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Soul Food

LIL’ KONAMI & DJ E – A Taste of Breaks Vol 2

Aaah, its been a long time since i’ve heard a scratched up funk mix from Greece, but there was one sitting oh so casually on a Greek hip hop site. And for a free download as well. And first impressions? Pretty damn bloody good. It’s by no means a ‘look at me i’ve got crates & crates of raer’s’ type of mix, but who cares, with at least 74 tracks mixed into 74 mins, some for only a few seconds, its a rip snorter. Some segues are a bit sudden, tempos change too quickly & a couple of tracks stop when they shouldn’t, but that’s all I really have to criticise it about, because they all seem pretty on point with thier ideas & skills. The scratches might be a bit too much for straight up funk nerds & at times they don’t seem necessary, but overall the selection is fantastic & the quality of the recording is superb at a very high rate MP3 file. It’s definitely not amaterurish at all. I’d love to hear some instrumental hip hop from Greece. Hope these guys are looking into producing their own music.

Mixed by Lil Konami & DJ E with extra manic scratching by Sparky T & Mykalo . Tracklisting is on the linked page, while the cover is included with the downloadable RAR file. Scroll down the page & there is another link to Vol 2.

Available for free download here

RANDOM HEROES – Roll Call/Days of Old (Jack 2 Phono)

In my opinion this is one of those records that if I heard someone else play out, i’d most likely run up & ask, ‘What the hell is this?’ And I’d friggin kick myself if I couldn’t score a copy. It’s just one of those perfectly executed cut’n paste b-boy friendly funk jams with some nifty dialogue about ‘drums’. Their previous single, ‘C’mon & Get It’ (Shove It! 2004) was re-released as a 12″on the UK label Freestyle with a worthy remix from Aussie lads Flow Dynamics . Random Heroes are Marc Kershaw and Eddie Scratch (deejay mate of UK hip hop producer Evil Ed) from the up north city of Leeds. Days of Old is more mid-temp steez with a chockloads of juicy breaks.

QUANTIC & MR SCRUFF – Tell It Like You Mean It/Giraffe Walk (Tru Thoughts)

We all knew they’d hook up at one stage. It was an inevitability, considering their similiar musical tastes. The A side is from Will ‘Quantic Holland’s new album, An Announcement To Answer & it’s sort back to his roots, in that it, unlike his recent QSO outpit, incorporates samples & ahs a mid-tempo hip hop beat as its backing. It’s a nice little tune with some Afro-horns & flute, but it’s the B-side joint that really gets my blood racing. It was previously only available on the One Off’s Remixes & B Sides compilation CD. Live drums, scratchy guitar, bouncing bassline & more flute than a herd of African animals could eat in a week.

• QUANTIC & MR SCRUFF – Giraffe Walk.mp3

DJ FORMAT – European Vacation

Superb mix from the Brighton lad who apparently gathered up a heap of records from his continetal trips & spent some time putting all the best tunes together on this mix. Mostly Euro & Scandinavian gems that makes one want to get on a flight overseas with a Eurarail pass in the pocket. The lazy git didn’t even track mark it so it’s one long file. It’s a might impressive piece of work that is brilliantly executed & put together. If you like what DJ LEACY did with his obscure Euro gems on his classic tapes, then this should be right up your alley.

CRADLE – Attitude (Subcontact)

The best album I’ve heard from Japan in ages. It absolutely kills me. Great diversity in styles & a wicked selection of underground emcees such as Collective Efforts, Fresh Air, Mass Influence, Aloe Blacc, Dizzy Dustin & more. The best thing about it though, is that there’s 3 awesome uptempo tunes with blinding breaks & rampaging rhythms. One is a classic sounding late 80s effort Never Forget Action , with C.E., H20 (of M.I) & Pgnut on the mic, but the other 2 are monsterlike percussive orgasmic instrumentals. Goodness starts off with a Latin exotica vibe, complete with vibraphone samples & a thunderous bassline, while The Art of Bop Breaking roars with some kettle-like drums & a jazzy flute driven rhythm that wouldn’t be amiss on a label like FUNK WEAPONS or CITRONA. This track was available on the 4 track EP compilation Sound Drips EP 1 . Would cause many a b-boy to split their collective heads apart. Even the midtempo beaty tracks are top notch.

Released in June on the label Subcontact (The same label that released two 7″ singles from DJ DAY). Only available on CD, though there is a 12″ single of Never Forget Action . Two young Japanese kids, Tomoki , who makes the beats & DJ Chika on the scratch have crafted an album that is steeped deeply within the crates of 2 obvious obsessive diggers & has the potential to be a sleeper classic. For the evidence is all over the album. Highly recommended.

• CRADLE – The Art of Bop Breaking.mp3

• CRADLE – Never Forgive Action feat. Collective Efforts, Pgnut, H20, Dillon & Dirty Digits.mp3

LE SCRATCH FUNK – The Go Off!! (Melting Pot)

Another Melting Pot wonderment. This time from the far left side of Germany with Sticky Dojah & Axt . The Go Off one of those perfect b-boy friendly joints that relies on just the right amount of classic rhythmic touches over some pummeling organic drums. Some super nice drum fills drop in exactly where they should while the gentle flicks of guitar licks keep the action consistent & vibrant. The numerical stated Kraftwerk vocal sample is a nice touch as well. There’s a small element of scratching, but mostly it’s left bare for the deejay playing to go berko over or to just let yourself ride with the familiar bassline. There’s even a The Go Off!! Beats only version for some double copy action while From Scratch is a skittery mid-tempo tune with those Yvone Davis moans that get sampled every 2nd year. Some rap vocals get cut-up to add even more dynamics. Pretty much an essential record from MPM again. Will be just as fresh in another 10 years.

• Loads more info on the MPM website here .

• Or you can have a peep over at their MySpace page here for a listen.