This will be the last Kenny Dope mix to post for a while, but also the best of all. There have been many, many DJ mixes that blend these classic tracks, but Kenny’s version will always be one of my most favorites because he lets the tracks play out, smoothly beat mixing from one to the next without lots of juggling and scratching. This is a tribute to the original songs, not an attempt to show off DJ skills or flip the tracks with new beats, and yet it is utterly perfect in the mixing and track selection. DJ Jazzy Jeff attempted to put together a second and third volume of this series, but in my opinion they just don’t hold up, for exactly the same reason; too many cuts, juggles, and rough blends break up the flow. Stick with this one, the original, the best…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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.
