Mixes

Productions, Edits, Mixes & Audio Docs

Any avid Rap Aficionado probably is familiar with D.I.T.C., the collective originated in The Bronx by mainstays Showbiz & AG, Lord Finesse & Diamond D and, along the way, incorporated fellow Bronx Bombers Fat Joe & the always reliable producer Buckwild, Brooklyn rhyme animal O.C. & the late, great, Harlem-born, Big L.

All of them delivered must-have albums throughout the 90's and towards the end of that decade combined forces to release a series of collectible 12-inches such as "Day One", "The Enemy", "All Love" & "Put It In Your System"

A full-length album was up next and by Feb. 2000 released on Tommy Boy records, but -although well-received-, somehow felt like it lacked focus, probably due to trials & tribulations such as Big L's tragic death a year before.

A vinyl release called "The Official Version" was released later in 2000 on Fat Beats records, but unfortunately omitted essential tracks too, making for a not totally satisfying listen, moreover not doin' truly justice to the incredibility of this crew.

What I tried to do here is assemble the great stuff from the aforementioned 12-inches, posse cuts from either solo albums or other artists' albums (such as "The Club" from Tony Toca's "The Piecemaker" album) and loosies from over those years, in an effort to create the quintessential D.I.T.C. album from that era, although I took the liberty to also add some dope, latter day, material, to round things up for the best of results.

D.I.T.C. always kept one foot firmly in the Boom Bap underground, Fat Joe probably is the most commercially viable exponent out of the whole crew, but do some research on any of its members and you'll find out they're involved in some of the biggest(-selling)albums in Rap, such as "The Score" (Fugees), "Ready To Die" (BIG), "The Documentary" (The Game), "Capital Punishment" (Pun), as well as singles by Black Rob ("Whoa!") KRS ("Sound Of Da Police"), amongst others.

O.C. probably said it best in "Time Travel" > "... Can't point fingers for the gift we was givin'...No neglectin' past mistakes, back to correct 'em."

So there.



Tracklist:

1.     Lord Finesse Intro
2.    Day One
3.    Thick
4.    Way Of Life
5.    The Club (ft. Kid Capri, Party Arty & Tony Touch)
6.    Get Yours
7.     All Love
8.    What I Represent
9.    Five Fingaz Of Death
10.  Put It In Your System
11.   Internationally Known
12.  Time To Get This Money
13.  Down For The Underground
14.  Underground Life (ft. The Ghetto Dwellas)
15.  Dignified Soldiers
16.  The Enemy
17.  Time Travel
18.  There Will Be Blood (ft. Grand Puba, Sadat X & Celph Titled)
19.  Tribute
..


Track 2 produced by Diamond
Tracks 3 & 16 produced by DJ Premier
Tracks 4, 5 ,6, 10, 11 & 15 produced by Show
Tracks 7,10, 14 & 17 produced by Lord Finesse
Tracks 8, 13 & 18 produced by Buckwild
Track 9 produced by Kid Capri
Tracks 12 & 19 produced by Amed

Leroy Rey's Album

D.I.T.C.

Made this for a UK Radio Show, but needs to be posted here as well: an ode to the one & only Shock G., the, sadly deceased, brains & motor behind the legendary Hip Hop/P-Funk entity Digital Underground.

I had to come up with an hour worth of music, decided to come up with a few choice D.U. gems, along with OG material he sampled from to construct some of the songs their first three albums. 

Included, as usual, is the track list. When there's no mention whatsoever of any additional artist, it's a D.U. track. 
If there is, I added the D.U. tracks in which the songs are used.



Tracklist:

1. "SONS OF THE P" (intro)

2. "Nine" - Madhouse (sampled in "Hip Hop Doll" & "The New Jazz")

3. "Love To Love You Baby" - Donna Summer (sampled in "Freaks Of The Industry")

4. "Fat Time" - Miles Davis (sampled in "Nuttin 'Nis Funky")

5. "NUTTIN' NIS FUNKY"

6. "She's Always In My Hair" - Prince (sampled in "Sex Packets")

7. "I GET AROUND" - 2Pac ft. Shock G. & Money B.

8. "Step In The Arena" - Gangstarr (sampled in "I Get Around")

9. "Four Play" - Fred Wesley & Horny Horns (sampled in "Packet Man")

10. "PACKET MAN"

11.  "Funky Miracle" - The Meters (sampled in "The DFLO Shuttle")

12. "You're A Customer" - EPMD (sampled in "The Danger Zone" & "Kiss You Back")

13. "THE DANGER ZONE" 

14. "Bootzilla" - Bootsy's Rubber Band (sampled in "The Danger Zone")

15. "Flashlight" - Parliament (sampled in "The Danger Zone", "Doowutchyalike" & more)

16. "DOOWUTCHYALIKE"

17. "THE HUMPTY DANCE"

18. "Let's Play House" - Parliament (sampled in "The Humpty Dance")

19. "Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is" - Olympic Runners (sampled in "Tribute To The Early Days")

20. "Funky President" - James Brown (sampled in "Kiss You Back" & "Sons Of The P")

21.  "KISS YOU BACK"

22. "Sons Of The P"/Shock G speaks (outro)

23. "WHEEE!"

Shock G, Son of The P

Masta Killa (aka Jamel Irief the High Chief) always been the most mysterious of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan: he was the last one added to the original ‘93 line-up, the last one to officially release a solo project (in 2004, when some Wu members were already 3 to 4 albums deep), but steady kept a low profile throughout all those years.

As perhaps the strongest advocate of the Wu-Tang philosophy, he opts to emerge from the shadows of Shaolin whenever he feels it’s the just time to do so, as a skilled craftsman, serious but humble, with a slow menacing flow and a deep, almost lethal, voice to boot.

Subsequently, he only released 4 solo albums up ‘til now, takin’ his time with each project. 

As it’s the man’s 52nd birthday today, I went thru a bunch of MK features, loosies, non-album cuts, mixtape material, etc..(the only exception the title track “Return Of The Masta Killa” as I needed one to name the album, and the beat by PF Cuttin’ is ridiculous 🔥), selected my faves and fit those in a good running sequence, complete with several Kung-Fu snippets.

Happy B-Day, High Chief! 


Tracklist:

1.  The Return of The Masta Killa (ft. Young Dudas & Cappadonna)
2.  The Day After Tomorrow
3.  Armored Truck (ft. Timbo King)
4.  The Projects (ft. Joe Young)
5.  Throwback
6.  Alwayz N.Y. (ft. Inspectah Deck, Buddha   Bless, Icarus Da Don & U-God)
7.  Eyes A Bleed (ft. Bounty Killer)
8.  War Of The Shaolin Temple
9.  Brain
10. The Habitat (ft. Prodigal Sunn & Cappadonna)
11. Just A Thought (ft. GZA)
12. Remarkable Timing (ft. 60 Second Assassin)
13. The Abbott & The Masta (ft. RZA)
14. The Good Old Days
15. The PJ’s (ft. Raekwon & Pete Rock)
16. The Man (ft. Superb)

All Tracks produced & overseen by RZA, except:

Track 1 by PF Cuttin'
Track 2 & 3 by The Prof. Dev One
Track 4 by Dame Grease
Track 6 & 13 by Mathematics
Track 10 by B. Original
Track 11 by Prefuse 73
Track 12 by Bronze Nazareth
Track 14 by True Master
Track 15 by Pete Rock

The Return Of Masta Killa

August 29th, so HBD to the one & only King Of Pop!

The legend here no more, but the legacy still is.

This here is a virtual album with recorded material from the Off The Wall/Thriller/Bad era, that didn't make the final cut.
In most cases entirely understandable, but that doesn't say it isn't any good; 
more a textbook case of kill your darlings.


Forever Michael!!


Tracklist:

1.   Sunset Driver
2.  Hot Street
3.  Scared Of The Moon
4.  Cheater
5.  You Can't Win
6.  For All Time
7.  Got The Hots
8.  Carousel
9.  Can't Get Outta The Game (You Can't Win - pt.2)
10. This Is It


Produced by Quincy Jones for Q productions

Michael Jackson

The Low End Sampling Theory is a celebration of the 30th anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest's classic sophomore "The Low End Theory" and contains all the primary sources that went into the recording of this album, sprinkled with snippets of several interviews with Q-Tip and others that became involved in the proceedings.

