Category Archives: Music

Portuguese hiphop: DJ NioSiddartha – Tuga Mix

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I thought I knew about Portuguese hiphop because I’ve done two mixes of Brazilian baile funk, but this mix, by DJ NioSiddartha of Italy’s Zero Plastica crew schooled me to a whole new sound.  It’s jazzy, funky, and refreshing; you can hear the golden age influences in a number of tracks that have a distinct “Primo” style to them.  While I don’t know what they’re saying, the featured emcees all have an arresting flow, whether it’s in Portuguese, Italian, or even Wolof.

Here’s some more details that I lifted their press release:

Tuga Mix are 80 minutes of pure music selected by Dj Nio, more than 40 cuts from the classic to the experimental rap, from original reggae roots to the dancehall hits. The mixtape is hosted by the Italian-Brasilian mc Don Simon, of the famous rap group A Mafia (of Sao Paulo). Special guests appearence by Lure, that together with Nio forms Zero Plastica, one of the most interesting groups in Genoa (Italy): “Non è Hip-Hop” (“It’s not Hip-Hop”) it’s a new revolutionary, thought-provoking song on a deadly beat by Fuse (Daelema), the Portughese master of hardcore rap. Plus, even Dudu of the Senegalese rap group Janta-B – now living in Italy and singing with Ohimemì- drops a Wollof joint with his aggressive style. Tuga mix officially starts the collabo between Dj Nio and the American indipendent label Nomadic Wax, specialized in Hip-Hop and underground music from around the globe.

Listen now:

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Tracklist after the jump… Continue reading →

Kenny Dope – Break Beats

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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 →

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:

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

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Kenny Dope – Nervous Hip-Hop Mix

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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:

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

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Kenny Dope – Roller Boogie 80’s

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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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DJ Icey – Essential Mix

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DJ Icey has been a purveyor of ravey ravery since the early 1990’s.  Coming from the fertile “Florida breaks” scene, Icey’s DJ style and record labels (Zone and Tree Records) has always been about big BIG basslines and electro-acid synth noises.  I’ve always found his music a mixed bag but he shines as a DJ, with impeccable track selection and on-point mixing.

The Essential Mix compilation was released in 2000 at an interesting time for the breaks scene; Florida’s electro-inspired, sample-heavy “acid breaks” sound was being edged out by the UK “nu-school” breaks scene that favored more lush, orchestratal arrangements paired with dark, devastating bass lines drawn from drum ‘n bass scene.  Icey’s track selection reflects this, blending tracks from UK stars Orbital, Plump DJ’s, Freestylers, and Sabres of Paradise with plenty of American tunes (many of them being his own, and thankfully some of his best.)  This mix also includes a DJ Godfather tune, a nod from Icey to the sparse “ghettotech” style that exploded out of Detroit and into the dance music mainstream a year or two later.

This is one of those mixes that stands as a classic of the genre, an excellent snapshot of a sonic aesthetic in transition, and just a helluva lot of fun to listen to.  Track list after the jump.

Listen now:

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time: 72:38 /// 132mb /// 256kbps .mp3

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Ore Records presents 24 Carat mixed by Todd Terry

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Ore Records was a short-lived UK house label, an off-shoot of XL Recordings.  From 1993 to 1996, Ore released classic house music (also known in the UK as “handbag house”) with lots of diva vocals and disco flourishes.  Notable artists on Ore included Tommy Musto (under the alias Colourblind), Jay Denes of Blue Six (who later saw much success on the Naked Music label), and legendary NYC producer and DJ, Todd Terry.

This compilation, released in 1995 and mixed by Todd Terry, brings together ten of Ore Records’ top releases from 1993-95 into a fabulous, flawless disco house mix that also happens to be pretty rare.  I first heard it in 1997, and often mixed Party Faithful’s “Brass: Let The Be House” anthem into my college-era DJ sets as a peak-time dance track.  What a tune!  Track list and more album art after the jump.

Listen now:

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Time: 59:46 /// 109mb /// 256kbps .mp3

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