Naughty By Nature - OPP (Remixes) - UK CDS - (1991)

Big Life ‎– BLR D74

Back in 1986 three talented young guys (Treach (Anthony Criss), Vin Rock (Vincent Brown), and DJ Kay Gee (born Keir Lamont Gist)) from New Jersey got together as The New Style, and released an album called the Independent Leaders.

Soon after, a certain Queen Latifah took them under her wing, and they went on to achieve meteoric success under the name of Naughty By Nature.

As a group they were fire, and for a while, I had Treach figured as one of the best ever to do it.

OPP is a Hip-Hop anthem of gargantuan proportions. It's really difficult not to understate how massive or ubiquitous this track was back in the early nineties. The fact that the boys would follow it up with a series of anthems (Ghetto Bastard/Everything's Gonna Be Alright, Uptown Anthem, Hip Hop Hooray and more) is a testament to how skilled the boys were with creating catchy, dance floor friendly Hip Hop whilst retaining their rugged East Coast credentials.

Back to OPP, it has great pedigree; taking it's main hook from ABC by The Jackson 5 (1970), the oh-so-dope drums from Melvin Bliss's Synthetic Substitution (1973), as well as elements from Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's La Di Da Di from 1985.

Featured on here is the original and two other mixes.

I don't think Other People's Productions Remix is as good as the original, but the Fairplay Mix (sampling the Soul II Soul track of the same name) is well worth having in your collection. Both of these were by Funkie Junkie & Skin Up.

Uptown Anthem, featured on the Juice OST was a standout track among many great songs, and alongside OPP, makes this a great release.

Tracklist

1. O.P.P. (Vocal Edit)
2. Uptown Anthem (Video Mix)
3. O.P.P. (Other People's Productions Remix)
4. O.P.P. (Fairplay Remix)

Discogs page

Download: NBN-OPP-R.7z | Filesize: 38.4MB

Dodge City Productions - The Clarity EP - (1992)

4th & Broadway Records BRCD 231 - 886 397-2

320 re-up - originally posted 07/06/2012.

Dodge City Productions (DCP) were a British hip hop/Acid jazz group formed in London circa 1991, (and signed to the 4th & Broadway records), by IG Culture (real name Ian Grant) and DJ Dodge (real name Roger Drakes). They were one of the leaders of the Acid Jazz movement, and also received much acclaim and success for their many, many dope remixes, usually done as "City Lick". The group split in the early 1990s, and both members went to have further success in the music industry as solo artists.

Anyway, I've already told you all about the DCP boys here, so to the tracks themselves.

I have problems picking out what version I prefer as I like them both; I think The Clarity Edit just edges it as the drums seem a bit tighter, but there's not a lot in it. What do you think?? 

It's backed up by two solid cuts from the album: Ain't Going For That (actually a sequel to the album cut) & The Slow Jam which is a gorgeous jazzy cut that slinks its way under your skin, and features... yeah, you guessed it, our man Ronnie Jordan on guitar.

All in all, a quality release.

Tracklist

1. The Road In Front Of Me (The Clarity Edit)
2. The Road In Front Of Me (The Black Mix)
3. Ain't Going For That (Part 2 '92)
4. The Slow Jam

Download: DCP-TC-EP.7z | Filesize: 54.0MB

Dodge City Productions - As Long As We're Around - (1992)

4th & Broadway Records - BRCD 261

320 Re-up - Originally posted 06/05/2012 by me.

Combining an authentic jazzy Hip-Hop swagger with a sophisticated soulful knowhow and bringing it to everything they touched, DJ Dodge and IG Culture were two of my favourite producers back in the day. 

A regrettably short-lived career as a duo in their own right under the name Dodge City Productions saw them release an EP, a couple of singles and an LP, Steppin' Up & Out, and go on to remix anybody who mattered, infusing any artist with their trademark classy urban sound.

