If you are in Bighton UK saturday 26th ,I’ll be playing along a friend of mine at the Globe Pub (see flyer for details):come down and have some fun…and let me know you are a reader of this blog!
I’ll play mainly funk, soul and some hip hop tunes as well….so if you don’t know where to head to on Saturday, come down between 9:30 and 2!
[Jopparelli] Few months ago, we came across a fantastic mixtape of 90’s hip hop remixes and b-sides…just the way we like it. We were quite surprised to find out that it was actually made in the 2ks.
This is how we started being into DJ Superix’ work, and now we are proud of giving you a very interesting interview with a man which is about to enter Hip Hop history with his next project: a mix-up of ALL the Ultimate Breaks and Beats records…this is gonna be wild.
Well, here’s the whole story, we hope you like it! Obviously our man has some goodies for you also… Hands up for the DJ!
Please introduce yourself to our readers…
Hi, I’m DJ Superix, based in london, UK and one half of a Southern Hospitality.
Which are your favourite years in hip hop? And why?
I love 1985, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2001, hang on a minute, this is a very hard question! I’ll try to answer it in more detail though.
1985-86 was the time for me that really started to cement the hip hop sound together we know of today, up to that point a lot of the music had been heavily electro influenced, but i noticed people started to use samples more, and the sound changed from drum machines and studio played music to using samples of drum breaks etc, and you really started to here this going into 1986-87, with artists such as Eric B & Rakim, Run Dmc (who didn’t seem to use hardly any samples before 1986). Anyway, I pretty much love most years in hip-hop, there’s always been the records out there, its just its not always easy to find them. But 1985 was when I really started to get into the ‘hip hop’ sound, I was always into electro & rap music before that as I loved breakdancing, but as breakdancing seemed to die out, the music lived on and seemed to develop and keep going.
Favourite MC(s)?
Again, tough question! I love all the obvious ones, Biggie, Snoop, Jay-Z, Rakim, Tha Nutcracker from Group Home (only joking). But there are some that aren’t so obvious, I was always a fan of the MC’s who had the distinct voices, for example, Jay-Z and Biggie both have great voices for hip hop and other guys who came before them like Melle Mel, Slick Rick, MC Lyte, Ice Cube and I used to love hearing MC Ren on the NWA records, his voice was the standout for the group for me, but NWA all had those great distinct styles. There are so many to name its impossible!
Favourite Producer(s)?
Jeez, you’re questions are hard!! Well, its tricky, alot producers who have made great tracks go through ups and downs. I guess the most prolific and consistent producers that I would name are: Dr DRE, Timbaland, DJ Premier, Kanye West, The Neptunes & Organized Noize, although I wasn’t that aware of them until much later. But I would easily add to that some that are so often overlooked: Swizz Beatz, Marley Marl, DJ Toomp, Kurtis Mantronik – who I have added for making my personal favourite beat of all time Just Ice’s ‘Cold Getting Dumb’! But there are so many new guys that I like, but I’ll save that for another day!
Best hip hop album of all times, in your opinion?
It gets tougher… Ok, in no particular order I’ll name 5 without thinking too hard:
Snoop Doggy Dog – Doggystyle
Public Enemy – It takes a Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Run Dmc – Raising Hell
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – He’s The DJ I’m The Rapper
DJ Quik – Quik Is The Name
I’m not sure if i would say the same off the top of my head tomorrow or next week, its so difficult, there’s so many.
Who is the DJ that inspired you most when you started? And now?
Easy – that would be DJ Jazzy Jeff. without question, I think he’s quite possibly the best DJ there ever has been, he’s both a pioneer and innovator, he’s never disappoints, he may not be the best producer, but as a DJ he kicks ass. If I was to say who’s most inspiring now though – its a very biased answer, but its my main man Rob Breezy. In a club situation, he can pretty much rock any crowd, he plays great music and always inspires me to step my game up musically more than anyone else. Oh, I must also mention London’s Shortee Blitz, you should check him out if you are ever in London.
Which mixtape (by another DJ) is your favourite of all time, the one that inspired you most?
This is a tough one, its not particularly by 1 DJ. Its the whole of the Electro series released in the 80’s by Streetsounds. Those mixtape’s / compilations are the best mixtapes of all time. The tracks are incredible, and the mixing, although a lot of it is done with studio equipment, will never be beaten.
Your “Lost & Found” mixtapes rock, that’s a fact. But you sure did a lot of other mixes over the years. Which is the best in your opinion, the one you’re more satisfied with?
