced him to Angel, a graffiti artist who belonged to the big league graffiti artists in Amsterdam.

Because of his connection to Angel and his father owning an Art gallery, Sender participated in the 1993 Post-Graffiti Exhibition with Shoe, Delta, and Angel, Sander’s youth heroes. This show helped him to gain public attention since the other artists were all a few years older than him and were already respected artists back then.

This attention put Sender on the rader of some local entrepeneurs, and In 1994 DJ Cellie asked Sander to create a design for his mixtape. After it was finished Cellie liked the illustration so much that he asked Sander to paint the back of the infamous “Mazzo” club where he was a DJ. The job was too big for Sander alone, so he asked a school friend, Christiaan Dros (Chaos), to help him. This mural became an instant success and Sander & Chris decided to start up their own illustration company, “Zender & Chaos.”

parts of the Mazzo mural, 1994

Month program for Mazzo, 1984

One of many blacklight decorations for Mazzo

The same year, 1994, they painted the Global Chillage coffee shop and their nightclub in Barcelona. They created a neme for them selfes in Amsterdam’s nightlife scene. After that, the work started coming in, and clients like Djax Music, ID&T, and gabber venue Hemkade lined up.

In 1995 Sender painted a massive wall for Singel Studio with Delta (Boris Tellegen). Back then, this wall was the biggest spray-painted wall in the Netherlands. With the revenue, Sender paid for an internship in the USA, where he would work as a trainee at a small design studio. Unfortunately, upon arrival, the studio

turned out to be a photo studio instead of a graphic studio. Sender left and traveled to New York, where he met some Dutch friends (Zedz and Yalt) and local graffiti legends (Sach and Iz the wiz) and painted a few trains and walls, bucketlist material!

Global Chillage coffeeshop Global Chillage sign

Singel Studio wall 1995 / 37 x 11 meters

Sender’s first studio was a small studio at the Bilderdijkkade in Amsterdam, which he rented in 1996 with his partner Christiaan Dros. Their second studio was at Rapenburg, where they rented a complete house. Many creatives had their breeding grounds in this studio; amongst others, Bastian from the Jeugd van Tegenwoordig created the number one hit “Watskeburt?!” in the basement. VJ crews Out of Order and Vision impossible found their home, and many others started their careers here.

First studio at the Bilderdijkkade. with Kobalt60 Selection of his Boomerang freecards

Rapenburg studio 1996, with his studio colleagues Michiel Krop and Danny Merk.

In 2000 Sender freelanced at Semtex Design (a division of Boomerang Free cards), where he finally learned the computer skills he was looking for earlier in the USA

2003 was the year he started his first DJ night at the Getaway bar called The Rendez Vous (www.therendezvous.nl). This night took place every Thursday and lasted nearly three years. When the bar closed, the party continued in the Sugar Factory. A nightclub almost around the corner from the Getaway bar. His bar gigs and residency at the Sugar factory led to many gigs in various clubs and festivals: Paradiso, Club 11, Bitterzoet, Jimmy Woo, Studio 80 and many more.

Sender founded his first festival in 2005, Costa del Soul, which lasted for nine years. In 2007 he joined forces with some old friends and launched another concept: the Nachtspelen. This event took place in The Westerunie, lasted seven years and had 13 editions in total.

In 2005 KGB (Kreatief Graphik Buro) was founded with Danny Merk. The company existed until 2013, focusing on video, 3D graphics, photoshop collages, and illustration. New clients found their way: Mysterland, Sensation, but also rebrandings for MTV and Dance Valley.

After KGB closed its doors, the first collaboration with Christiaan Dros came in 2008, when they reunited after many years. Day at the Park festival was their first big job together. After that came, Amsterdam Open Air festival, Summer Park and many more. A local beer brewery called Two Chefs Brewing is one of their most biggest clients they have been working for since 2016.

In 2014 Sender and Chris moved into a new Studio

At the Veemarkt after meeting some like-minded artists on a sign painting course who were also looking for studio space. Since then, they have been in three different studios. The last studio is shared with eight creatives and will be their home for the years to come.

Day at the Park 2010 Funky Falcon for Two Chefs Brewing 2022

Defqon for Q-Dance 2015

To this day, Sender is still working on illustrations and graphic designs with his partner Chris, djing at various parties and sometimes found at abandoned walls and trainyards.

www.zender.nu Instagram.com/Senderamsterdam instagram.com/zenderamsterdam

Dance Valley 2010

Amsterdam Open Air 2015

Summer Park festival 2016

Serch, Sander Nes crew, Zwolle 2020

Sender, Inc crew 2021

Sender, Zaandam 2020

Sender, Farao 2021

Sender, Dr Jay 2022

Again, Sender 2021

Sender, NDSM 2022

Chas, Sender 2021

Sender Nescrew, Zwolle 2021

MEGA RECORD & CD FAIR DEN BOSCH PRESENTED BY RECORDPLANET

This November the 55th edition will take place in ’s Hertogenbosch. The first editions were held in the Jaap Edenhal in Amsterdam were i always went for hunting records. Later they moved to Utrecht and grew big in space. Now they found their new home in ’s Hertogenbosch.

