Author Archives: naptrax

Kenny Dope – Break Beats

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kennydopebreakbeats

More old-school goodness from Mr. Dope.  In the words of DJ Ayres:

This Breakbeats CD is a reissued classic in the Bronx tradition of doubling hard funk, disco & early rap breaks with precision. The production is impeccable, and manages a lot of multitracking to keep it interesting, without sacrificing a live feel. But that’s just one level of appreciation; it’s a digging tape too. Everything is on here, from obvious “my first breakbeat” records (James Brown, Headhunters, Meters) to that james flames rare shit that djs like Language and Roctakon cream their panties over. And apparently he’s only rocking original copies, scratching the shit out of $200+ 12″ singles. 37 tracks total, with a couple of extended live remixes at the end and a lot of composition throughout (39 records are listed on the back, but I would guess he used more like 70-80 joints total). I know we hype a lot of music up in our reviews, but honestly, this is a desert island pick.

Listen now: [audio:http://www.djcatnap.com/myoozick/KennyDope-BreakBeats2004.mp3]

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 72:20 /// 99.3mb /// 192kbps .mp3

Track list after the jump… Continue reading →

Alien Update

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I finished this build at the end of September, showcasing  it in this post.  However, I very quickly ran into a bunch of problems when I started riding it.  The Major Taylor handlebars were uncomfortable, so I replaced them with a set of bullhorns I made.  Then the vintage Brooks leather saddle literally ripped in half – I guess the leather had not been treated well and had dry rot.  I swapped it out with a 1970’s leather Concor Laser saddle.   A few weeks later, the 1930’s adjustable stem I was using cracked!   I located a more robust 1970’s-era 3TTT adjustable stem (a “Record Regolabile” according to Velobase.org) to replace it.  I also added Brooks leather bar tape to the bullhorns and top tube, and changed the gearing to a more mellow 47 / 17.

So here is the updated version of the Alien, which is far more comfortable and safer to ride, while still retaining a nice vintage-inspired look.  Check out more pics after the jump…

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DJ Sneak – Buggin’ Da Beats

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DJ Sneak is beloved among house heads around the world as one of the most famous and popular DJ’s of the “second wave” of the Chicago scene.  Sneak’s deep, yet funky style is exemplified by this mix, one that I feel is the best I’ve ever heard of his.  It includes many rare, sought-after house tracks, and has that deep hypnotic groove that Sneak is famous for without being too repetitive or minimal.

This is the sound of Chicago house that was contemporary to Daft Punk’s first album and provided the ground work for the French house and UK disco house genres that followed in the mid-to-late 90’s.  Without a doubt, a classic of the genre.  Track list after the jump…

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 72:45 /// 133mb /// 256kbps .mp3

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Review: Casco Attack Helmet

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Update (September 14th, 2012) – I’ve had this helmet nearly three years now and it’s still going strong.  It was stolen from me in a bar in 2010, and then resurfaced on Craigslist three months later – suffice to say I paid the thief a visit and reclaimed my beloved helmet!

The exterior is pretty scratched up and the leather has been stained very dark from sweat, but it’s structurally sound and quite comfortable.  I replaced the chin strap last year as the originals were a bit short (or maybe my face got fatter?  I hope not!)  To answer some of the size questions, the interior measurements of the helmet are 17cm at its widest point, and 20cm from the front of the helmet to the rear.  I wear it daily, except in the winter, when I wear a Casco E-Motion Cruiser helmet.  I’ll try to post a review of that one soon.

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Perhaps you’ve heard of the Casco Attack before, having attracted press as the helmet of choice for Olympic cyclist Theo Bos and getting top style points in many blogs and forums.  I recently decided to treat myself to an early Christmas and bought one through Ebay UK.  While I am not a professional cyclist, I commute daily around NYC by bike as well as taking part in century rides, and day tours whenever I can.  I wanted a helmet that would be comfortable and stylish enough for me to happily wear every day.  I justified the expense by reasoning that a head injury would cost me a lot more than the $350 price tag of this helmet.