The lost and found ones were really something i did to compile a load of tracks I really liked that had a similar sound and feel. I love all those remixes from the mid 90’s and the rare stuff that never quite made it to the radio. Me and my DJ partner Rob Breezy are doing exactly the same thing now with our ‘Coast to Coast’ compilations and also ‘The Hits You Missed 2007′, taking the stuff that you may not be hearing and compiling them into 1 solid mix that people can check out, saving them the time to go searching for all that stuff and also trying to prevent people from saying ‘hip hop isnt as good as it used to be’ which I hear so much, the truth is, it is as good as its always been – you just have to work harder to find it – or download our mixtape’s! The mix I’m most satisfied with is my newest – ‘Ultimate Ultimate, Ultimate’ a 2CD mix of EVERY Ultimate Break (thats over 160 on 2 CDS) Its been a very long time in the making and a lot of the routines and sets are some that have taken me years to get right!
You’re playing in a club, and you suddenly realize that is the coolest situation you’ve ever played in. Beautiful spot, full of gorgeous ladies dancing in the crowd, massive sound system, everything is perfect! Which record do you put on the plate in that precise moment?
Ha Ha – well, these days it would have to be ‘Be faithfull’ for no other reason than the fact that everyone will always go nuts. Either that or something like ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’, something big, that appeals to everyone.
Which musical styles you’re into besides hip hop?
Everything. There’s probably something I like in every musical genre. I’m not a music elitist in any way. I’ll freely admit I like something if I think its good.
What are you listening in your car right now?
I’ve really just been listening to The Dream’s debut album & Lil Wayne’s ‘The Carter 3′ and anything with T-Pain on!
Which equipment do you prefer for playin? Vinyls, Serato, CDJs or Software? What do you think of the recent evolution of DJ equipment?
Serato is the best without question. Its the only one that truly reminds me of using real records, you can do everything you could with vinyl & much much more! I love the new technology, it means I dont mess up my records anymore and I dont have to carry 5000 records with me. Its also great because with the music I play, its so hard to prepare a box for a night, as you are always reading the crowd, if something isnt working, then you have to cater to what is going to work. That was always hard with a box a records as you could easily just fill it with the same old guaranteed club bangers, but there’s not much excitement in that. Its much easier for a DJ of say House music or Drum & Bass, because its pretty much all the same tempo and you are mixing the same beat over and over and people will dance no matter what.
Hip hop pioneer Phill the Soulman during an interview at Masscorporation has stated: I take more of an issue with the fact that people are still using the term”Hip Hop” when they talk about current rap than I object to the actually music that’s being made today. I just think it’s a different thing, that’s all. [...] I will never understand why you have people today who ride for this stuff yet still want it to be labeled as “Hip Hop”. Why would you care? Why would you get your draws all twisted just because somebody states that “Hip Hop is dead”? Be proud that you’re doing your own thing and creating your own legacy… Do you agree? You have followed rap over the years, what do you think about the changes? Where do you see hip hop going?
To me, its not changed all that much, a lot of people are always going on about ‘its all about money etc etc these days’ but if you look back over the last 25 years or so, songs like the ever popular ‘rappers delight’ were boasting about financial gain, and NWA always talked about guns, but for some reason or another the people who love those records are saying all the negative stuff about the newer artists. There’s people who will say ‘the best years in hip hop was the nineties’ or something like that because that’s when they really started listening to hip hop and nothing can replace that newness of the hip hop scene to them again. So they get mistaken by saying that era was the best ever. I have been listening to hip hop / rap music, whatever you want to call it, since 1983 when I was a small kid, and I was excited by the fact it sounded like nothing else out there, and unless I get into a new form of music that is totally different to anything else today, I probably won’t experience that feeling I had as a kid again. Its just people get older and reminisce about the good old days thinking it was the best time ever, and sometimes forget to enjoy the present too! Do you see what I mean? I don’t usually get into the politics too much, I just listen to the music like I always have done. I still get excited by great records like I used to, for example last year the Dogg Pound released a record called ‘Cali Is Active’ and when I heard it, it was the same sort of feeling I had when I first heard ‘I get around’ by 2pac, I thought it was amazing. But that’s just one example, I’m always hearing new stuff that I like. Hip Hop hasn’t changed as much as people think it has!
Do you follow UK Hip Hop? What do you think of it?
Not really, I think the whole ‘uk scene’ over here is fairly introverted. It still thinks its the nineties and still rips of DJ Premier style beats. But I do like the breakaway artists like Dizzie, SWAY, Wiley and I think Estelle is very talented and its great she’s doing so well.
In the UK, Hip Hop and MC-ing evolved also into something different: you have MCs rappin over Drum n Bass, UK Garage, 2 Step and Grime tracks. What do you think about that scene? Do you like some of that stuff?
As I mentioned, Dizzie, Wiley etc, is the only think I feel can compete with the US as its our own sound, its not use trying to be something else, that’s what I feel is the thing that will push the UK forward.
With you being a deejay, talk about some funny thing you went through to get your music…
Well, when I was a student, I was unable to afford to buy a lot of records, so I used to just stock up on lots of baked beans that costed 9p a tin, and only eat them for weeks so I could buy a new 12”, over in the UK, US import 12” would always cost close to £10 and I had to get my doubles!!