The previous Mega Record & CD Fair on April 9 and 10 was a real treat ! It is a top location and easy to reach, parking close by and lots of space between the stands.

They have dealers from all corners of the world, coming from as far as South Africa, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Ukraine and every European country. Together they fill 16,600 square metres. The genres on sale

across an area the size of nearly two football fields vary in equal amount. Krautrock, Speed metal, Prog. Nederbeat, South African jazz, Cape Verde folk, you name it. If there’s a record you’re looking for, chances are it’s here in one of our 550 stalls. They are the world’s undisputed largest record fair with an unprecedented number of visitors.

But RecordPlanet is more than just the biggest record fair in the world. It’s a place where people meet, connect and share their love and passion for music and vinyl, we feature exhibitions, autograph and listening sessions, book presentations and live performances.

This bi-annual record fair in the Brabanthallen in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (previously in Utrecht) is without doubt the largest record music fair in the world.

A NIGHT A THE XENON DISCO IN 1980 by

discopatrick

Xenon, 124 W. 43rd Street New York City In 1980: $14 admission, Drinks average $3 Memberships available from $150 to

Getting In: Outside Studio 54, throngs of people stand begging to be allowed beyond the velvet rope, while Steve Rubell or one of his doormen makes choices and throws out generally snide, cynical comments to the crowd. Some may stand for hours and never get chosen. More often than not, Rubell and his crew will not even acknowledge or talk to individuals in the crowd.

Outside Xenon, the other world-famous and “hard, but not impossible to get into” New York disco, crowds may form and not everyone will get inside, but the way in which people are treated reflects some of the attitudes and style that make Xenon a very different club from Studio 54. The doormen are relatively congenial and young and dress casually. As a group, they look like aspiring actors and regular everyday people, as opposed to strong-arm bouncer types. They smile sometimes, applaud or comment favorably on costumes or styles of dress and appreciate friendliness.

“Sometimes, there are just too many people here, but I generally talk to everyone who approaches me to get into Xenon, “ says Lee, one of the door regulars. “I used to work at Studio 54. I still think it’s a great club, but I got tired of the bullshit and the games. I just don’t believe you can treat people the way the crew at Studio does and not have it catch up to you eventually and turn against you. From the door on into Xenon, we’re a much friendlier, more

personal group of people.”

Who gets into Xenon? Members and guests, celebrities, royalty, wellknown, well-to-do and expensively dressed groups of Europeans, South Americans and New Yorkers get in. Club regulars, beautiful women, chic couples and groups of casually dressed young, goodlooking crazies ready to dance, party and put on a show have a good chance. Stag men are discouraged unless they are gay or members. Middleaged businessmen from out of town who look and sound as if they are from the Midwest or the South should try their luck elsewhere. “We try to achieve a party atmosphere inside that obliterates the gray middle and includes a little bit of all that is extreme”, says Madelyn Fudeman, publicity person for Xenon.

$450, Must be sponsored by two existing members.

“The chemistry that works for us, that ma -

kes Xenon the distinct and desirable disco that it is, usually combines European rich old style, South American flair, New York showiness and a more casual and chic young look. We balance the well-to-do spectator with a young or more flamboyant showperson “. “What i do essenttially at the door is cast the production for the night. Who gets in one night may not get in another night, depending on what’s going on the inside already” says Charles an actor and doorman at Xenon. “Non members have a better chance if they come early on a weeknight and look like they will participate. If we have a number of celebrities or rich people inside, I will look for people who will entertain this group both in the way they are dressed and the show I think they will put on inside the club. I will keep out the people that i feel might hassle our important guests. “On the other hand, if someone nice -looking comes up to me and ask me in a friendly way without causing a scene if they can come inside the club, chances are good that I will let them in. If I can’t or won’t let them in, I’ll tell them so. I’ll be as friendly to people as they are to me. I will never admit loud, pushy, boisterous, demanding or drunk people, because I feel personally responsible for what might happen once they are inside the club.” Because of this relatively up-front policy, Xenon rarely forms the screaming masses outside that Studio does. However, what is going on out front has little to do with how crowded, crazy or tame Xenon is inside.

At Xenon, people usually first come up to the door, stand around, ask if they can come in, ask what they have to do to get past the door, give their reasons for wanting to get inside or tell why they think they should be allowed inside the club. They are then either admitted, asked to wait for a short while or told they cannot gain entrance.

It does help to be famous. It also helps to dress as if you are about to go on stage to entertain a crowd in whatever disco theatrical role you actually live or choose to play for the night-from exotic dancer to Hamlet to downtown Soho artist to fashionably casual “with it” young New Yorker or visiting cosmopolitan type. “It’s funny, “ says Lee, “if people ask me to be straight

with them about whether or not they have a chance of getting into Xenon on a particular night, I will try to be straight. What I find, though, is that if I give them a straight-out no answer, they don’t want to hear it, especially stag businessmen who have had one too many before arriving. What they want to hear is that they can’t get in because we’re having a private party for Mick Jagger or Princess Caroline inside. I might suggest to people I like to try another time at Xenon, if they’re really just the wrong part of the mix for the night, or I might suggest another club. Sometimes people will stand around all night regardless of what I say. I just let them if that’s what they want to do.”