Tracklist:

1.   "Time" [intro] - The Last Poets and Q-Tip & Chairman Mao  ("Excursions")
2.  "A Chant For Bu" - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers  ("Excursions")
3.  "Minya The Mooch" - Jack De Johnette  ("Buggin' Out")
4.  "Long Way Down" [edit] - Eric Mercury  ("Rap Promoter")
5.  "Young And Fine" - Weather Report ("Butter")
6.  "Gentle Smiles" - Gary Bartz  ("Butter")
7.  "Star Of The Story" - Heatwave ("Verses From The Abstract")
8.  "Midnight Cowboy" - Ferrante & Teicher ("Showbusiness")
9.  "Wicky Wacky" - The Fatback Band ("Showbusiness")
10. "Down Here On The Ground" - Grant Green ("Vibes & Stuff")
11.  "The Steam Drill"  - Cannonball Adderley ("The Infamous Date Rape")
12. "Baby This Love I Have" - Minnie Riperton ("Check The Rhime")
13. "Love Your Life" - Average White Band ("Check The Rhime")
14. "Let's Take It To The Stage" - Funkadelic ("Everything Is Fair")
15. "Don't Knock My Love"  - Willis Jackson ("Everything Is Fair")
16. "On Green Dolphin Street"  - Jimmy McGriff & Lucky Thompson ("Jazz")
17. "17 West"  - Eric Dolphy ("Skypager")
18. "America Wake Up"  - Paul Humphrey ("What")
19. "Oblighetto" - Brother Jack McDuff ("Scenario")
20. Beats Bonus

The Low End Sampling Theory ------- An Audio Doc

“The path of an originator often leads to oblivion.”

I don’t remember where I read that first and it doesn’t ring true for every trailblazing group or artist, but it sure does for The Jungle Brothers, who dropped their first single “Jimbrowski” as early as 1987, a real standout in a year when a burgeoning rap scene already came into its own with -now classic- debut albums by Eric B & Rakim, BDP & Public Enemy.

Mike G & Afrika met on Murry Bergtraum High School. The former brought in family friend DJ Sammy B. and together they formed The Jungle Brothers.
Both Tribe’s Q-Tip & Ali Shaheed went to the same school, and became good friends with them, resulting in Tip being heavily involved in The JB’s’ seminal ‘88 debut “Straight Out The Jungle”.

Not long after, both De La Soul and JB’s were booked at the same show and hit it off too, which in turn kickstarted the infamous Native Tongues movement.

But, contrary to some of their fellow Natives, time hasn’t been too kind to the JB’s; I’ve written some about it before when I revisited their sophomore masterpiece “Done By The Forces of Nature”. When they came off that album, the group took a sharp turn left, hooked up with Bill Laswell and created “The Crazy Wisdom Masters” for a ‘92 release , which got all but rejected as “too experimental” by their label at the time.
A streamlined (and still ill) version was then released as “J. Beez Wit The Remedy” in 1993, but by that time, almost 3-and-a-half year was passed since “Done By…” and that’s an eternity in Hip Hop.

A more traditional - and good- set titled “Raw Deluxe” was released in ‘97, but subsequent albums were hit & miss, focusing more on that party vibe they also displayed on their first two albums, but with none of the funkiness of those, let alone the lyrical introspection or avant-garde approach.

Which does The JB’s a great disservice, as they were crazy influential: anyone from N.O.R.E. to Pharrell to Method Man to The Roots will attest to that.

This here is a virtual follow-up to “Raw Deluxe”, a round-up of all rare, unreleased, features and/or non-album JB’s jawns I could find. 
Sure, there are a few more out there, but, to me, this is the cream.

Enjoy. 🙏🏼

1. Here We Go / Hit Me
2. The Jungle, The Brothers
3. 718 Kit
4. How U Want It (OG)
5. Corner Pocket (ft. All Natural)
6. A Kick Out Of You
7. Promo No.2 (ft. Q-Tip)
8. Mike, Af & Sam
9. Jungle Fam (ft. Maseo, Indeed, Truth Enola & Stereo MC's)
10. Battle Show (ft. Sensational)
11.   Funky Piano
12. Take It Back
13. Hit Me Again (ft. Monie Love, Chip-Fu & Black Sheep Dres)
14. Monologue From The Motherman
15. N.Y. Flow

Bonus Tracks:

16. Who Could It Be?  -  Luciano ft. The JB's
17. Gimme That

All tracks produced by The JB's, except track 4. prod. by Roc Raida & Knobody, track 5. prod. by Andy C., track 9 (2nd part) produced by Maseo, Track 10 co-produced by Bill Laswell & Track 17 prod. by Ali B.

Jungle Brothers

To celebrate the 51st birth anniversary of this icon, here's a wrap-up of all songs left & right outside her studio albums, sequenced as an album, with the utmost respect.

Today we also have this little lecture/come-together in Feed Amsterdam, to listen and talk in-depth about her material. The audio will be online soon after.

Happy Born Day to Miss Badu!


Tracklist:

1.   Tyrone (studio version)
2.  The Real Thing
3.  See Thru To U
4.  Annie, Don't Wear No Panties
5.  Vibrate On
6.  Tempted
7.  Today (Earth Song)
8.  Plenty (ft. Guru)
9.  Hey Shooter
10. Heaven For The Sinner
11.  Jump Up In The Air & Stay There
12. Leave It Alone
13. Hollywood
14. Everything
..
..


Produced by Ms. Badu, except

#2  prod. by Madlib
#3  prod. by Flying Lotus
#6  prod. by James Poyser
#9  prod. by Rocket Moon & The Juice
#10 prod. by Bonobo
#11 & 12 prod. by RC & The Gritz
#14 prod. by Toshia Matsumoto

Erykah Badu

Finally!

At long last, after quite a few requests, here's the follow-up to my 1st mix for House Dance Forever, which i did back in January 2018, over the years re-titled to "HOUSE MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE", from here-on shortened to HMWND.

This 2nd installment harbours 15 jammies; ranging from Garage to Techno to Afro House to Deeper Cuts to Gospel, as House Music embodies so many different styles and/or feelings, it would be a waste to stay in one pocket. 

Here's a good moment for a tiny disclaimer: this isn't your proper background house music, as I felt like incorporating a few tracks I tore up some dance floors with over the years (and myself too in the process), so at certain points the stuff goes. At least you're warned ;).

Lastly, but surely not least: this mix is dedicated to the memory of Phil Asher, who sadly left this planet in January 2021, and since The Great Reset was in full effect at the time, I never got around to do a proper tribute to the good man.  The two gems "Revolution = Solution" & the remix to Lisa Shaw's "Always" are done by him, the latter as a member of the Restless Soul collective. Phlash Forever!


Tracklist:

00.  Words From The Godfather (RIP)
01.  "Sweet Science" - Deetron
02.  "Calm Down" - Katy B. ft. Floating Points & Four Tet
03. "Abul-Abbas" - Pepe Bradock
04. "Kpanlogo (Mawimbi edit) - Ben Baddoo
05. "Destino" (Kaytronik mix) - Shimza
06. "Believe In A Brighter Day" (Rocco Rodamaal remix) - Kelli Sae
07. "Sensitive Souls" - Lord & Kaidi
08. "Revolution = Solution" - Phlash (RIP)/
       "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" - Gil Scott-Heron (RIP)
09.  "True Force" - SE62
10.   "God's Got It" (DJ Spen remix) - Booman
11.  "Plumberphonic" - Kirilik
12.  "We Dance Again" (ft. Nakhané Touré) - Black Coffee
13.  "Medicine" - Culoe De Song
14.  "Watch Them Come!" (El Rey's Edit) - Men From The Nile ft. Peven Everett
15.  "Words From Rich"
16.  "Always" (Restless Soul Peaktime mix) - Lisa Shaw

HMWNDII: House Music Will Never Die - pt. II (HOUSE DANCE FOREVER 2022 Promo Mix)

Jimi & The Beasties crossings paths with 50 equals this B'day song.

For all you DJ's & selectors out there, fed up with those weekly, irritating birthday requests, I got you.

On the DL tip.

The B'irthday (DL)

Leroy Rey @djoonclub 03.06.23 (My Grooves)

Early June this year I was invited to play at Kapela's "Soulful Sunday" afternoon jams in Djoon, Paris. And all sets in this infamous club happen to be recorded.
A big chunk of it (which featured a great back-to-back session with Kapela) has already been broadcasted on YouTube, but I remember somewhere else in the afternoon, where the good guy let me fly solo for a bit, and I delved out some choice Deep House gems, subsequently ending up to be one of my favorite sets I did the past time.

