Kenny Dope – Nervous Hip-Hop Mix

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:

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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.

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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.

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

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Ore Records presents 24 Carat mixed by Todd Terry

orefront

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.

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

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Martin Verlaan – Il Discotto Megamix (italo-disco)

ildiscotto

Martin Verlaan has mixed every single release from the legendary (and long gone) italo disco label Il Discotto Productions into a single awesome megamix!  DJ James Stacher describes this mix perfectly:

“25 years of italy’s best dance label, listening to it makes me feel like the last starfighter on vacation in Ibiza.”

Listen Now:

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245 mb /// 1 hour 47 min /// 320kbps .mp3

Track list and history of Il Discotto after the jump… Continue reading

DJ Kofi – Taking You Back (old school R’n’b mix)

I have been sitting on this mix for a long time. Encoded from the original cassette I bought in London circa 1998, here is DJ Kofi’s “Taking You Back” mix. It’s a flawless 80 minute set of classic funk, soul, and disco breaks, scratched, juggled, and mixed by the DMC champion turntablist.

I’ve searched all over the ‘net and never seen this mix available anywhere, so enjoy the exclusive! No track list is available, but I promise you that this will become one of your favorite old school mixes ever!

Listen Now:

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192.28mb /// 80 minutes /// 256kbps .mp3

DJ Moneyshot – Mother’s Ruin

Here’s a rare achievement – an eclectic DJ mix of classic rock that flows impeccably and is addictive and uplifting.  Moneyshot crafts a masterpiece with the “Mother’s Ruin” mix, blending The Doors, The Cure, ZZ Top, the Bee Gees, Billy Joel, the Monkeys, Creedence, Steely Dan and many, many more.  This is a mix for all seasons, energetic and playful, and it reminds me of the kinds of hand-made pause button mix tapes I’d give to girls in high school.  If you dig, Moneyshot’s got a lot more in here.

Download “Mother’s Ruin” here

  • Length: 57:30 minutes (79.23 MB)
  • Format: MP3 Stereo 44kHz 192Kbps (CBR)

Full tracklist after the jump Continue reading