Disco Scene :

Howard Stein, one of the owners calls Xenon “Living theather”, a mix of lights, music and a few theatrical tricks with a cast

chosen at the door. What happens each night depends on such things as the improvisational ability of individual participants, the chemical interaction between the crowd and the disco’s environment, and how uninhibited the crowd is. Xenon is a product of it’s two owners, Howard Stein , a well-known rock concert producer, and Peppo Vanini, a swiss Italian previously involved with famous discotheques all over Europe, including Regine’s. Stein

brings to Xenon its futuristic and show busisness look, its technologically advanced lights, theatrics and sound system, and celibrity and social connections from the world of music and entertainement. Vanini adds European disco sophistication.

While studio 54 and Xenon are basicly unique, the fact remains that first there was only studio 54 and now there are both studio 54 and Xenon. Both are briliant disco creations. Both restrict their doors and in the end manage to come up with a very mixed clientele juxtaposing elegance and casualness, straight and gay, the bizarre and the conventional, the outrageous and the conservative, the camp and the classic, excitement and relaxation. Xenon is about half the size of Studio 54. Xenon is the alternative to Studio 54, a disco for people who want a smaller, friendlier, more intimate club that offers a similar overall disco experience. Studio 54 is a big Broadway musical extravaganza starring Ethel Merman, Carol Channing, Don Rickles, Rudolf Nureyev, the Rockettes, the Three Stooges and a cast of half the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade all on one stage. Everyone is trying to upstage and outdo one another in craziness, beautifulness, freakiness, bigness, superstarness and glittery flashiness. Xenon is more like a subtle Broadway musical drama, staged in a science fiction setting. The stars and other characters allow their performances to speak for themselves and do not constantly reveal the need to outdo or compete with the other performers for the disco limelight. Individual performances can be followed through from start to finish in the more intimate surroundings.

Xenon has continental flair and a more European pace. Studio 54 combines New York flashiness, speed, competition and game playing. At Xenon, individuals are appreciated and treated with respect. At Studio 54, people are bored and have seen it all.

People who have switched to Xenon say it is “less pretentious, “ that “people are more real and let their masks down more even when they’re wearing costumes or expensive clothes.” The clientele is open to talking, into partying and letting loose more than performing. Everyone, however, admits that both clubs are disco

fantasy masterpieces in their own right, that there is room in New York for both experiences. Initially, for someone who has been to both, it is difficult not to compare the two.

Xenon is located in the old Henry Miller Theater. What used to be the stage is now the dance floor. Banquettes downstairs replace theater seats. Those which offer the best view of the dance floor are reserved for wellknown and well-to-do Xenon visitors. For the less well-known, off “stage left” are bleachers. Bars run along walls to the right of the dance floor and under the balcony near the Xenon entrance. The balcony offers a tunnel vision view of the downstairs dance area and the distinctive and phenomenal light and theatrical show that is Xenon. Seats have been removed and replaced by banquettes. Seating structures that are closed in on three sides offer clientele privacy to pursue whatever disco space exploration and close encounters of the nonspaceship kind they choose. A deejay sits in a booth at balcony level to the left of the dance floor. The lighting people sit at balcony level to the right and converse with theatricalcrews at dance floor level via earphone and microphone, synchronizing a huge number of disco effects. They look a bit like mad scientists in control of the crowd below. Early in the disco evening, around 11 P.M., spotlights circle the floor, highlighting what seems from a distance to be both people dancing and individuals rehearsing or improvising scenes in a play. A large 6-foot-tall woman from Munich wears a cavewoman outfit and dances alone around the room.

A gay hairdresser from New York, wearing long underwear and a large loose shirt, joins three attractive women from Brazil dressed in tight pants and glittery blouses. They dance in a circle as a foursome under the spotlights. Two women dressed in nurses’ uniforms dance with two men in regular suits. A good-looking blond male dancer in white thights and red shirt repeatedly pirouettes in place and dances sometimes alone, sometimes joined by two woman. By this time the dancefloor is full.

The loud discomusic grows faster, a little funk, a little Euro-disco, a little sleaze. The

7 inch flyer for the new years party at the Xenon

dancers loosen up. A couple gets on top on one of the large speakers surrounding the dance floor and they twist and entwine each other in dance movements above the crowd. Turquoise and orange feathers shoot out of a cannon and cover the dancers.