So what better than to drop that mix on the day Soulful Sunday heads into the new season?  All of 46 minutes with some current faves and a few from yesteryears, and don't get it twisted: you might've seen me blow up a dancefloor last week, but properly warming up such a floor is a skill too, which tends to get severely overlooked in these times of one-hour-slots with only bangers the DJ's after you will play too. 

It just needs to be said sometimes.


Tracklist:


1.  "Away" - Shur-I-Kan
2. "Feed The Cat" (BB Boogie mix) - Agent K.
3. "Clap Your Hands" - Lil' Louis
4. "Remember" - Waajeed
5. "Worlds Collide" - Matt Masters
6. "Deeper" - Venessa Jackson
7. "Inspiration" - Laroye
8. "Storm" (Coflo remix) - Rare Silk
9. "Love Dimension" - Alex Attias & Peven Everett

Soulful Sunday - 46 Minutes of Inspiration

Inspectah Deck, while not the most famous, might be the Wu-Tang Clan’s most reliable swordsman.

Next month it's exact 30 years ago, their debut album was released and Deck was all over it: he that dude, that ‘smoked on the Mic, like Smokin’ Joe Frazier’ ("Protect Ya Neck"), the one whose ‘method on the microphone was bangin’ ("Bring Da Ruckus"), while settin' that same "microphone on fire" with "rap styles vary and carry like Mariah" ("Da Mystery Of Chessboxin"), while his verse in “C.R.E.A.M.” is endlessly quotable.

But, skilled as the man is, with so many insanely talented & charismatic rappers all together in one group, it’s easy to get overshadowed: Method Man was the Clan’s break-out star from the get-go, Ol’ Dirty's crazy antics and huge presence were also hard to beat, Rae & Ghost quickly established themselves as the Wu’s criminologists, GZA that towering figure dissecting the (rap) landscape with sharp observations & witty wordplay, with RZA as the Abbott keepin' it all together, while at the same time developing another persona, Bobby Digital.

Together, these clan members made wall-to-wall classics between '93 & '97, and it’s been reported, Deck was about to drop his own too within that time frame; exact details remain a bit sketchy though, but I’d say either ’96 or maybe early ’97.

But tragedy struck, cause right in the middle of that winning streak, late '95, a flood in RZA's Staten Island basement studio wiped out nearly all recorded material, beats, as well as destroying equipment, such as vocal compressors (RZA reportedly gave every Clan member his own compressor, tweaked its frequencies to his liking, to never change it afterwards).

As a result of that flood, the recording sessions for Ghost’s "Iron Man" album were done in another studio, and that -according to RZA-, made his voice sound different than before, while Deck reportedly recorded solo songs as early as ’93, but those were all but destroyed in that catastrophe.

However, Deck carefully kept on constructing deadly verses, on every of his brother’s albums, and then THAT verse, on “Triumph”, the lead-off single of the Clan’s sophomore album “Forever”.

Considered one of the most iconic (opening) verses of all time, it raised Deck's stock immensely, resulting in a series of high profile cameo’s on albums by Gang Starr (“Above The Clouds”), Big Pun (“Tres Leches”) & Pete Rock (“Tru Master”).

Deck finally secured a release for his own “Uncontrolled Substance” album in the last quarter of 1999, but some label shuffling, behind-the-scenes things, as well as the Clan’s fractured focus, made for a flawed product.

The question will always remain how that project would've sound, had it been released in ’96/’97. The Rebel INS himself stated it was a totally different album than what came out, with a completely different tracklist.

This here is a round-up of a lot of personal Deck faves of mine, which weren't included on released studio albums, sequenced in a manner I hope The Abbott would do ca. 1995 :)

Tracklist:

1. Ain't Nobody Scared
2. Let Me At 'Em
3. The American Way
4. Sound Of The Slums (ft. Masta Killa)
5. Night Shift
6. Speaking Real Words (ft. Czarface 1.0)
7. S.O.S. (ft. Street Life)
8. The Rebel
9. Tru Masters (ft. Pete Rock & Ghostface Killah)
10. East Side Of Town
11. Settlement
12. Wu-Tang Cream Team (ft. Harlem Hoodz, Raekwon, Method Man & Killa Sin)
13. A Lil' Story
14. Fame pt. II
15. Semi-Automatic: Full Rap Metal Jacket (ft. U-God & Street Life)
16. The Eyes

17. Bonus: Rap Burglars (ft. Raekwon)

Producers:

RZA (5, 11 & 15), The Rebel INS (2, 3 & 7), Havoc (1), Concrete Beats (4),
Vinyl Reanimators (6), Salaam Remi (8), Pete Rock (9),
Roc Marciano (10), DJ Scratch (12), Cilvaringz (13), Charli Brown (14),
Bronze Nazareth (16) & DJ Mathematics (17)

Inspectah Deck - "The Rebel Of Shaolin"

This here is a part 1 of a doubler, consisting of a lot of artists, musicians & vocalists that sadly left this planet last year.

I made these sequences for an opportunity that didn’t work out and did such tributes in the form of radio shows over the last decade with the brother @philhorneman, but those shows aren’t no more and I feel a lot of these artists still deserve their sun, even in death. 

For heaven’s sake, while compiling this, even I discovered a few of them that transitioned last year, and I KNEW of their music… Thát’s how deep under the radar their passing went, It barely got noticed, if it all.
So here’s to them, and all…. R.I.P. and Thank You For The Music  🙏🏽✨❤️


Tracklist:


1.  INTRODUCTION

2.  “PRIDE”  - EARTH WIND & FIRE 	
(Fred White, drummer period 1975-1983, brother of founder Maurice  & band member Verdine, died 01/01/23.
(NOTE: Sheldon Reynolds, guitar player EWF period 1987-2002, died  23/05/23)


3. “MONEY (THAT’S WHAT I WANT)” – BARRETT STRONG                
(R&B Singer, long term Motown songwriter, died 23/01/23)

4. “ENCONTRO” – IVAN “MAMAO” CONTI 	
(Brazilian drummer, founding member Azymuth, died 17/04/23)

5. “INFANT EYES” – WAYNE SHORTER 	
(Legendary jazz sax player, golden era Miles sideman, founding member Weather Report, died 02/03/23)

6. “BANZO” – LENY ANDRADE	
(Brazilian jazz singer & musician, died 24/07/23)


7. “SUGARMAN” – (SIXTO) RODRIGUEZ	
(Very reclusive protest songwriter & singer, 2 albums, at the time of release very unknown, career resurgence in 2000’s, died 08/08/23)
(NOTE: both albums released on Sussex Records, at the time also home to Bill Withers a.o.; founded by CLARENCE AVANT, died 13/08/23)


8. “HORRORSCOPE” – RALPH LUNDSTEN  	
(Swedish Electronic Music pioneer, director & more, died 05/07/23)

9. “SPREAD LOVE” –  MARK THE 45 KING	
(Hip Hop producer, credits include Jay-Z & Eminem, died 19/10/23)

10. “SIDEWAY SHUFFLE” – LINDA LEWIS 	
(UK born Soul singer & songwriter, died 03/05/23)

11. “A RA” – JOAO DONATO 	
(Legendary Brazilian Bossa pioneer & Jazz pianist, died 17/07/23)

12. “WELCOME NEW WARMTH” – MICHEL SARDABY    	
(French, -by way of Martinique-, jazz pianist, died 06/12/23)
(NOTE: song features bass playing by RICHARD DAVIS, died 06/09/23)


13. “LOVE CHANT”  - ELI’S SECOND COMING 	
(Band by Bobby Eli, songwriter & MFSB guitarist, died 17/08/23)

14. “YES IT’S YOU” – “SWEET” CHARLES SHERRELL	
(Vocals & Bass in various James Brown band incarnations, died 29/03/23)

15. “I KEEP FORGETTIN’” – CHUCK JACKSON 	
(R&B singer, former Del-Vikings, albums for Motown, died 16/02/23)

16. “AQUA DE BEBER” – ASTRUD GILBERTO	
(Legendary Bossa, Samba & MPB songstress, died 05/06/23)

17. “MOON DREAMS” – DON SEBESKY			
(Composer, arranger, conductor & Jazz trombonist, died 29/04/23)

