Tape Kingz #7: DJ Diablo

Aside from having contributed a ton of tapes from his extensive collection to OB4ZL, DJ Diablo is also a founder member of The Brotherhood, was resident at legendary London club night The Hop, DJ for Roots Manuva's Banana Klan crew and most recently held it down on BBC 1Xtra with a guest spot on the Heartless Crew's sunday night show. Here's his top 3 mixtapes...

DJ Riz on the Capital Rap Show (1994)

No one had ever heard a mix like this before, everything about it was perfect the cuts, the blends, the mixing. Westwood first played Riz's mix in '93 but only dropped 20 minutes of it and due to popular demand he had to play the whole thing. Simply untouchable. 

 Mr Wiggles - Rock Steady Vol 1 (1994)

Another incredible mix for its time influencing many copycats, some good some and not so good. Using a 4 or 8 track mixing classic breaks with Zulu Nation gems. The definitive B-Boy mixtape. 

 DJ JS-1 - Flashbacks  

Another mix that blew my mind. Insane cutting and mixing with legendary tunes that birthed the culture. Flawless from beginning to end, JS-1's masterpiece is still in heavy rotation today.

Bloggy Blog World

Stretch & Bobbito on WKCR (1991)

DJ Diablo - Friday Night Mixtape

The Grime & Lime forum is proving very handy for rare and unreleased late 90s - early 00s mixtape only tracks

Hip Hop Radio Archive is still popping off with new additions like this Radio 1 Rap Show 14.08.99 with Pharoahe Monch & Blak Twang

These episodes of the Reflections Of A DJ podcast are well worth a listen:

DJ Mighty Mi

Jon Shecter

Cipha Sounds

The Hop: Live 09.12.98

 

The Hop was a Wednesday night event held at the now legendary London nightclub The End back in the late 90s. Pretty much anyone who was anyone at the time in London played there along with a host of visiting US artists. Here's a 90 minute snapshot from 1998 with DJs MK, Shortee Blitz, Pogo, Bizness and Diablo dropping joints new and old...

DOWNLOAD    STREAM SIDE A    STREAM SIDE B

The club itself was based about 10 minutes from the record shop hub of London's West End where heads would congregate at stores like Mr Bongo, Deal Real, Wild Pitch and Uptown to network and cop the latest releases. I never actually went to The Hop - I lived outside London and none of my friends at the time were into rap music - but frequented The End regularly until it closed in 2009. It had arguably the best sound system around and hosted some of the most popular promoters from a variety of genres. Personal highlights include seeing Kenny Dope and DJ Spinna back to back (literally) on 4 decks at a BBE event; going to the Urban Takeover album release party with a pile of promos of my first and only Drum & Bass release to give to the DJs, and one of the closing parties where Mr C (the co-owner) dropped a 'Back To 88-89' set and had the whole dancefloor singing along to 'Promised Land' and Inner City's 'Big Fun'. I miss that place.