A six ton space ship lowers toward the crowd. Various shiny metal portions spin, lights and strobes flash around the angular steely structure. A couple in their 40’s, the man in a black tux and the woman in a rich blue and gold evening gown made from flowing scarves, dance frenziedly next to a couple in cutoff jeans and teeshirts. A burst of sun rays in rainbow colors descends toward the crowd, shooting and flashing lights from its center. Fog spreads across the dance floor and meets the rays. The bright lights condense and become water droplets, reflecting the colors of a sunrise. The dancers now gyrate their way through clouds, the floor having seemingly disappeared beneath them. Every once in a while, a dancer dips down and disappears in the haze. Monique, a Latin transsexual runs through the room one night wearing a tight strapless leopard evening gown, her full head of hair flying, her gown slipping often to expose her breasts. She dances sensually in front of the sun rays. Another night Monique, wearing a glittery ice blue gown with a long shawl runs through the crowd wrapping dancers into her shawl. She jumps on top of one of the bars and dances, her cape flying about her. A man gets up on one of the speakers, pulls down his pants and “shoots moon” at the crowd. Lots of people get up on the speakers now to dance above the crowd. Others sit and stand along the sides, talking or dancing in ones, twos, threes and larger groups. Many people know, greet and talk to one another here. Another transvestite, Gipsy, a paid Xenon performer, dances crazily around the room. She falls to the floor, then rolls and tumbles through the crowd. She leaps up and dances in place, then swoons and topples again, in a dramatic faint. Many people stop dancing to watch her fly past. At Xenon, both men and women are amiable. Spirits are high, especially amongst the young, beautiful club frequenters in their

20’s, who can often be found dancing or mingling around the speakers and in the bleacher area. At Xenon, people come to put on a show or watch a show. Some come just to enjoy themselves outside the theatrical element. Some come and do a little of all three.

Even without the dancers, Xenon is constantly changing environment. In fact every twenty minutes or so, Xenon transforms itself into a totlay different place with changes in light and special effects. A threesome, two men and a woman, create a pretzel-like dance sculpture on the floor. No one dances the hustle at Xenon. Here the look is freeform and individualistic. Someone points out one of the top real estate people in the country who supposedly commutes regularly to Xenon from Connecticut by chauffeured limousine.

Someone else mentions that Sylvester Stallone stopped by the club a few nights ago. A woman dressed in black dances up to a man and woman, begins dancing with them, then cuts in on the woman, obviously intrigued by her young attractive male partner, dressed in all white. She nods approvingly at him while he dances, circling his hips sensually. Later, she stops at his table where he is again sitting with his original dance partner, asks if she can call him and writes down his phone number while his very peeved-looking date oversees the exchange. More laser beams, more flashing lights and strobes, a fake snow blizzard, continue through the night as part of the Xenon light and theatrical show. Perhaps the most extravagant light show element of all is what is said to be the largest neon sculpture in the world. The Xenon neon combines a potpourri of wild west characters, kissing couples, and gorillas shooting guns, all of which move and flash Las Vegas gambling strip style. Not everyone does bizarre things at Xenon, but just the right number do to make this place an excitingly fun conglomeration of anything goes for spectators and participants alike.

DISCO REGGAE ROCKERS

by STUART BAKER SOUL JAZZ RECORDS

The lineages of American soul and disco music on the one hand and Jamaican reggae on the other are so intertwined that its unsurprising that disco reggae – or reggae disco if you prefer – is such a winning and straightforward combination. American and Jamaican music has been influencing each other back and forth for many decades, and is one reason that the music of Diana Ross, Curtis Mayfield, the Isley Brothers and numerous other US soul artists is so widely appreciated in Jamaica.

American black music first impacted on Jamaica in the late 1950s when Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd and a generation of young sound system operators first scoured North America in search of obscure jazz and rhythm & blues 45s to play back home in Kingston dancehalls. This led to the emergence of ska, when Jamaican musicians created their own musical style that blended American jazz and rhythm & blues with Caribbean calypso and Jamaican mento music. This fusing continued into 1960s as US soul music became the foundation of JA rocksteady.

But the lesser known story is how this influence continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s. And as Jamaicans started to migrate to across the world, especially to the major cities of New York, London and Toronto, new micro-pockets of Jamaican culture laid seed to even more fertile new styles as first and second-generation Jamaican émigrés grew up influenced by both their original and that of their adopted cultures. Importantly for us here, this gave rise to lovers rock (a combination of reggae and soul music) in the UK. It also later laid the foundations for the emergence of hip-hop in the US, created by émigré Jamaican and Caribbean producers and DJs: these include Kool Herc (Ja -

maican), Grandmaster Flash (Barbadian) and Afrika Bambaataa (Jamaican and Barbadian parents).

Through these migrations a musical triangle was created between America, Jamaica and the UK, leading to some of the most brilliant musical cross-pollinations in the music of all three countries. Here we should also mention Toronto, Canada, which by the mid-70s became a ‘little Jamaica’ with notable reggae musicians living there including Jackie Mittoo, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Sibbles, Ken Boothe, Stranger Cole as well as producer King Jammy.

The most-straightforward definition of ‘Disco Reggae’ is to describe it as American disco and soul songs covered by reggae artists. But the relationship is binary – this is no mere subservient island appreciation of north American dominant cultural but instead an example of the interweaving thread of Jamaican and American music that travels back and forth between the major cities of Kingston, London, Toronto, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. Having said that all of the songs featured here are indeed cover versions of (or at least heavily based on) US soul and disco tunes. Curtis Mayfield, Diana Ross, Earth, Wind & Fire, Archie Bell, The Dramatics, Michael Jackson – the work of these artists resonated around the world and Jamaica was no exception. Of these figures Curtis Mayfield was of course already an iconic artist on the island, due to the influence that his vocal group The Impressions had on Jamaican rocksteady back in the 1960s.