18. “FIGHT THE POWER” – THE ISLEY BROTHERS 		
(Rudolph Isley, founding member and 1 of 6 brothers, died 11/10/23)

19. “YOUNG & HOLTFUL” – YOUNG HOLT UNLIMITED 	
(Duo by former Ramsey Lewis sidemen bass player Eldee Young & drummer Isaac “Redd” Holt, latter died 23/05/23)

20. “JUST A LITTLE LOVIN’”- TINA TURNER		  	
(Singer, also known as Queen of Rock’n Roll, died 24/05/2023)
(NOTE: song by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, latter died 01/06/23)


21. “TRYING PEOPLE” – DE LA SOUL  	
(DAVE, fka TRUGOY THE DOVE, founding member, died 12/02/23)

A Loving Tribute - pt.1

Streaming from Amsterdam's Radio Radio: this is RRFM.NL w/ @el-rey74

RRFM • Leroy Rey • 24-01-24

In the run-up to his performance at the yellow edition of Tour de Palet 2024, we invited Leroy Rey to record a mix for this occasion. With over 30 years of DJ mastery, Leroy excels at weaving together house, disco, soul, and funk through his own unique spectrum. The recording perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the yellow showcasing Leroy's unparalleled ability to blend genres into a seamless musical journey. Dance yourself into the weekend with this true enjoyment for the ears.  

Tracklist:

1.    -Miles Intro-
2.  "Music Is My Way Of Life" (Dave Lee Mix)  - Patti Labelle
3.  "Burnin' Up" (Koko Edit) - Imagination
4.  "Next To You" - Stephane Malca
5.  "On Top" - Lorenz Rhode
6.  "Good Feeling" (AtJazz & D-Malice Dub) - Dominique Fils-Aimé
7.   "Michael's Prayer"  - Michael Watford (R.I.P.) & Jamie Lewis
8.   "Footwork" (ft. Anthony Nicholson) - Emmaculate & GUakaCVO
9.   "Music Saved My Life" (Louis Down Under Mix) - Lil' Louis
10. "You Know How I Feel" (HHA Mix) - Mike Clark
11.  "Cosmic Witch" - Louie Vega
12. "Shakit" (Young Pulse Re_Touch) - Brass Construction
13. "Music" - Karizma
14.  -Marvin Outro-

PALET in Yellow • Leroy Rey • 'Music Is My Life'

Been a minute I did one of these, but lately I find myself goin' back often to that late 90's Ummah sound, and one of the MC's very much in the midst of it was this man called Consequence.

A full cousin of Q-Tip, he made his 1st splash on the flip of Tribe's '93 "Award Tour" single, and 3 years later had a lot of cameo's as well on the "Beats, Rhymes & Life" album, but when his own debut album was due in '97/'98 -reportedly titled "Hostile Takeover"-, it somehow didn't take off.

Fast forward a few years, Cons signed with Kanye's "GOOD Music" imprint, and finally released his official debut "Don't Quit Your Day Job!" in 2007.
But although a solid outing, and with good reviews to boot, it didn't shift the (likely) anticipated numbers for an artist signed to a label by a boss, who at that point in time was becoming one of the largest in the game.

So Cons went back to his grind, kept putting in the work, dropped a series of mixtapes over the years, as well as steadily stream of singles, and guested also on various songs for Tribe's 2016 swansong "We Got It From Here...".

Since a lot of Cons' material is so scattered (and in most cases hard to find on streaming services too), I assembled & sequenced all the tunes I dig, starting with most of the stuff made for his shelved late 90's debut (which covers 1/3rd of the tracklist on this), added some singles from over the years, a few choice cuts from his mixtapes + some cameo verses as well, only to round it all up with his very 1st appearance from 1993 (which serves as an intro here), in an effort to kinda create a version of his shelved debut album.

Consequence reportedly is in the final stages of finishing up his sophomore LP called "Nice Doing Business With You", and if you like his stuff, this'll probably hold you over for a sec.

Moreover, if you're a fan of that 'snappy' late 90's Dilla/Tip/ Ummah/Soulquarians type of sound, this certainly is your thang.

Great soundtrack for a sunny Sunday, imho  ;)



Tracklist:

1.   The Chase pt. II
2.   The Consequences (ft. Q-Tip)
3.   Caught Up In The Hype
4.   Rock 'n Roll
5.   Trust Fund Baby
6.   Blood Stain
7.    Fo Sho
8.   Weekendz
9.   The Riot (ft. Busta Rhymes)
10.  Stick Up (ft. Q-Tip)
11.  Here Comes Trouble
12.  Complex Con (ft. Conway The Machine)
13.  Queens Get The Money (ft. Havoc)
14.  Got Me Trippin'
15.  Countdown (ft. Lupe Fiasco & Chris Turner)
16.  Chain Heavy (ft. Kanye West)
17.  No Place Like Home (ft. Phife Dawg & Alex Isley)


Producers:

Q-Tip (1, 5, 9, 10, 11, 14 & 16)
J. Dilla (2 & 4)
Nottz (3)
Kanye West (6)
Ge-Ology (7)
88-Keys (8)
Havoc (13)
Consequence (12, 15 & 17)
Mike Cash (co-producer 15 & 17)

Consequence

ALL TRACKS BY QUINCY JONES, EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED >

TRACKLIST:

1. "SUMMER IN THE CITY" (ft. VALERIE SIMPSON)
-- [from "You've Got It Bad Girl" - 1973]
2. interlude: "DOWN CLUTTER'S LANE"
-- [from "In Cold Blood" OST - 1967)
3. "SNOW CREATURES"
-- [from "Dollar$ / The Heist" OST - 1972]
4. "BABY BE MINE" - MICHAEL JACKSON
-- [from "Thriller" - 1982]
5. "THE SPELL YOU SPIN" - SHIRLEY HORN
-- [from "A Dandy In Aspic" OST - 1968]
6. "TRYING TO FIND OUT ABOUT YOU" (ft. THE BROTHERS JOHNSON)
-- [from "Mellow Madness" - 1975]
7. interlude: "EYES OF LOVE"
-- [from "Banning" OST - 1967/1973]
8. "CHARADE" - SARAH VAUGHAN
-- [from "Vaughan With Voices - 1964]
9. "WHO NEEDS FOREVER" (ft. ASTRUD GILBERTO)
-- [from "The Deadly Affair" OST - 1967]
10. "MOODY'S MOOD FOR LOVE" - ARETHA FRANKLIN
-- [from "Hey Now Hey, The Other Side Of The Sky" - 1973]
11. "SOUL BOSSA NOVA"
--[from "Big Band Bossa Nova" -1962]
12. interlude: "TRACEY SOURCE"
-- [from "Killer By Night" OST - 1972]
13. "STREET OF DREAMS" - FRANK SINATRA
-- [from "Sinatra At The Sands" - 1966]
14. "CRY ME A RIVER" - LESLEY GORE
-- [from "I'll Cry If I Want To" - 1963]
15. interlude: "MAYBE TOMORROW"
-- [from John & Mary" OST - 1970]
16. "LOVE X LOVE" - GEORGE BENSON
-- [from "Give Me The Night" - 1980]
17 "TELL ME A BEDTIME STORY" (OPOLOPO EDIT)
-- [from "Sounds.... And Stuff Like That" - 1977/2014]
18. "GET ON THE FLOOR" (K2 EDIT / ORIGINAL VERSION) - MICHAEL JACKSON
-- [from "Off The Wall" [1979/2019]
19. "EMERALD CITY SEQUENCE"
-- [from "The Wiz OST -1978]
20. interlude: "THREADBARE / MAIN TITLE PT.III"
-- [from "The Slender Thread" OST - 1966]
21. "LITTLE GHETTO BOY" (ft. DONNY HATHAWAY)
-- [from "Come Back Charleston Blue" OST -1972]
22. "I CAN'T HELP IT" - TERRACE MARTIN & ROBERT GLASPER
-- [from "3ChordFold" - 2013]
23. "THE SECRET GARDEN" (ft. EL DEBARGE, JAMES INGRAM & BARRY WHITE)
-- [from "Back On The Block" - 1989]

Tribute To Q - Part Two



ALL TRACKS BY QUINCY JONES, EXCEPT WHERE INDICATED >

Tracklist:

