Brainfreeze was a 1999 live mix album by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist (formerly a member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli). The two tracks of the album are uninterrupted recordings from a live performance where they sampled hit funk, soul, rock and jazz singles from 45 rpm vinyl records. This type of recording was pioneered by the duo Double Dee and Steinski through their “Lessons” (the difference being that the “Lessons” cuts were meticulously edited together from snippets of audio tape, rather than performed live using turntables). Brainfreeze was recorded by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist as a practice session for a show in February 1999 at the Future Primitive Soundsession (San Francisco) mixing funk and soul 45’s.
Initially 1000 copies were made and sold at the shows, and a further 1000 copies were made and distributed to local records stores in California and sold out very quickly. A cease-and-desist letter from 7-11 Convenience stores (the whole artwork and styling was based on their logos and uniforms) meant that they stopped and moved on. This set was reenacted at the Mayan night club in Los Angeles on May 25, 2006, as part of a benefit concert for DJ Shadow’s art director, Keith Tamashiro, in order to offset costs related to a brain aneurysm he suffered early in 2006. The 45s used in the Brainfreeze mix are highly sought after by vinyl collectors, and the term “Brainfreeze” in online auctions often results in increased auction prices for these records.
What else can be said – this is a true crate-digger classic. I combined parts 1 & 2 into a continuous 52-minute track. Get it now!
Listen Now:
Download here (right click and save as)
52:23 /// 48MB /// 128kbps mp3
Tracklist after the jump…