The UK had its own take stylistically as second-generation Windrush children (the children of those who came to England from Jamaica in the period from

the arrival of the first wave of West Indian migrants on the Empire Windrush in 1948 up until the second half of the 1960s) grew up in Britain loving both imported American soul music and Jamaican reggae in equal measures. They created their own unique UK-based style, lovers rock, which brilliantly combined the sensibilities of American soul music and Jamaican reggae into a distinctly British sound.

But throughout the 1970s and 1980s US soul and disco, Jamaican reggae and British lovers rock were all influencing each other, a multi-directional process of assimilation and three-way cultural tabletennis. In 1981, for example, the Jamaican legend Sugar Minott appeared on the British television chart show ‘Top of the Pops’ singing a reggae cover version of a soul song by Michael Jackson, which Jackson had first recorded in 1972 (‘We’ve Got A Good Thing Going’). Even Minott’s appearance on the show, wearing a bowler hat, was a subtle subversion of the traditional colonial hierarchical relationship between the two nations. Minott started singing on a Kingston soundsystem as a teenager and made his career at Studio One in Jamaica. His choice of song reflected the growing interest in a lovers rock sensibility, up until that point a distinctly British take in contrast to the then omnipotent heavy roots style of Jamaican reggae music. Shortly after this Minott relocated to the UK, his music continuing in a lovers rock style.

Similarly, it is notable that a number of early rap records to come out of New York in the 1980s were in fact created by Jamaican producers who had relocated to the city, joyfully and effortlessly exploring the many links between disco, Jamaican DJ and dancehall culture, and the emergence of US hip-hop. Few people could realise that ground-breaking disco and rap records such as T-Ski Valley’s ‘Catch the Beat’ or The Glen Adams Affair’s ‘Just A Groove’ originally released on New York disco label Sam Records (and featured here), were the creation of the same Glen Adams who had been a key member of both Lee Perry’s The Upsetters and Lloyd Chalmers’ Hippy Boys, two stellar in-house studio groups who released a tidal wave of instrumental rock steady hits in Jamai -

ca at the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, and backed Bob Marley on his ‘Soul Rebels’ and ‘Soul Revolution part II’ albums.

American producer and remixer Tom Moulton has proved to be one of the most influential and pioneering figures in the history of disco. From creating the first ‘mixtape’ for continuous dancing by segueing together songs on a tape machine to play at the Fire Island bar The Sandpiper, to creating the first ever disco 12” (Al Downing’s ‘I’ll Be Holding On’ (on acetate in1974)), to the first-ever continuous mix album (Gloria Gaynor’s ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ (MGM, 1975)), Moulton came to define the rules of the genre. His trademark stamp, ‘A Tom Moulton Mix’, features on hundreds of classic tracks by MFSB, B.T. Express, Sarah Dash, The Trammps, The People’s Choice, Andrea True Connec-

tion, First Choice, Grace Jones and more.

But in Jamaica, of course, many of the innovations of disco were nothing new; extended and dubbed out mixes of songs had been the staple of soundsystems and record producers alike, the ‘version’ B-sides of singles almost ubiquitous in reggae ever since the late 1960s. Tom Moulton knew this heritage more than most and was later able to show his appreciation of the Jamaican roots of disco,

before relocating to the UK in the early 80s after joining the Congos on a tour of Europe. In the 1990s he recorded ‘Darker Than Blue’, an album in tribute to Curtis Mayfield, which includes the two tracks ‘Move on Up’ and ‘We are the People who are Darker then Blue’ featured here.

when he mixed the ‘Anthology of Reggae Collectors Series’ for RCA records in 1978, which amazingly included in the series original material from a number of Studio One artists – Jackie Mittoo, The Heptones, Horace Andy, Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson and Dillinger – in one of the rare occasions where Clement ‘Sir Coxsone’ Dodd trusted his material to a third party.

All of the tracks here highlight in some way the triangulation of styles - US soul and disco, Jamaican reggae and British lovers rock - and the relocation and embedding of Jamaican or Jamaican-descendent musicians around the world.

Singer Devon Russell began his recording career in 1967 in the rocksteady group

The Tartans alongside Prince Lincoln Thompson, Linbergh ‘Preps’ Lewis, and Cedric Myton (later of the Congos), releasing around a dozen 45s on labels such as Caltone, Nu Beat, Treasure Isle and Impact before the group’s demise in 1970. In the early 1980s Russell recorded ‘Roots’, his debut (and sole) album for Studio One

Few people can match Glen Adams for his impact on music – incorporating the worlds of reggae, disco and hip-hop. From his earliest days as a teenager at the Vere Johns Opportunity Knocks show in Kingston, and his first recording for Clement Dodd at age 15 in 1960 (an unreleased dubplate, written by his sister Yvonne), Adams went on to work with a number of producers including Duke Reid, Bunny Lee and notably Lee Perry, at some point along the way moving from being predominantly a singer to playing

organ. As part of Lee Perry’s group, The Upsetters, Adams played on major hits such as ‘Return of Django’ and ‘Live Injection’, touring the UK before returning to work with, among others, The Wailers in the early 70s.