1 . Intro: "SLUM CREEPER"
-- [from "The Lost Man OST- 1969]
2. "THEME FROM IRONSIDE"
-- [from "Smackwater Jack" -1971]
3. "TURN ON THE ACTION" (ft. PATTI AUSTIN)
-- [from "The Dude" - 1981]
4. "GO DOWN DYING" - RAY BROWN ORCHESTRA
-- [from "Music From The Adventurers - 1970]
5. interlude: "ONE MORE TIME REPRISE"
-- [from Walk Don't Run OST - 1966]
6. "ON A CLEAR DAY / KILLER JOE" (ft. ROBERTA FLACK)
-- [from "Save The Children OST - 1973]
7. "STRAWBERRY LETTER 23" - THE BROTHERS JOHNSON
-- [from "Right On Time" - 1977]
8. "THE FEELING THAT WE HAVE" (ft. THERESA MERRITT)
-- [from The Wiz OST -1978]
9. interlude: "GREENSLEEVES & ALL THAT JAZZ"
-- [from The Italian Job OST - 1969]
10. "HARLEM DRIVE "
-- [from The Pawnbroker OST - 1965]
11. "ROOTS THEME: MAMA AIFAMBENI"
-- [from Roots OST - 1977]
12. "GULA MATARI"
-- [from "Gula Matari" - 1970]
13. interlude: "BOOBIE BABY"
-- [from "Mirage" OST - 1965]
14. "LIVE IN ME" - RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN
-- [from "Masterjam" - 1979]
15. "IF IT HURTS JUST A LITTLE" - DONNA SUMMER
-- [from "Donna Summer - 1982]
16. "CHUMP CHANGE"
-- [from "You've Got It Bad Girl - 1973]
17. "JUST ONCE" (ft. JAMES INGRAM)
-- [from "The Dude - 1981]


Tribute To Q - Part One

Tracklist:

0.  Bob 'N' I
1.   Season Of The Vick
2.  Killa Bee 'til U Die (ft. The Black Knights & Thea van Seijen)
3.  Samurai Showdown
4.  And Justice For All (ft. Killarmy & Method Man)
5.  Grits (ft. Masta Killa)
6.  Chi Kung / Biochemical Equation
7.  The Chase
8.  NYC Crack (ft. Thea van Seijen)
9.  Odyssey (interlude)
10. Be A Man
11.  Tragedy (ft. The Truth)
12. Twelve Jewelz
13. Sunshower
14. A Day To God is 1000 Years
15. Sunlight
16. The Birth
17. Glorious Day


Produced by RZA, except 

"Bob 'N' I"  by Jose "Choco" Reynoso
"Season Of The Vick" by Noah Rubin
"Chi Kung" by Barracuda
"NYC Crack" co-prod. by Lil' Fame & Andrew Kelley
" Tragedy" by True Master
"Twelve Jewelz" by Darkim Be Allah
"A Day To God is 1000 Years" & " The Birth" by Bronze Nazareth

RZA - "The Metamorphosis"

HMWNDIII: HOUSE MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE pt. III
Recorded live & direct 24/12/08 at Nightowls @ Radio Radio, Amsterdam

Tracklist:

1. Paradise (Kenny Dope mix) -Benji Candelario & Wayne Rollins ft. Cinnamon Brown
2. MAWcid - Masters At Work
3. Untitled C - Ron Trent & Chez Damier
4. The Bassline -Kerri Chandler
5. Hanging On A String - The Muthafunkaz
6. You Hear Me - San Soda
7. That’s What I Think About - Eddie Fowkles
8. I Wanna Be More (DJ Spen & Booman instrumental) - Souldynamic & Taliwa
9. Drums Nightmare - Karizma
10. Spirit - Karizma
11. Stay Glued (FCL Weemix) - Audiojack & Kevin Knapp
12. Let Me Show You Love (Gerd's Crooklyn Vox Mix) - Romanthony
13. Silent Scales (Yoruba Soul mix) - Nitin
14. Get Ready (Halo City Deep Vocal Mix) - DJ LeRoi ft. Chappell
15. The Beatdown (V.2 version) - Mike “Agent X" Clark
16. Huh - Stacy Kidd
17. Who is Themba - Themba (SA)
18. Porto Mornings - minorINVENTION
19. Night Train - Tommy Bones
20. Assimilated (FaltyDL remix) - Anthony "Shake" Shakir
21. The Ha Dance - KenLou
22. Fire - Jook 10
23. Future Rage - DKD
24. The Secret Garden (remix) - Quincy Jones
25. Chump Change - Quincy Jones

HMWNDIII: House Music Will Never Die - pt. III (Live & Direct at Nightowls @ RadioRadio, Amsterdam)

Stevie 75 years old today. What more can be said about this Embodiment of Soul of an Iconic Artist of a Human Being?

A career spanning over 7 decades, a discography consisting of 23 studio albums, 3 original soundtracks & 4 live albums, more than 90 singles, and a plethora of songs written for other artists, not to mention changing the trajectory of music more than once, Stevie is the true definition of a Living Legend.....A title coined very easily today, but if one person is wholeheartedly deserving of that title, it's gotta be the Wonder Man.


This is a sequence I did a decade ago, but it hasn't been online for a long time.
No greatest hits here -that would been a bit too easy for me- , but a mix of Stevie rarities, a few personal faves and the occasional oddball, pulled from all decades, stitched together with some pieces of interviews & broadcasts, to provide the much-needed context here & there.


Enjoy!

And Happy Birthday, Stevie!





TRACKLIST:

1. INTRO (REFLECTIONS OF YOU)
2. EVERYTIME I SEE YOU I GO WILD
3. I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH
4. I THINK WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK (LIVE
5. HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE?
6. CONTRACT ON LOVE
7. ARE YOU SURE LOVE IS THE NAME OF THE GAME?
8. I'VE GOT TO FIND HIM
9. I NEVER KNEW HER NAME (DEMO)
10. WITH EACH BEAT OF MY HEART
11. FEELING GOOD (LIVE IN TOKYO 1968)
12. TO KNOW YOU IS TO LOVE YOU (LIVE)
13. UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME
14. ANGEL BABY
15. RACE BABBLING
16. I CAN SEE THE SUN IN LATE DECEMBER (LIVE)
17. STUBBORN KIND OF FELLOW
18. MANHATTAN AT SIX
19. NEVER IN YOUR SUN
20. JUST ENOUGH TO EASE THE PAIN

Stevie Wonder's Massive Myriad of Miracles

HAD to get this one done; I started it quite a while ago, but couldn’t settle on a song sequence that worked, so put it to the side to look into it every now & then, but there was no delaying this no more, obviously… ❤️

And it sure is a heartbreaking time for music: I just read bass hero Anthony Jackson passed away, and not too long ago, Ron Carroll as well —- last saturday the word spread we lost Erik Rico too, and sadly they’re not the only ones: jazz fusionist Klaus Doldinger, Kiss’ axe player Ace Frehley, Detroit soul man Terry “Buzzie” Johnson and ofcourse Michael Eugene Archer aka D’Angelo…. all gone.

A lot of it has been written & said the past week, so I don’t need to go in there no more. Instead I’ve just finished up yesterday what I’ve started long ago, compiling & sequencing all the D’Angelo songs that didn’t see release on any of his 3 studio albums.

Which isn’t that many, to be fair. The man kept his music very close to him and seemed to be an artist who only wanted to drop music when it was the time to do so, so there’s not a ton of rare and/or unreleased material out there.

But what’s there, is there for the ages. 
And we lost a giant of a musician.
Rest well, D! 👑🙏🏽


Tracklist:

1.     Intro
2.    1000 Deaths (version)
3.    Bullshit
4.    Girl You Need A Change Of Mind
5.    Unshaken
6.    She's Always In My Hair
7.     Heaven Must Be Like This
8.     I Found My Smile Again
9.     I'll Stay
10.   Ghetto Music (ft. Q-Tip)
11.   Everybody Loves The Sunshine
12.  I Want You Forever (ft. Jay-Z & Jeymes Samuel)

D'Angelo & The Vanguard

Leroy Rey @ De Danskamer 28.11.2025

While cleaning out the crates, I stumbled upon some records I didn't play in a long time, much less off vinyl. 
Inspired, I somehow found myself making a honest mix with only vinyl. 

Haven't made one in at least 10 years, I was quite good at this back then, but I forgot what a true craft this type of dj-ing is, I really had to focus and have to admit that mixing with CDJ's (which I only do when playing out) is pretty much a cheat, compared to turntables.