Steppin' Up & Out is a great album, but I felt it perhaps leaned a little too heavily towards Hip-Hop, and could have done with a couple more tracks like As Long As We're Around to make it truly fly, as it was clearly the stand-out track. Feels a little weird me saying that, being the Hip-Hop fan that I am, to speak the truth.

Both Dodge and IG have enjoyed hugely successful solo careers since disbanding DCP and are still very much involved in the music scene. Here's some further reading on on our dynamic duo: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_City_Productions

Onto this release, featuring the talented vocalist Ghida De Palma singing her ass off, and the mighty Ronnie Jordan on guitar (no wonder it sounds so great), the LP Edit is a nice enough shortening of a brilliant track, but it saddens me there is no extended version of it, or even just the full LP version, on this CD (so I've included the full album track in the download to make up for that fact. Never say I don't look after you). Why only feature a shortened version of the reason you're buying the single for in the first place?? It doesn't make sense.

The script gets flipped in a harder take on the track in the Say You Hear Dis Mix; Ghida's vocals are re-sung in a more aggressive fashion, the beat is considerably harder; and it sounds a lot better today than I remember from the time when all I cared about was the original/LP version that was getting heavy rotation. Really good stuff. The Dub Dance version is effectively the LP mix minus pieces of the chorus, but is otherwise a minor variation on the original mix.

Rounding it out is the Whistle Mix of Young Life, which is a nice early 90s slice of jazzy Hip-Hop which, if, like me, you're into bands like A Tribe Called Quest or De La Soul will appeal to you.

Enjoy this, as it's another classic.

Tracklist

1. As Long As We're Around (LP Edit)
2. As Long As We're Around (Say You Hear Dis Mix)
3. As Long As We're Around (Dub Dance)
4. Young Life (Whistle Mix)
5. Bonus: As Long As We're Around (LP Version)

Download Link is here: DCP-ALAWA.7z | Filesize: 54.4MB

The Sindecut - Tell Me Why (1990)

Virgin Records - VSCDT 1288

320 re-up!

Underrated is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, but in the case of these guys, underrated is putting it mildly. The Sindecut was a collective comprised of MC Crazy Noddy (how's that for a brilliant name??!?), DJ Fingers, Louise Francis, Lyn E Lyn, Don't Ramp & Spikey Tee.

Back in 1990 they were blazing a trail with fellow UK Hip-Hop soul acts like Soul II Soul, Massive Attack, Dodge City Productions and Young Disciples. However, while we still worship at the altar of those artists, and despite the fact that they were snapped up by a major label (Virgin) for an alleged six figure sum, The Sindecut seem to have slipped through the net to a degree and don't get the recognition they deserve. They seemed to disappear sometime after their debut album Changing The Scenery. The legacy they leave behind are a collection of wicked live sets at DanceDaze (I'll be posting a Youtube link to that performance in particular when I post Live The Life) and Normski's Dance Energy, and some really, really cool music.

Tell me why is an incredibly good track. I really can't heap enough praise upon it. Check that bassline out - it's a monster! I do prefer the 7" over 12" mix, they're both excellent, and they run at a slightly different pitch and tempo. Start with the 7" and then check the 12" and see what suits you best. The beat is infectious and the vocals are sublime and sung with real diva style.

Wisdom, a hip-hop track, is real nice, using the same breakbeat The Ragga Twins used on 18" Speaker, which is as badass a track as you're ever likely to hear, but I digress... this post is all about Tell Me Why.

Enjoy this and play it loud 'til your speakers blow. If you ask me The Sindecut deserve more love and the recognition that they were part of the late 80s/early 90s urban music trailblazers. If this one managed to pass you by somehow, DL it, bask in its brilliance, and let us know what you think. I'd be interested to know what some of our international crew think of it.

I don't know whatever happened to The Sindecut. If anyone has any info I'd appreciate you sharing it. Information on them is hard to come by.

- Kymba 

Tracklist

1. Tell Me Why (7" Mix) 
2. Tell Me Why (12" Mix) 
3. Wisdom 

Download: TS-TMW.7z | Filesize: 50.8MB

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