Adams had by this time started to split his time between the US and Jamaica and in 1975 moved permanently to Brooklyn finding work as a producer with Brad Osbourne and Lloyd Barnes, two relocated Jamaican sound men, who ran the Clocktower and Wackies record labels respectively in New York. Brad also ran Brad’s Record Den, a record shop regularly visited by hip-hop DJs such as Kool Herc, Afrika

Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash. Glenn Adams was integral to both labels releasing quality reggae music as well as early disco/rap tracks on the Clocktower sub-label Grand Groove. Adams also released music on his own Capo and Capo Disco imprints including the one-off single by the Crashers ‘Flight to Jamaica (Cool Runnings)’. The Glen Adams Affair’s ‘Just a Groove’ came out on SAM Records. Both songs riff heavily on Diana Ross’s ‘Upside Down’.

The Disco Reggae sampler can be bought at Soul Jazz Records: www.souljazzrecords.co.uk

ALL YOU NEED IS ONE KILLER (SOUND)TRACK by

GUILLAUME

AKA

WILDSTYLE GUY

Baby Driver may not be my favorite movie, but it’s a hell of a ride.

I wasn’t expecting much when I first saw Baby Driver in 2017. Thought it was just another popcorn flick, probably surfing on the wave of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive. I don’t even know how it came into my life. But as soon as the show began, I knew I was wrong. I knew this was gonna be special. Because « every scene in this film is driven by music. »

Take a look at the opening sequence and feel the musicality of the script.

EXT. PARKING LOT - EARLY MORNING

A strip mall in the San Fernando Valley. A front wheel of a car pulls slowly into view.

A curb reads ‘Short Stay. 5 Mins Only.’

INT. CAR - CONTINUOUS

Play is pressed on an iPod Classic. A rock track starts up.

It’s very loud. It’s awesome.

‘Bellbottoms’ by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

On high strings and a guitar stab we see the driver.

Young, baby faced. Short cropped hair. He wears mostly black.

Sports cheap gas station shades. This is Baby.

We can’t see his eyes, but his blank expression seems pretty stoic. He listens to the track, stares out the windshield.

On a 2nd guitar stab we see a beefy (30s) tough guy in shotgun.

This is Griff. He too wears shades, black business clothes.

On a 3rd stab we see another black clad gentleman. (40s) He’s handsome, but looks like he parties too hard. This is Buddy. On a final stab we see the last shades wearing black clad passenger, a younger lady (20s) with her hair up. This is Darling. There’s a hint of trash beneath her business clothes.

The high strings crescendo. Griff flings his door wide open.

INT./EXT. CAR/PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS

The track kicks in.

We see the car is a shiny red Honda Civic and note the door chimes are i n time with the song.

Choppy strings play against guitar riffs as Griff gets out.

We see a shotgun partially concealed in his trench coat.

Buddy and Darling get out. We glimpse they are also armed. He pops the trunk. Grabs two duffels.

Hands one to Darling.

We see they all wear sneakers as they walk away from the car in sync with the track.

Again. It’s awesome. But we stay with Baby: our young driver. Hands fixed on the wheel. Ten to two. Watching his colleagues disappearing inside a ‘Chase’ bank. The song pauses for two bars.

When it kicks back in, our driver suddenly drops the strong, silent tough guy act and comes to glorious, joyous life.

Nodding his head. Swaying in his seat. Mouthing the vocals. A slave to the rhythm. He doesn’t miss a beat. It’s cool, but he’s also like a big kid in front of his bedroom mirror.

As he drums on the dash, we see shoppers pass, other cars cruise by.

Baby is so immersed in the track , he flicks on the wipers.

They wipe across the dry glass in perfect sync.

A mother with a stroller passes. The infant inside notices Baby rocking out in his car. Baby waves.

The infant smiles.

Then he instinctively looks in his rear view. A black & white police cruiser, sirens blaring, races up the street behind. Baby turns to watch the police car drive

up and past. A pause in the music. The police car doesn’t return.

An urgent bass line.

Baby looks to the bank. His goofy chair dance is over.

He’s stone faced and all business again. Over distorted guitars, our driver watches through partially frosted windows. Sees his colleagues ordering staff to hit the floor. Glimpses scared faces, the brandishing of weapons. The song reaches an interlude; a vocal comes in and Baby lip syncs every word as his eyes stay fixed on the bank.

Jon Spencer (in song): « Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. »

A snare hits.

An alarm sounds. Baby steels himself. Military snares build like staccato machine gun fire.

His colleagues explode out of the bank, two bags full.

Baby revs in time with the snares as his colleagues get in.

Our driver glances at the bank sign. ‘Chase’.