That said, I really liked doing this, so perhaps I'll bring records again to gigs in the near future. If only those damn things weren't so heavy..

Tracklist: 

1.   "Untitled" - Blackjoy
2.  "I'm The Only Queen" - Norma Jean Bell
3.  "Engoli" - Ame
4.  "Magic Water" (Saint Jean remix) - The Godson
5.  "RIP" - Linkwood
6.  "Feel It"  - Franck Roger
7.  "Raw Cuts #4" - Motor City Drum Ensemble
8.  "Morning Sun" (Pepe Bradock remix) - Block 16 ft. Jon Lucien
9.  "Yemeja" (remix) - Sin Palabras
10. "Love To The World" - Bloodfire x LTD
11.  "Nuits Sonores" - Floating Points
12. "Hard Time For Lovers" - Rocco & C. Robert Walker
13. "Vein Melter" - Sly 5thAve & Jesse Fischer

Into The Deep End - An All-Vinyl House Mix

Promo mix for annual event House Dance Forever in Paradiso, Amsterdam, NL.

Selected & mixed by Leroy Rey, powered by Kwame John Agesilas & KC The Funkaholic.

HMWND: House Music Will Never Die - pt. I         (HOUSE DANCE FOREVER 2018 Warm Up Mix)

Inspired by Kon & The Gang's edit, I took to the OG, re-structured/streamlined it a bit and thickened it up on the bottom to make it more palatable for the dancefloor. 

Enjoy!

-Soundcloud-

Bobby Thurston - "Is Something Wrong With You" (El Rey re-edit)

Got my SC deleted a couple of years ago, been slow with reposting some of it, but I'll get there eventually.

This particular beat I made years ago after I lost both my grandmothers in a relative short time span, so I reconstructed one of my favorite sweet songs into somethin' personal precious.

Marte (EP)

El Rey - "Ancestors' Lullaby"

A round-up of Quest's non-album material, unreleased tracks, soundtrack stuff and rare cuts, sequenced in a manner they might've done themselves.

Note: I made this years ago, before they released their 2016 masterpiece and before my former SC account got terminated. Some lyrics can offend a little, but this was from back then.


Tracklist:

1.   Intro (ft. Mos Def)
2.  Hey
3.  Hot Sex
4.  Pokerface (Wanting You)
5.  Bonita Applebum pt. II
6.  Game Day
7.  I C U Doin' It (ft. Erykah Badu)
8.  Glamour & Glitz
9.  Mr. Incognito
10. Ya Heard Me
11.  It's Yours
12. Jazz (re-recording)
13. Same Old Thing
14. One, Two Shit (ft. Busta Rhymes)
15. That Shit (ft. J. Dilla)
16. Practice Session
17. Peace, Prosperity & Paper
...
... 


All tracks produced by A Tribe Called Quest, except tracks 6, 10 & 15 produced by Jay Dee. Track 7 produced by Rashad Smith.

The Lost Movement 1990-2003

A Tribe Called Quest

A round-up of EWF's non-studio-album-material from their peak period '71-'83. Unreleased tracks, soundtrack stuff and rare cuts, sequenced in a way they might've done themselves. 


Note: an exception is made for "Guiding Lights" from 2012, but it's so vintage EWF, it had to be included.

Another note: "Got To Get You Into My Life", "Love Music" & "September" are not rare at all, but never appeared on a proper studio album (The Best Of - Vol 1). so inclusion here is justified.

3rd Note: I made this years ago, before my former SC account got terminated, so some of you might've already seen/heard this before.

Tracklist:

1.    Kalimba Tree
2.   Got To Get You Into My Life
3.   Diana
4.   Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo Partido)
5.   Dreams
6.   September
7.   Ain't No Harm To Moan (Slave Song)
8.   Love Music
9.   Dance, Dance, Dance
10.  Night Dreamin'
11.   Departure (The Traveler)
12.  Guiding Lights (extended version)
....
....

The Spirit Lives On

Earth Wind & Fire

Posted originally on my former SC account, but now re-posted in honor of Keith Elam aka Guru's 57th Birthday. May he rest in power.

This is an assembly of all things Gang Starr released outside their 6 studio albums, sequenced as a proper Gang Starr album. 

Salute to DJ Premier & The One & Only Guru!


Tracklist:


1.    Illkid Intro
2.   Full Clip
3.   Hustlin' Daze (ft. Donell Jones)
4.   Incredible (ft. Krumb Snatcha)
5.   The Legacy (ft. Group Home)
6.   Natural
7.   Battle
8.   Gotta Get Over (Taking Loot)
9.   The Militia pt. II (ft. WC & Rakim)
10.  The Squeeze
11.   The ? Remainz
12.  All For The Ca$h 
13.  Discipline (ft. Total) 
14.  Back 2 Back (ft. Mendoughza)
15.  1/2 & 1/2 (ft. M.O.P.)
16.  Weed Scented (ft. A.G, O.C. & Party Arty)
17.  So Wassup?!
...
...

All Tracks produced by DJ Premier for Works Of Mart, 
except track 1 produced by Guru

Gang Starr

Socrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, in short Sócrates, was a Brazilian football player, an intellectual, politically engaged, as well as an MD. The latter he, stunningly, acquired while simultaneously playing professional football.

On the pitch he was recognizable for his long stature, beard and headband and was a classy, elegant midfielder, two-footed, known for precise (long) passes, and great insight in the field, who could read the game very well. Strong in the air too.

I was only 8 yrs old when I saw him play at the World Cup Finals '82 and remember him scoring a penalty with a relentlessly hard kick, but -impressively- doing so out of a stationary position.

Yup, I was a fan of his 😊.

Actually, I was a fan of that whole team: Zico, Junior, Falcao, Serginho, Toninho Cerezo, Eder, one of the best Seleção there ever was in Brazilian Football history, imho.

Today it's exactly been 7 years ago Sócrates left this earth and to commemorate this remarkable man, I've put a mix online I've did back in the days (but was left on the cutting floor to gather dust), full of -you guessed it- Brazilian(-influenced) tunes, which I already was scheming on for a while, and this felt like the right moment. 

R.I.P. Doctor Socrates!




Tracklist:

1.   "Wanting Things" - Astrud Gilberto
2.  "Aldeia De Ogum" - Joyce
3.  "Secret Flight" (Pavel Kostiuk 2000 Black mix) - Hajime Yoshizawa
4.  "Som Sangue E Raca" - Dom Salvador E Abolição
5.  "Bananeira" - Emilio Santiago
6.  "De Alegria Raiou O Dia" - Carlos Dafé
7.  "Parabens" - Marcos Valle
8.  "Maracatu Atomico" - Gilberto Gil
9.  "Dear Limmertz" - Azymuth
10. "Tranquility" - Joe Claussell & Cosmic Ritual
11.  "Submerso" - Patricia Marx & 4Hero
12. "Sus 4 Jam" - Ed Motta & Alex Attias
13. "All I Ever Wanted" - Bah Samba
14. "Nem Vem Que Não Tem" - Wilson Simonal
15. "No Terreiro De Ossanha" - Chico Da Silva

Songs For Socrates - A Mix of MPB, Tropicalia & Brazilian Fusion

Gangstarr Foundation is a movement established in '93 by the legendary Guru & Big Shug, along with DJ Premier & original members Group Home & Jeru The Damaja. Somewhat member Bahamadia was also around from '93 to '96.

After all parties went on to release critically acclaimed , in some cases even classic, albums, Group Home stepped a bit in the background, and both Bahamadia & Jeru went their own ways. However, Bumpy Knuckles & M.O.P. were elevated to full member status, Afu Ra (who came along with Jeru) remained close and Hannibal Stax (F.A.B.I.D./Fabidden), as well as NYG'z (formerly Operation Ratification), hauled over from Guru's, by-then-defunct, Illkid Records, while Krumb Snatcha, Blaq Poet & Smiley The Ghetto Child (by way of Group Home) became affiliated along the way too, albeit loosely. 

These days sees original members Jeru & Group Home performing regularly under the Foundation banner, keepin Guru's legacy alive.

This is a stab at something that should've happened, but never came to fruition: an album comprised of stand-alone tracks, as well as collaborations between the many members of this foundation -both original or later additions-, predominantly produced by DJ Premier, but Mike Rone (F.A.B.I.D.), True Master (Wu-Tang) and the late, great, Guru turn in work from behind the boards too, as well as DJ Idem. On top of that, the ill-as-f**k Pete Rock remix of "The Militia" is included too.

