Don-E - Crazy - UK CDS - (1993)

4th & Broadway – BRCD 272

The multi-talented Don-E found initial success, both here and stateside with the brilliant Love Makes The World Go Round, and associated album Unbreakable, back in 1992, which got to 18 on the UK charts.

His second album, 1995's Changing Seasons, didn't quite live up to the hype of the first and he parted company with the label, retreating into producing for others rather than being an artist himself. During this time he signed to D'Angelo's label, which is quite the honour!

Between these two albums he dropped the single 'Crazy' (or 'Craz-E' as shown on the cover). It featured on neither album though so I wonder if that was Don-E distancing himself from it?

He would return as an artist in a BIG way ten years later with Try This, in 2005, which is a wicked album, one my my favourites actually, and I urge you to go treat yourself to it. It's Neo soul at its best. More albums would follow: Natural (2008), Ladies Night Part 1 (2012), Little Star (2013), Future Rare Grooves (2014), Future Rares 2 (2015).

Despite our very own Mickey P being disparaging about this release, and the fact Don-E chose not to feature it on an album, I actually quite like it. Don't get it twisted, it is FAR from his best cut, but it isn't truly horrible.

The Brixton Flavour mix is probably the best option, but considering it is a Blacksmith production and features the always wicked General Levy, it isn't elevated much at all. The drums seem too weak and the bassline is pretty by-the-numbers. Shame.

Also included is a bonus rough n ready remix by yours truly, stripping out the drums and replacing it with the beats from Lords Of The Underground's classic cut Psycho. I used an AI to seperate the original track into stems and that's slightly affected the vocals in some parts?

Before I finish, Don-E is still active as an artist, both as part of the British Collective (please search out their album on Amazon or somewhere to support them) and go check out his personal BandCamp page. https://don-e1.bandcamp.com/ which has some heavy releases on there. 

Don-E is one of our own and deserves all the love we can offer him. 

Peace & luvizm x

Tracklist

1. Crazy (Radio Version)
2. Crazy (Brixton Flavour 12")
3. Unbreakable (Radio Remix)
4. Crazy (DON-E's Irie Version)
   

1. BONUS: Don-E - Crazy (Kym B's Psycho Blend)

Discogs page

Download: D-E-C.7z | Filesize: 59.1MB

Junior Giscombe - Step Off (1990)

MCA Records - DMCAT 1432

 

Re-up in 320 + Blacksmith mixes promo!!

Brit-Soul legend Junior Giscombe (he of Mama Used To Say fame) came back in fine style with this dance-floor smasher back in 1990.

Despite featuring D Mob's Dancin' Danny D on production and Nuff Juice on the rap (a combo that worked to great effect on D Mob's Put Your Hands Together), Step Off seems largely forgotten (I can't even find a video on Youtube for it), but still sounds great to me.

The 7" version is dope, with its Hip-Hop breakbeat, stabs, and early nineties trademark piano chords. Dancin' Danny D's Slammin' & Jammin' Mix is essentially an extended version and is my favourite of the bunch. The oddity here is The Boogie Pella, which strips out the vocals & melodics and turns it into something of a breakbeat led monster. Really good if you're into that sort of thing (like me).

Junior's story is tragic, having to put his career on hold while he looked after his lovely wife and, later, daughter, who both suffered with multiple sclerosis. I hate that disease. Both ended losing their fight against MS, and the devastated Mr Giscombe is left without his beloved ones or what was a hugely promising career. 

He has since joined the British Collective, a band consisting of some serious heavyweight dons of UK soul such as Don-e, Junior, LeeeJohn, Noel McKoy, Omar and released a seriously wicked album called The Renaissance, with hopefully many more to come. I urge you to support the boys and pick up a copy.

I've also now added the promo 12" featuring a suite of Blacksmith remixes of this that I hadn't heard at the time until I picked up a copy a couple of years back. As you're probably sick of hearing from me by now, Blacksmith are favourites of mine, and the pick of this bunch is probably the Brixton Bass Mix, which features re-sung vocals from Junior and trademark Blacksmith funky production. The UPSO single version is also pretty good to my ears, but sounds more dated.

As happy as I am to have these mixes, and as dirty as I feel for saying this,  I think I still prefer the Dancin' Danny D's Slammin' & Jammin' Mix on the regular release.

Enjoy!

Original CDS Tracklist

1. Step Off (7" Version) 
2. Step Off (Dancin' Danny D's Slammin' & Jammin' Mix) 
3. The Boogie Pella 

Blacksmith Mixes Promo 12"

1. Step Off (Brixton Bass)
2. Step Off (Radio Edit)
3. Step Off (Dub Mix)
4. Step Off (Club Version)
5. Step Off (UPSO Groove)
6. Step Off (UPSO Single Version)
7. Step Off (Timmy's Beats)

Download: JG-SO.7z | Size: 107.8MB

Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (1989)

Cold Chillin' ‎– W 2635T

Here's a quick and dirty post of an utterly brilliant 12".

Apologies upfront as this is a vinyl rip, and while my rip is great, I no longer have access to to the large scanner I used to use, so I've had to borrow an image from Discogs.

The audio rip itself is particularly good. It's a 320kbp rip of a treasured slice of wax. Being a bit OCD I used to tape record my 12" records as soon as I bought them, and then leave the 12" alone, meaning there are very few pops and crackles. It sounds almost like a CD rip.

Anyway, about this tune. The original is okay, but far from Kane's greatest track. However, the two Brixton Bass remixes here (track 1 'Brixton Bass Mix; and track 3 'UPSO Mix' are phenomenal and really elevate it. 

The pick of the bunch is the titular Brixton Bass mix, with it's sweet and slick production. This mix transformed it into a smooth summer jam you can bump in your whip to this day and it sounds pretty damn fresh still, and, aside from Kane mentioning the year on a couple of occasions, has aged like a fine wine. I absolutely adore this track!

In addition to the quality of the main remix, the UPSO Mix is really good, too. Yeah, it may not be quite as amazing, but the tougher sounding UPSO Mix is still way better than the original and flexes its muscles with a lovely reverse JBs/The Grunt loop, and will satisfy the street crowd.

All in all, this is a pretty essential release, especially if, like me, you adore Big Daddy Kane.

Tracklist

1. Ain't No stoppng Us Now (Brixton Bass Mix)
2. Ain't No stoppng Us Now (LP Version)
3. Ain't No stoppng Us Now (UPSO Mix)

Download: BDK-ANSUN.7z | Filesize: 31.3MB