He pops the car into reverse. Stomps the gas, hard.

Snare drums crescendo.

The car screams back through the tight spaces between parked cars, makes a tight Rockford to face forward. Baby drops into drive. Swerves wide ontoEXT. THE STREETS OF LA - CONTINUOUS Jon Spencer : « I’m gonna daaaaance ».

In movies, what we hear is as important as what we see. Especially in this one that’s written like a dance routine. So forget car chase and money heist, from the very beginning music always played the main role here. As a matter of fact, English writer-director Edgar Wright had this vision for the opening scene long before production began. He’s been obsessed with Bellbottoms ever since its release in 1995, knowing it would be a great car chase song. Go watch the video of Mint Royale Blue Song directed by Wright in 2003, it’s all in there. Yep some ideas do need time to grow to their max potential.

Edgar Wright definitely knows about music. He’s got his own vinyl collection and like a DJ he made his own selection, cause real DJs don’t take requests. Songs were actually picked up prior to writing. Incredible Bongo Band, Bob & Earl, Young

MC, Commodores, Barry White, Detroit Emeralds, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Queen, Kashmere Stage Band, Sam & Dave, David McCallum and many more… How could Wright go wrong with such a line-up ?

He wanted some forgotten songs from the sampling era. Original songs that were probably lesser known to the younger generation than the sampling ones. You think House of Pain Jump Around is coming at you but it’s Bob & Earl Harlem

Despite a 34 million budget, I’m not sure Sony could have cleared De La Soul for the movie as 3 Feet High & Rising is still dealing with copyright infringement 33 years after its release. Over 60 samples including 12 seconds of The Turtles You Showed Me that cost 1.7 million and changed beatmaking for real. It’s 2022 and none of their Tommy Boy albums is available on streaming services… in a digital world one might think De La Soul Is Dead. But hey it’s like Stetsasonic said in Talkin’ All That Jazz, in response to James Mtume criticizing hip-hop music: « Rap brings back old R&B. And if we would not, people could’ve forgot. » Without Jump Around (produced by DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill) or Say No Go (produced by Prince Paul from Stetsasonic), the Baby Driver soundtrack would definitely not be the one we know.

Shuffle. Instead of De La Soul Say No Go you’re surprised by Detroit Emeralds Baby Let Me Take You. It’s smart because you get 2 for the price of 1 as you hear both

Of course, Wright’s not the first director to use pre-existing music. Many did for decades. Even Rockstar Games did it for GTA. So it comes as no surprise that he got in touch with fellow filmmaker James Gunn, during the production of Guardians of the Galaxy 2, to make sure StarLord’s Awesome Mix and Baby’s playlist would not interfere. No surprise either to see Quentin Tarantino getting props in the end credits.

the sampled and the sampler. Plus, that’s a cool introduction to the art of sampling. How nice it must be to discover, in the dark of movie theatre, that The Next Episode comes from The Edge… until David Axelrod is spoiled by the noise of someone eating chips !

It’s wonderful how cinema and music support each other. Kate Bush is hip again thanks to Max from Stranger Things. I’ve been listening to Running Up That Hill for years but now I just love it more. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s great when old songs come back to life in movies but original scores are second to none. Us kids from the late 70s early 80s grew up with Star Wars, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark… we knew John Williams long before we actually knew his name. What would be Rocky without Bill Conti or Conan without Basil Poledouris ? Leone without Morricone ? When I think of Blade Runner I see Rutger Hauer and I hear Vangelis. I wouldn’t know Koyaanisqatsi if it wasn’t for its epic music composed by Philip Glass (and recycled in Watchmen). They all set the bar high. Even GOATs like Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock or RZA scored films. The other way round, some movie themes like Ghostbusters or Axel F became big radio hits.

Now there’s music you hear, and music you see. Just « see the music hear the dance » as choreographer George Ba -

lanchine used to say. Check the Mondo poster that pictures a vinyl record, watch rapper Big Boi from Outkast play in the movie… that’s music for the eyes, but not as much as the dancing part.

The second scene with the opening titles is a single shot of 2 minutes 45, without any cut nor digital illusion. It looks so simple on screen that some won’t even notice. 28 takes to make it right though, the 21st finally being in the movie. Crazy details like when Baby is ordering coffee and says « yeah yeah yeah » on time with the lyrics, or when the lady at the ATM types her PIN on the beat. The only special effects are the graffiti mirroring the lyrics… and the coffee ready within seconds ! Oh, don’t miss the black graffiti heart turning red when Baby sees Deborah.

Ansel Elgort aka DJ Ansolo walks in perfect sync to Bob & Earl’s Harlem Shuffle. Actually Baby’s not just walking, he’s dancing. Hey music and dance together… that’s what we call a musical ! A modern musical choreographed by Ryan Heffington: « The actors all worked very hard to choreograph their scenes, but hopefully it’ll come off looking easy. I think that’s my job to help make it look natural and pedestrian. » You may not know his name but you sure know his work as he’s the choreographer behind the award-winning video of Sia Chandelier (over 2.5 billion views on YouTube, half by my kids).