R.I.P. to Guru & Headqcourterz!


1.     "Group Home Intro"
2.   "Same Team, No Games" - Gang Starr ft. NYG'z & Hannibal Stax
3.   "I'm Legend" - Smiley The Ghetto Child
4.   "Bloody Murdah"  - M.O.P.
5    "Inspired By Fire" - Bumpy Knuckles
6.   "Gettin' Closer To God"  - Krumb Snatcha
7.   "Counter Punch"  - Big Shug ft. Guru
8.   "Policy"  - NYG'z
9.   "Hi Energy"  - F.A.B.I.D.
10.  "Stretch Marks & Cigarette Burns"  - Blaq Poet ft. Panchi of NYG'z &  Imani Montana
11.   "Me, Not The Paper"  - Jeru The Damaja
12.  "All That"  - Afu Ra ft. Krumb Snatcha & Hannibal Stax
13.  "I Luv"  - M.O.P. ft. Bumpy Knuckles
14.  "Dirt" - Big Shug ft. Hannibal Stax & Smiley The Ghetto Child
15.  "So Called Friends" - Group Home
16.  "Rap Addiction" - Blaq Poet ft. Shabeeno of NYG'z & Lil' Fame of M.O.P.
17.  "BLVD" - Afu Ra ft. Guru
18.  "The Gangstarr Bus"  - Bumpy Knuckles

Bonus: 

19. "G.U.R.U."  - Group Home ft. Jeru The Damaja
20."The Militia" (Soul Brother remix) - Gangstarr ft. Big Shug & Freddie Foxxx



All Tracks Produced by DJ Premier for Works of Mart, except:

Track 9 produced by True Master
Track 12 produced by Mike Rone
Track 15 produced by Guru
Track 19 produced by DJ Idem
Track 20 remixed by Pete Rock

Gang Starr Foundation

03/22/'20

A little bit delayed, but better late than never, here's a wrap-up of the best non-album solo stuff the late Phife Dawg recorded during his illustrious career outside of Tribe. 

Today, it's exactly 4 years ago The World's Greatest Five-Footer transitioned, and I didn't want to let it pass as something insignificant, because of the tryin' times we live in these days..


R.I.P. Phife!


Tracklist:

1.   Intro
2.  Nutshell
3.  What's The Deal
4.  Miscellaneous [remix]
5.  Nah Mean (ft. Will I Am)
6.  Where You At (ft. Shaquille O' Neal)
7.  Thought U Wuz Nice
8.  Artical (ft. Whitey Don & Chip Fu)
9.  If Men Are Dogs [Then What Are You]
10. Interlude
11. U Know U Want It (ft. Slick & Rose)
12. It's Only Right
13. Committed
14. Sole Men
15. Who Got Da Funk (ft. Science Of Sound)
16. Ya Heard Me
17. Seek Well (ft. CJ Fly & A La $ole)
18. Dear Dilla


Tracks 1, 2, 7, 9, 16 & 18 produced by J Dilla
Tracks 3 & 13 produced by Ambivalence
Track 4 produced by DJ Hi-Tek
Track 5 produced by Will I Am
Track 6 produced by Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Track 8 produced by Marc Niles
Tracks 10, 11 & 14 produced by DJ Rasta Root
Track 12 produced by Next Evidence
Track 15 produced by Godfather Don
Track 17 produced by Jules Strangelove

Phife Dawg

Give them flowers while they still can smell 'em.

Q-Tip has been one of my favorite artists; ever since he popped up on The Jungle Brothers' seminal 1st album, "Straight Out The Jungle", back in 1988 and -contrary to a lot of his contemporaries-, didn't lose a step over all those years, as evident by his work on Tribe's 2016 swansong "We Got It From Here.."

It's Tip's birthday today (10/04)and I figured to do an album sequence on him as well, as I just did one too, a couple of weeks ago, on his homie Phife Dawg to commemmorate his passing 4 years ago, by rounding up left overs, guest shots, rarities and 'homeless' singles.

The same recipe here, but to be fair, none of the material here is particularly rare, but since it's scattered, I thought it would be nice anyway to combine and sequence all this into one album, in the exact way The Abstract would've done it himself.

Enjoy & be safe.

And happy birthday, Kamaal! 




Tracklist:

1.   Moneymaker
2.  Work It Out
3.  For The Nasty (ft. Pharrell & Busta Rhymes)
4.  Feva
5.  That's Sexy (ft. Andre 3000)
6.  Black Boy
7.  Lisa
8.  I'm Not Gon' Havin' It
9.  Makin' It Blend (ft. Wordsworth)
10. To The Beat (ft. Rahzel)
11.  Scram Jones
12. What Lies Beneath
13. We Fight, We Love (pt.II ft. Kanye West & Consequence)
14. The Fear In The Heart Of A Man
15. Keep It Moving (ft. Dion & Kurupt)
16. Damn You're Cool
...
...


All Tracks Produced by The Abstract, except

Track 3 produced by Pharrell
Track 4 produced by J. Dilla
Track 9 produced by DJ Roddy Rod
Track 10 produced by Rahzel & Bob Power
Track 14 produced by Erik Rico
Track 15 produced by Hi-Tek

The Lone Ranger

Q-Tip

The first time I heard De La Soul was on a square in the town I grew up, somewhere around '88/'89. Boys & girls were jammin' and breakin' to “Jenifa Taught Me” from their seminal first album "3 Feet High & Rising".

Me, I was this kid standing on the side, watching their moves, but above all, occupied listening to that tune blastin' out of the boombox, which harboured all I liked about music: that old, vintage sound I was really missing in those days as music became too synthesized for my taste. So when I first heard “3 Feet High..”, my head was buzzing. Here was this band that took bits & pieces from records I heard my dad and uncles play in years, prior to that pivotal moment.

A fan from there-on, I kept track of anything De La did. And while their first four albums are classics, I was less impressed by their later albums, though each project had their gems. So it's only right to sift through their more obscure catalogue of b-sides and non-album cuts, between 1994 & 2009, for another virtual album, giving it some shine.

Tracklist:

1.   Intro
2.  So Cool
3.  Turn It Out (ft. Yummy Bingham)
4.  Speed Limit (ft. Supa Dave West)
5.  Ego Trippin' pt.3
6.  Do De Damn Thing
7.  Lovely How I Let My Mind Float (ft. Biz Markie)
8.  So Good (ft. Camp Lo)
9.  Trouble In The Water
10. More Than You Know
11.  Chanel No. Fever 
12. The Hustle
13. Sh.Fe MC's (ft. A Tribe Called Quest)
14. I Can't Call It
15. La, La, La
16. Stakes Is High pt.II (ft. Mos Def & Truth Enola)
17. Sweet Dreams


All tracks produced by De La Soul, except

Track 1 produced by 88-Keys
Track 2 produced by Muro
Track 4 produced by Supa Dave West
Track 5 produced by Spearhead X
Tracks 7 & 10 produced by Prince Paul
Track 9 produced by DJ Honda
Track 12 produced by Da Beatminerz
Tracks 15 & 16 produced by J Dilla

De La Soul

In honor of the 53th birthday of the great GZA (née Gary Grice)on Aug 22th, here's a wrap-up/sequence of pretty much all his solo tracks & features aside from his albums, coupled with a few loosies and the odd remix.

From stretching back as far as "Pass The Bone" (a RZA-produced & featured left-over from his '91 debut album "Words From The Genius") to 2016's "The Spark" (from his forthcoming album "Dark Matter", which is already in the works for close to a decade), here are 16 GZA-helmed songs with a plethora of guests,  such as Ras Kass & Big Daddy Kane, among his usual Wu brethren ofcourse.

This is Episode IV in a series of Wu-Tang related collections, consisting of rare stuff, loosies and non-album cuts.

Happy Born Day, Genius!