Can you recommend a few records to our visitors?
I’d like to use this bit to promote a new CD of mine, Its called ‘Ultimate Ultimate, Ultimate’ Its every break from the original Ultimate breaks and beats series – all mixed together onto 2 cd’s, as far as I know nobody has mixed them ALL before, thats over 160 breaks! It’s released this Summer and you’ll be able to buy it online or in most hip hop stores very soon. Please check out the 10 minute sample to get a flavour of what’s on the 2 cds!
Listen to Ultimate Ultimate, Ultimate (10 minute sample)
and “Lost and Found” mixtape - Part 1 & Part 2
There’s also some new free mixes on www.southernhospitality.co.uk
facebook id: Southern Hospitality
Thanks for all the support guys – keep up the good work!
Check our previous interviews: Tony D & DJ Nes
This is one of the most famous photos in the history of jazz.
Every time I listen to a “new” jazz artist, i feel like…ohhh, this man wrote his music more than 50 years ago and I’m finding it just now?!
That’s the same sensation i felt this time.
Originally recorded in Paris, Dex’s June 2, 1964 effort was made, not under the watchful eye of Alfred Lion and Rudy Van Gelder, but instead by business partner Francis Wolff. It features the great tenor saxophonist in a quintet setting with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, and drummer Art Taylor. The album’s centerpieces are two extended compositions, Donald Byrd’s “Tanya” and Kenny Drew’s “Coppin’ The Haven.
Tanya was written by hard bop trumpeter Donald Byrd, who accompanies Dexter in this performance. They play together to begin with and then each solos through this mesmerizing and hypnotic tune. The splendour of the trumpet and tenor saxophone as instruments is on full display here.
Although this album has acquired a semi-cult following because of Dexter’s marathon solo on “Tanya” (it runs for 18 minutes!!), his contructions on the alternate harmonies of “Darn That Dream” are no less impressive. And if you need further evidence of Dexter’s command, “King Neptune” provides that and more.
Mr Gordon was not just a music artist, he’s been also the only musician ever nominated for an Oscar, for his role in the most praised jazz film of all time, Bertrand Tavernier’s, “Round Midnight”.
If you’d like to have some technique notes…I’m not your man, consult your own jazz master.
Got nothing to do but takin’ some spare time and just chill…
Let’s do a different thing: for one time, no downloads. Only education.
Since I was a kid, I always loved Michael Jackson’s music, especially the Quincy Jones period. Let’s talk about his trademark move, the Moonwalk.
The roots of the Moonwalk are deep in the past: it’s a long long story. This foot trick is really old, 1955: did you expect that?
The next video was a big surprise to me: one of the dancers behind Michael in the “Bad” videoclip was actually Michael’s dance teacher, he was the guy who taught Jacko the Moonwalk, and a lot of other moves too. His name is Jeffrey Daniel.
He was also a member of 80’s band Shalamar. Their song “A night to remember” was used by Mase in “Get Ready”: do you remember that? Unfortunately I do. Terrible song: why did Puffy pick up that? That’s why some people still hate him, I guess.
In this clip Jeffrey performs over the Shalamar hit song, rocking the gayest haircut ever. Despite that, his moves are remarkable.
Jeffrey Daniel was around since the early ages of Soul Train: watch this astounding performance by him and his group, The Eclipse: wooooooow! Really insane. I wish I could dance like him. Well, maybe in another life.
From This is tomorrow!
Check also his lovely: Dj Blueprint - Sun Ra Arkestra - Space Music
And…
From Dirty Waters
Don’t forget to check his interview here @ Musicselections
Show them some love and appreciation!!!!
Imagine an artist coming out today with a title like this…
Let’s start with 5!
Not in any particular order:
MILES DAVIS
You want to know how I started playing trumpet? My father bought me one, and I studied the trumpet. And everybody I heard that I liked, I picked up things from.
It was when the Billy Eckstine band came to St. Louis that you first got together with Bird and Diz, wasn’t it?
I’d heard ‘em on records. But I was playing like that, anyway. You got to understand, man. See white folks always think that you have to have a label on everything—you know what I mean?
Well, I don’t, necessarily.
That’s how you’re spelling everything—when you say: “You heard Diz”. But two guys can do the same thing, and still won’t see each other. So it was happening, like I say. It actually happened in Kansas City. If you listen to Charlie Parker, he sounds like Ben Webster, you know. Dizzy doesn’t sound like Charlie Parker; they’re two different people. Right?
Read the rest of the Interview here!