Harlem Shuffle was a minor hit in the US upon its release in 1963. The song was written by Bobby Relf and Earl Nelson, arranged by Gene Page and produced by Fred Smith. Rumor says that a young Barry White was involved. It’s reportedly based on Slauson Shuffletime by Round Robin & The Parlays, from the same year. Success only came in 1969 when it was rereleased in the UK. It was one of George Harrison’s favorite songs and The Rolling Stones made a cover in 1986 with backing vocals by Bobby Womack. According to Keith Richards the original version “was probably the first disco record. It was still the early 60s when they did it, but the sound and beat were very connectable to that early disco stuff.” There’s also a 1967 uptempo recording by French-Moroccan soul singer Vigon.

« Baby is a good kid, and a devil behind the wheel. » He’s a beat maker and a cra -

te digger collecting LPs, tapes and iPods. Sunglasses too. Seeing a record store and a vinyl shelf on the big screen is always nice but what struck me the most, was this one vinyl not in the shelf. The one you keep close, out of the pack, because of the heavy rotation or the artwork.

In Baby Driver, this one vinyl lying against the wall is a milestone in hip-hop culture: the legendary first album of the Incredible Bongo Band, Bongo Rock. Wow, what are the odds ?! It’s just a tiny detail in the movie, an invisible image for most viewers but an iconic front cover for b-boys and DJs. Real recognize real. This 1973 LP witnessed the early days of hip-hop and its mythical story was even told in the 2012 documentary Sample This.

The band was fake, just a studio project lead by Pride Records executive Michael Viner to provide tracks for the B-movie The Thing With Two Heads. It’s mostly a cover album by top session musicians including percussionist King Errisson. First things first, Apache that covers the 1960 instrumental song by British rock band The Shadows. By the way, why this name Apache ? According to songfacts.com: « Apache was written by Jerry Lordan, a British singer/ guitarist/songwriter who toured with The Shadows early in 1960. Lordan got the idea for this song after watching the 1954

film Apache, starring Burt Lancaster as the Apache warrior: « I wanted something noble and dramatic, reflecting the courage and savagery of the Indian. » He played Apache for The Shadows on the tour bus using his ukulele and The Shadows loved it. Lordan hadn’t recorded the song himself so The Shadows cut their own version which became a #1 UK hit for five weeks and was voted Record of the Year by NME. »

Bongo Rock was originally recorded in 1959 by Preston Epps, Let There Be Drums in 1961 by Sandy Nelson, Raunchy in 1957 by Bill Justis and In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in 1968 by Iron Butterfly.

Not sure what’s behind the track Last Bongo in Belgium (sounds like Last Tango in Paris released the year before) but it’s funny that my country has something to do with this record.

Sometimes, the copy is better than the original. Like Chaka Khan I Feel For you or Esther Phillips Home Is Where The Hatred Is that in my humble opinion are even better than their inspiration. And when the copy is so much better than the original, it becomes the original. Respect belongs to Aretha Franklin, not Otis Redding anymore (this song is so different from a woman’s perspective).

Those mighty reinterpretation are so dope that Nas made two songs out of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Thief’s Theme and Hip-Hop Is Dead. Apache has been an international b-boy anthem since day one thanks to DJ Kool Herc. Its drum break has been sampled

Jim Gordon

King Errisson

Jerry Lordan

over 736 times ! Not clear which drummer should be credited for this performance, Jim Gordon (who murdered his mother) or Kat Hendrikse ? May be both. So dope that Incredible Bongo Band was in turn covered by musicians like Bongo Rockers from France.

Baby has a hearing condition. He’s always listening to music in order to mask his constant ringing in the ears called tinnitus. People don’t talk enough about tinnitus, especially in show business. I know how important prevention is, because I do have tinnitus myself. Too much loud music. Too late for me but not for kids. Nothing too serious in my case, but serious enough to protect my ears in concerts thereafter. This sound effect gives an idea: when Baby isn’t listening to music, viewers can actually hear his ringing in the ears, volume even increases when Baby gets more stressed… that’s what my wife told me as I can only hear mine, not his. I wouldn’t wear iPod earbuds all the time like he does, it would just make my T worse. But it’s helps to spotlight tinnitus in a blockbuster, like it helps to cast a deaf actor like CJ Jones. That’s no coincidence, Edgar Wright has suffered from tinnitus and used his personal experience in the movie.

Baby Driver is probably one of the best movies of 2017, and definitely one of the funkiest soundtracks when it comes to preexisting music. It’s a musical for people who don’t like musicals. It makes me wanna jump in my new electric car and hit the road, with some good driving music. Yes I know, car chases will never be the same with silent electric engines. Imagine Bullitt with Steve McQueen, Lalo Schifrin and… a Tesla !? I can cruise for miles and miles with a track like Indelible by French graffiti writer Chaze (check the video directed by graff legend JayOne). All you need is one killer track to travel in space and time. Well… okay it’s an EV, the battery range won’t get me that far away. But music will.

Guillaume aka Wildstyle Guy IG : wildstyleguy_collection