Tracklist: 


1.   In The Morning
2.  The Spark
3.  When The Fat Lady Sings
4.  Lyrical Swords (ft. Ras Kass)
5.  Pass The Bone (ft. RZA)
6.  Face The Problemz (ft. Raekwon & Cappadonna)
7.  Cameo Afro (ft. Big Daddy Kane & Suga Bang Bang)
8.  The Masta & The Genius (ft. Masta Killa)
9.  Third World (ft. RZA)
10. This Feeling (ft. Buckshot)
11.  Verses (ft. Scaramanga, Ras Kass & La The Darkman)
12.  Birds Of A Feather
13.  Head Rush (ft. RZA)
14.  Breaker, Breaker pt.II (ft. Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa)
15.  The Mexican (ft. Tom Morello & K.I.D.)
16.  Clansmen (ft. Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, Street Life & Cappadonna)


Produced by RZA, except:

1.   Produced by Joey Purp
2   Produced by Paul Ryder
3 & 9  Produced by DJ Muggs
4   Produced by Bronze Nazareth
8   Produced by The Alchemist
10  Produced by Marco Polo
11   Produced by DJ Noize
12  Produced by Mocky
13  Produced by Pete Rock
15  Produced By Tom Morello

Lyrical Swords

GZA - "Lyrical Swords"

A few weeks ago, I was asked, by Grachtenfest Amsterdam, to play a rare Jazz Funk/Fusion set @ Radion, before & after the Boye Ingwersen Trio. 

Naturally, I took a few detours here & there, but never strayed too far from the original approach. 

Here's the tracklist:

1.    "Symphonique Pacificique" - Greg Foat
2.   "Hot Heels" - Barbara Moore Sound
3.   "Hip Know Cypher" - Visioneers
4.   "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" - Chico Hamilton
5.   "Mucho Chupar" - David Axelrod
6.   "Presente Grego" - Arthur Verocai
7.   "Vem Menina" - Emilio Santiago
8.   "Unicorn" - Dizzy Gillespie & Lalo Schifrin
9.   "Duiji" - Kool & The Gang
10.  "Snakin' The Grass" - Cannonball Adderley Quintet
11.   "Entre" - Strange Party Orchestra
12   "Frantic Moment" - Eddie Hazel
13.  "Cascavel" - Antonio Adolfo
14.  "Two" - Madhouse
15.  "Chameleon" (pt.2) - Herbie Hancock
16.  "Ten Ton Take" - The Brand New Heavies
17.  "Patidid" - Ed Motta
18.  "Bosse Tres Bien" - Quartette Tres Bien
19.  "Spirits Up Above" - Rahsaan Roland Kirk
20. "Who's The Lady" (OG version) - The Isley Brothers
21.  "Perspective" - Kamasi Washington
22. "Sweet Power Your Embrace" - James Mason
23. "Pick Up The Pieces" - Herbie Mann
24. "Xamego De Ina" - Trio Mocoto
25. "Cantaloop Island" - Osmar Milito
26. "Space Funk" - Manzel
27. "Yeah We Going" - George Duke
28. "The Genie" - Bobby Lyle
29. "Encontro No Bar" - Airto
30. "Zanzibar" - Edu Lobo
31.  "Birimbau" - Zito Righi e Seu Conjunto
32. "O Barquinho" - Elis Regina
33. "Abre o Peito e Chora" - Maria Rita
34. "Morning Sun" (ft. Jon Lucien) - Block 16
35. "Coltrane" (Atjazz remix) - Marc Tilley
36. "I Didn't Mean To Break Your Heart" - One Way

Enjoy!

Frantic Moments  (2 hours of JazzFunkFusion and then some )

Quick recap: this here is Clarence Alexander "Skip" Scarborough. 
Yesterday (26/11) was his birthday in heaven.

Some of you probably never heard of this Grammy Award winning songwriter, but I bet all of you know Bill Withers' evergreen "Lovely Day".
And this man here is responsible for that evergreen.

He also wrote LTD's hit "Love Ballad", Patti Labelle's "It's Alright With Me" and a bunch of songs for my favorite band of all time, Earth Wind & Fire. 
And one of them is the gorgeous "Can't Hide Love".

First recorded by,- these days largely forgotten outfit-, Creative Source, that song took a whole new leash of life in the hands of Maurice White & co, transforming it into a whole new monster; so definite, every recorded version after is indebted to the one EWF put to reel.

So, to honor the man who graced the earth with this gem, I took 15 of those versions (yes, there are more!) and made a 12-and-a-half minute medley out of it, rendering from obscure takes by Perry & Sanlin and Hummingbird to live versions by D'Angelo & Dionne Warwick, not to forget originators like aforementioned Creative Source and, ofcourse, Earth Wind & Fire themselves.

Thanks for all the great tunes, Skip! 
And Happy Heavenly Birthday!


"Can't Hide Love" written by Skip Scarborough >

1.    Creative Source
2.   Jaye P. Morgan
3.   Art Webb
4.   John Tropea
5.   Perry & Sanlin
6.   Hodges, James & Smith
7.   D'Angelo
8.   Dionne Warwick
9.   Bilal & The Randy Watson Experience
10.  Azar Lawrence
11.   Hummingbird
12.  Kenny Thomas
13.  Jimmy Smith
14.  Earth, Wind & Fire vs. Masters at Work
15.  Earth, Wind & Fire

15 Ways to "Can't Hide Love" - an Ode to "Skip" Scarborough

DJ since 1992 / Producer / Musicologist / 
Record Nerd / Father of two
Platform: Steppin' Into Tomorrow
Project: Cosmos Nucleus
Label: Wicked Wax
Bookings: will@peoplesagency.nl

Upcoming Gigs:

31/12: Madam by NIght, Amsterdam (NL)
01/01: NAR, Utrecht (NL)
01/01: Thuishaven, Amsterdam (NL)
03/01: ClubCME, Rotterdam (NL)
16/01: Nachtschade III, Skatecafe, A'dam (NL)
17/01: State Of Souls, Tampere (FIN)
25/01: Bambino, Paris (FRA)
26/01: Club'n Europe, Strasbourg (FRA)
31/01: The Mothership, Paard, Den Haag (NL)
01/02: Multipla, Amsterdam (NL)
02/02: Clubbing Forever, Paradiso (NL)
14/02: Wibar, Leiden (NL)
28/02: De Danskamer, Tolhuistuin (NL)










Past Highlights >

2024:


27/12: Doka, Amsterdam (NL)
20/12: De Residentie, NAR, Utrecht (NL)
08/12: Nightowls, Radio Radio, Amsterdam (NL)
30/11: Astra, Prisma Vision Club, Bari (ITA)
15/11: Supersonic Jazz Festival, Amsterdam (NL)
08/11: Sissi's, Amsterdam (NL)
01/11: Animo @ Shelter, A'dam (NL)
26/10: BBE Store, London (UK)
13/10: House "O" Drome, Paris (FRA)
12/10: Bambino, Paris (FRA)
05/10: Nederlandse Dansdagen, Maastricht (NL)
05/10: HRFST, Utrecht (NL)
20/09: Phono Lake, A'dam (NL)
14/09: Discotuin @ Pip, Den Haag (NL)
07/09: Lief Festival, Utrecht (NL)
31/08: Het Nest @ Goffertpark, Nijmegen (NL)
24/08: Summer Dance Forever, A'dam (NL)
18/08: Lowlands (NL)
20/07: PIV Festival, Velsen (NL)
14/07: Polpette Classic, Cittadella (IT)
06/07: Wibar, Leiden (NL)
29/06: BBE Store, London (UK) 
16/06: Soulful Sessions, Antwerp (BE)
01/06: Jazz Rave @ Skatecafe, Amsterdam (NL)
19/05: Heideglühen, Berlin (GER)
11/05:  Djoon, Paris (FRA)
06/04: All Around The House, Ljubljana (SLO)
23/03: The Bounce @ Biko, Milan (ITA)
02/03: Palet @ Levenslang, A'dam (NL)
01/03: De Schietclub, A'dam (NL)
23/02: Bambino, Paris (Fra)
16/02: Multipla, A'dam (NL)
04/02: Clubbing Forever, Paradiso, A'dam (NL)
03/02: House Dance Forever, Paradiso, A'dam (NL)
28/01: Club' In Europe, Strasbourg (Fra)
27/01: Au-Dela des Préjuges Fest, Lausanne (Sui)

2023:

09/12:  Weerd, Ekko, Utrecht (NL)
25/11:  Melodious Mosaic, Lille (Fra)
10/11:  NAR, Utrecht (NL)
04/11: Amsterdam Soul Night, A'dam (NL)
20-22/10: ADE Events, Amsterdam (NL)
23/09: Private Event, Casablanca (MOR)
11/06: Best Kept Secret, Hilvarenbeek (NL)
27/05: 30 Yr DJ Anniversary All-Nighter, Doka (NL)

Leroy Rey

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