The Story on iTunes:http://bit.ly/1CcnEgd

A. Strother/P. Strother
Lead and background vocals by Amber Strother and Anita Bias
All instruments and production by Paris Strother

The Story

Hi, I'm Poor McCourtney!

ARTWORK: eldowho

Beyond Supermoon

Knoll's Laser

Channel Surfing

Melancholy In Walrus

Storm Watch

Branch Network

One Nine Hundred

SOAP

Will C. & Mr. Magic - Down The Dial

The last project from legendary NYC hip hop radio DJ Mr. Magic of WBLS 107.5 Rap Attack w/ Marley Marl fame!

It begins with static, and then, an all too familiar phrase...

"I guarantee you ... No more music by the suckers ... No more music by the suckers..."

But this is not Public Enemy's "It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." This is February 21, 1987. It's 107.5 WBLS, in a class by itself. This is the often imitated but never duplicated "Mr. Magic's Rap Attack" in prime form, and it's the commencement of "Down The Dial."

For an entire decade, "Super Listeners" would tune into the Rap Attack to hear what was hot. The signature "A World Premiere... A World Premiere..." drop would echo over the newest / latest, often times airing as a more primitive demo or alternate version of a soon-to-be classic track. Unfortunately, when the 1980s came to a close, the "Rap Attack" also came to an end, with no official archived back catalogue to revisit. As New York City rap radio evolved into a hollowed shell of it's former self, shedding any quality that could relate back to its golden age, an important piece of hip hop history was lost in the mix. Until now.

A good combination- Mr. Magic and Will C.

One, the man behind the quintessential show, with stories and tapes for days documenting his cemented place in history. The other, a DJ with a (self-admitted) unhealthy obsession with original New York City rap radio. The result is "Down The Dial," a snapshot and ode to "Mr. Magic's Rap Attack." A product of one man's years of research and collecting, and another's willingness to drop serious knowledge and share with a friend an archive dating back to the "Mr. Magic Disco Showcase" days.

"Down The Dial" is sequenced to play like a Rap Attack show on any given night, front to back, with all the spontaneity one would expect to hear if they were transported back to the proper time and place. It is also simultaneously formatted to encompass all phases in the show's decade long run, from the days of 1:00-4:00 AM on 105.9 WHBI to Saturday nights on 107.5 WBLS 8:00-12:00 PM. The listener essentially becomes Slaughterhouse Five's Billy Pilgrim in a state of Rap Attack bliss. Complete with appearances from Mr. Magic himself, the Diabolical Biz Markie, and countless others, and with vintage glimpses at how "sister station" competitors were reacting to "The Official Voice of Hip Hop" at the time, "Down the Dial" meticulously pays homage.

Quotes:

"The only way that you can get in the Juice Crew is if somebody from the Juice Crew puts you down. See, I'm a put Will C. down."
- Mr. Magic

"He goes by the name of the W-I-L-L C., he's fly / guaranteed to be a heck of a guy / Will C. will give a girl a try!"
- Biz Markie

"Banging mix from front to back!! Bridges the gap between early 80s gems and rare radio outtakes with modern mixing sensibilities and attitude!" - DJ 7L of Czarface

Super Blast (Extended)

And the Sun Stood Still [EXTRACT]
- for Symphony Orchestra

Commissioned and premiered by the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Bramwell Tovey at the QEH in December, 2018.

Inspired by the winter solstice and the primal, prehistoric resonance that it holds. Images of bleached, mid-winter landscapes; crystal shafts of frozen light and an intense, bright, burning sun low on the horizon.

The energy within shafts of frozen light is depicted alongside the intense darkness invoking the ancient belief that the winter solstice was a day when dangerous spirits walked the earth. Seeing the sun at its lowest point in the sky made people fear that its strength would never return.

But ultimately the winter solstice brings a feeling of hope and renewal.

© Copyright Sarah Frances Jenkins

And the Sun Stood Still [EXTRACT]

Lyrics geometric. Colorful sounds to help you hover over in the summer weather. Get equipped with ethereal bliss from a faraway corner of the cosmos, or feel the power of a record like the bodyslammin' "Omega Supreme Soundwave." Will C.'s catalog paints a third-eye-open landscape filled with stray VHS noise, dusted loops, spaced-out synthesis, and endless wild styles.

Super Blast (Extended)

Will C.

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