FELA KUTI
Since the Sixties we have grown accustomed to the phenomenon of the politically conscious pop musician. We have only to point out the phenomenon of the protest singers, who sharply criticize existing situations or provide overall criticism of society through their lyrics. And although there were other musicians who had their regular run-ins with the authorities, the few arrests made could almost always be attributed to the liberal use of forbidden stimulants. Only the Czech band Plastic People of The Universe or musicians in the South-American dictatorships have been jailed because of their political convictions. Names of musicians of truly international fame cannot be lapped up yet.
This has changed with the arrest and conviction of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. He was convicted by the military regime in his native country to five years imprisonment on the basis of an extremely debatable charge. Even Fela’s national and international fame couldn’t save him this time. And from the interview that follows, the last he gave before his arrest, he was all too aware of that himself.
Read the rest of the interview here!
AUGUSTUS PABLO
He arrives at the Music Works office in Kingston quietly, on foot, no entourage, no Toyota Turbo.
Anyone accustomed to the gold-teeth and coke-spoon variety of reggae supa might walk straight past this thin, unassuming dread in the brown chords and earthman shoes.
Augustus Pablo belies the contemporary myth that you have to wear leatherette trousers to make good music.
Music Works producer Gussie Clarke lends us his back office for the interview. We close the door on the traffic buzz from Slipe Road and Pablo’s gentle, resonant voice fills the cramped, record-lined room with the tranquillity of the Jamaican countryside…
Read the rest of the interview here!
HERBIE HANCOCK
Herbie Hancock is one of the remaining legends of jazz, but he is not going to be pigeonholed in that jazz “box.” He likes change, he said in an October conversation, and wishes more of the younger generation of jazz musicians had the same attitude, though he admits they don’t.
At least not like he does. Not like his contemporary, friend, and fellow legend Wayne Shorter, does.
“It’s funny because Wayne and I have had a lot of conversations about the state of jazz today and what’s happening,” he said. “We realize that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of people looking into new ways of reexamining the conventions that we’ve grown to accept in the music.” He continues on his own artistic voyage, not trying to carry the load But he leads by example, even if he doesn’t say so.
Read the rest of the interview here!
BOOTSY COLLINS
Besides George Clinton, Bootsy Collins is probably the mobster who is best known to people outside P-Funk circles. His rise to stardom (pun very much intended), beginning in the sixties as James Brown’s bassist, then moving on to becoming one of the key members in the P-Funk empire (both as a musician/songwriter/producer for Parliament/Funkadelic and as the leader of his own Bootsy’s Rubberband) has been well covered. But who is William “Bootsy” Collins? How does he think and feel? Isn’t he scared of being attacked when he defies all the rules of security and walks through the audience during the song “Touch” on live gigs? Doesn’t he ever get bored with being “Bootsy”, with all its accessories? Is it true that he is living out his star image to the max (as a paper reported before Bootsy and the New Rubberband’s first ever concert in Sweden)? Those were just a few of the questions I was hoping to get answers to as I dialed the number to Bootsy’s studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, aptly titled Bootzilla Rehab.
Read the rest of the interview here!
Find your way to another classic RMX by IlMago: Guest post @ Dirty Waters
And don’t forget about this: Nas ‘One Love IlMago RMX’
Have a nice wk end everybody…
Summer is coming and my two posts about essential reggae tunes were a huge success: so why not puttin some more Reggae on this site? Lately we’ve been busy with other styles, but Martini & Jopparelli LOVE Reggae Music!
Reggae is blowin up right now in Italy. Every city has his sound systems battling each other tune on tune, and the youth go crazy for it! Some years ago Hip Hop was the “cool” music, the “new thing” for the youngsters. But now it’s Reggae. Hip Hop in Italy never earned such a massive audience. And the proof is there are a lot of live concerts around, all the most important Jamaican artists come to Italy as a second home. It’s Reggae time.
Shanty Sound is the Champion Sound in my town. He rules the area with his stunning selections and remarkable dedicated special recordings. This mix was recorded live on February the 25th, on my birthday party. He was so kind to donate me this good vibes I’m going to give you right now.
Listen this ruff 7 inch mix featuring some specials (you will hear his name pronounced by the greatest Jamaican legends here and there, along with the names of the crew members: big up Marchino, Giuly and Teo!), some new stuff and a lot of classic stuff you may have not heard. He plays Reggae the way it is supposed to be played: fast switching between tracks, rugged mixing style with fast cuts and rewinds and of course strictly vinyls, with lots of crackles and pops noise!!
Listen! Shanty Sound is in your town!
(NOTE: …….. an entire post about Reggae without dreadlocks images? All the artist portrayed are legends, but you don’t need dreadlocks to be a Reggae legend! In order: Bob Marley and Wailers, Desmond Dekker, The Heptones, King Tubby. —-> Youth, learn the lesson…It’s not about how you look.)
But I am not really into this kind of stuff honestly.
Anyhow, this time I have to make an exception: Jay Z & Fela Kuti
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