Library of Vinyl Experience

Hey all. Last week I got a short notice request to join flack and wayne at Beat Research tonight. I decided I’d use the night to showcase some of my favorite local ragamuffin hip hop. And when you are doing that, you are basically playing stuff from Jr. Rodigan’s Mastermind Records. Everyone knows the classic ragamuffin hip hop sounds popularized by Bobby Kondors via Massive B Records. Lots of folks also know the collection of stuff on Profile (including the seminal Daddy Freddy and Asher D track) not to mention all the stuff on Nervous. What most people don’t know is that in the mid-90’s, Boston was putting out raggamuffin hip-hop as good as anyplace!!!! Believe it. Like all things hip-hop, Boston’s contribs have gone less recognized than some other places. Until now.

Mastermind Monstamix

I offer this Mastermind Monstamix to prove that the Bean was rocking the ragga sound as hard as anyplace in the mid 1990s. As usual, its pretty much unedited and done live with two decks and included here warts and all. Its also clearly not ALL mastermind stuff and veers into a little paid in full mini-mashup by the end complete with Wayne flowin’ over a PM dawn IM (which always makes me smile).

Respect to Rodigan and his collaborators including the prolific Bingy Twins who co-produced many of his hottest raggamuffin hip-hop dancefloor burners! I’ll be rocking Boston Raggamuffin Hip Hop Classix tonight at Beat Research for anyone in town.

Bigup to the beantown massive. Stay tuned for the Monstamind Master Mix that will be highlighting some lesser known scientifikal rappers from MA.

peace

P.S.

Last night, I had the honor of meeting Jr. Rodigan and playing a set of his classic 90s track while he sat and listened. Talk about pressure. He shook my hand at the end of the night though, so I guess I did it proper. Listening to his verse on One in the Chamba while he sang along next to me has to be one of my all time best musical moments! More on that track in a minute but for now, keep those Boston beats bumpin’.

A tasty mix of rastahouse, dubby breaks and screwed ragga tracks with a sugary pop coating. Live from decks to tape through my kaoss pad ca. 2006. Deal with it.

Electro_Ragga_Defcon Mix

I took a week or so off since the Beantown Beats and Rhymes fest, but here are the links for the last day finally.

Part A 3-4pm
Part B 4-5pm

Its all up at WZBC for a bit longer, but grab it while you can. Thanks to Chris Faraone for comin’ by on the third day and bringing some of the latest local heat and classics from the last decade. I gotta confess, I spent much more time digging into the early years and left a lot of the more recent stuff to future efforts.

I also have to thank Brick Casey again for coming down on the second day. As we were getting packed up I was snapping shots of the tectonic layers of local music history captured on the densely stickered, tagged and postered walls of WZBC. Among the Bentmen stickers and band posters from the 90s, there was the original Street Poets poster tacked up on a wood paneled wall next to an old milk crate. Apparently, Casey has been subliminally promoting down at ‘ZBC since the mid 1990s. Who knew? And who put that poster up?

Thanks again to Scott for having us down and to Brian for manning the decks!

Peace to the Bean in 2010.

pace

Thanks to Brick Casey (aka Polecat) who braved the snow storm yesterday to come down to WZBC and talk to us about the 1990’s scene in the Bean. Casey came up in the 4 Corners neighborhood of Dorchester and released a couple of early 1990’s underground gems under the name Polecat. Out Ta Flip is one of my personal faves. The Ruffa Mix features the gravelly Buju-style vocals of Dorchester’s own Ruffa and hints at the deep roots of the ragamuffin hip-hop sound in the Bean. More on that today as we round out the last of the 1990s and head into the Oughts and beyond. Happy 2010.

Here’s the audio from yesterday (Part A Part B).

P.S. Although it wasn’t snowing in the studio, I was sure dressed for it. Maybe I need to get a new hat too.

Happy holidays all. Here’s a new mix of Boston scratch classix to help you ring in the New Year. While I don’t normally include so many other people scratching on my mixes, that’s kind of the point with this one. You can probably hear the ones I added because they tend to stick out rhythmically (OR at least, that’s how I hear them). The thing begins with a Ronnie Ruff track “It Comes From Boston” which I only found a few months back.

Its already a future scratch classic for sure! I can throw up a set list, but maybe its more fun to guess and dig?

Here’s to more peace, love, unity and havin’ fun with the Beantown massive in 2010!

Boston Scratch Classix Vol. 1

Beantown Boogie Mix

With the 1980’s in full comeback mode people seem to be feelin’ the vocoder, synth bass and double claps again. What they may not remember is that back in the early 1980’s Boston was a hotbed of synth-driven funk with groups like the Jonzun Crew, Dwayne Omarr and Starr’s Computer Band pumping out heavy electro grooves. (That’s not even mentioning Planet Patrol and Boston native Arthur Baker’s collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa on the seminal b-boy anthem Planet Rock). In honor of all the Beantown funk originators, I give you the Beantown Boogie Mix – a collection of (mostly) 1980’s Boston electrofunk, boogie and breaks that is sure to get the party movin’. All the labels are up at my flickr site if you want to see what’s in there. Of course, if you want to do an 1980’s mix, you are gonna get some cheeze in there. All I can tell you is that this is a funkalicious dish of historical Boston synth-funk that’s loaded with plenty of the vocoder, synth bass and hand claps that made the 80’s so special. The mix ends with a little something special from my man Mc Spice from WAY back in the day! Yes TOUCH fans, Spice was rockin the mic back in the Bean in 1986. Stay tuned for more Boston rap history…but for now, Let’s Boogie!

I’ll be dropping some of these tracks at the upcoming Project MUM party in Somerville, MA on August 23 along with a bunch of dirty disco, electroclash and whatever other space age funk I dig out of the crates. Get your shiny track suit out of the closet and come pop and lock your way back to the future with myself, DJ Flack, Yamin and Axel Foley. That’s just outside Union Square under the McGrath O’Brien bridge in Somerville, MA.