I’ve been wearing it now for about a month – read on for my review and additional pictures.

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Kenny Dope – Nervous Hip-Hop Mix

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nervoushiphop

As a kid growing up in New Jersey, the music of my childhood, the first music I can remember, was East Coast hiphop.  But by 1995, I was a junior in high school and my tastes had drifted to local punk rock.  It was this mix tape that brought me back.  Kenny Dope blends sixteen of the hottest tracks to ever come from the Nervous Records sub-labels Wreck, Weeded, and Strapped, when Black Moon, Smif n’ Wessun, and Mad Lion were all signed and dropping the most memorable records of their careers.

Along with the classic remixes of “I Gotcha Opin,” “Bucktown,” “How Many Emcees,” and “Who Got Da Props” are some very rare break records by Funkmaster Flex, The Groove Asylum, and Wreck All-Stars.  For heads who really know their East Coast history, there’s a rare non-LP appearance by Nine on “Six Million Ways to Die,” produced by Funk Flex.  Grab some more Nervous rarities here.   Back in the day, I listened to this mix so much that I broke the original tape.  Now it’s out of print, but I got it here.  Full track list after the jump…

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

Time: 64:31 /// 88mb ///  192kbps .mp3

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Chrome Bianchi Pista

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This all-chrome 2007 53cm Bianchi Pista is a recent build of mine, having gotten a good deal on the frame.  I added a brand-new red Alex R500 wheelset with matching hubs, a matching 3TTT Mutant stem, and San Marco saddle.   Matchy-matchy!  It has a black Sugino messenger crankset and bottom bracket, and is pictured with MKS GR-9 pedals with Soma Oppy XX double clips and Freeman Transport leather double straps.  The ergo drop bars are very comfortable (I used to have them on my Fuji Track Pro) with a Dia-Comp Shot brake lever and Tektro front caliper.

I’m stuck right now between selling this bike for some quick cash or riding it as a winter snow bike.  It would make a good winter bike, but it’s also so pretty and shiny that I don’t want to dirty it up.  Decisions, decisions…  check out more pictures after the jump!

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Kenny Dope – Roller Boogie 80’s

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rollerboogie

Kenny Dope, one half of New York City’s legendary Masters At Work team, released this mix back in 2004 as part of a series of fantastic disco and 80’s mixes.  This mix is required listening for fans of the old-school!  Here’s a few excerpts from an excellent review I found by Michael Gill at Stylus Magazine:

As disco went back underground at the beginning of the ‘80s, it went through a bit of a stylistic makeover. Boogie, a slower take on disco with a thicker back beat, became popular in clubs, and disco labels like Salsoul, West End, and Prelude continued to flourish with a mass of underground hits. These labels reduced the diva and the orchestral quotient of disco, and added in an array of synthesizers as well as a stronger soul/R&B vibe to their tracks. The effect was that a lot of post-disco dance music had a breezy, gliding quality to it instead of feeling bombastic and excessive. A gliding quality that is similar to, you guessed it, roller skating.

All of this leads to Roller Boogie ‘80s, the first in a series of limited edition mixes by Kenny Dope, who is one-half of the production team Masters At Work. If you are a fan of underground disco, you’ll probably recognize a lot of the tracks here, as many are still staples for DJs today. Kenny is not digging too deep into his crates here, and the result is almost akin to a greatest hits selection of laid-back disco in the early ‘80s.

The big hits include Taana Gardner’s million-selling single “Heartbeat,” Junior’s throaty R&B smash “Mama Used To Say,” and Slave’s smooth funk jam “Watching You” (which later was appropriated by Snoop Dogg for “Gin & Juice.”) Just about every other track is a perennial underground classic that has been included on numerous disco compilations throughout the years, like the irresistible “I Like What You Are Doing To Me” by Young & Co., the jubilant “Walking Into Sunshine” by Central Line, and the still devastating soul-funk of “Just A Touch of Love” by Slave.

Download here (right click and “save as”)

time: 73:59 /// 102mb /// 192kbps .mp3

Tracklist after the jump…

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