DJ Rectangle - OG Style (1994)

This is one of my favourite Rectangle mixes. Having initially lived with it for years on tape (possibly off Westwood), and then downloads of varying quality, I finally copped a CD copy recently at a reasonable price. Lots of 1994 classics on this, but as with all mixes like this (as opposed to golden era mixes made in the 00s onwards) there's a few lesser known joints like Record Jock by Dana Dane, The Legion's Legion Groove and Flow Wood by Volume 10. Highlights for me are the blend of One Love over Deep Cover (sounds kind of basic now but it was the shit back then), the way Black Superman comes in (simple but effective) and the intros and little scratch/acapella blends between tracks that was Rectangle's signature, along with his intros. Full tracklist is here.

DJ Rectangle - Wax Assassin (1998)

1998 was a good year right? Nice amount of new acts coming through that would go on to be mainstays of the genre, a solid number of good albums, underground/indie, mainstream and everything in between on both coasts was in pretty good health, So a DJ Rectangle mix from 1998 is going to be good innit?

Check the 'Cogs for the TL. I had to cut off the last 2 tracks as the CD was skipping but I think the rest of it is fine

DJ Rectangle - Table Torture

CD rip of this Rectangle mix from late 2001 - early 2002. Full tracklist here.

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DJ Rectangle - The Six Million Dollar Hand (2004)

Found this Rectangle CD that I haven't posted yet. It's from 2004 so we're on the fringes of classic territory and there's definitely some bullshit on here but Rec stitches it together so nicely and switches it up so often that you don't really have time to get too annoyed by anything. If you're in the UK the sun's out and it's a 3 day weekend so an appropriate opportunity to throw this on may well present itself at some point.

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(click on the image to biggify it)

DJ Rectangle - The Lightning Fist (1998)

Sorted through a load of CDs at the weekend and came across a couple of Rectangle mixes I haven't uploaded. Full tracklist is here.

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It was a wednesday afternoon in the middle of June...

It's actually an evening at the end of June but whatevs. Been slacking on my blogging due to exams, there not being enough hours in the day, and more recently, the country collapsing and everyone generally losing their shit. Here's some stuff to keep you entertained 'til I get back on it...

DJ Snips '45 Live - Classic Hip Hop 7"s' mix

DJ Cable is going to be giving away a few remixes and re-edits. Here's his mash up of Missy's 'Work It' over the '93 Til Infinity' instrumental

DJ Filthy Rich has blended Biggie's Party & Bullshit acapella with Lil Shawn's 'Dom Perrignon' instrumental (which samples Biggie) Go here for that one.

I recently re-upped a couple of old Westwood shows onto the mixcloud page: Check this Radio 1 Rap Show from March 1996  and a Capital Rap Show from June 1994

The good dude at the Simply Dope soundcloud page recently posted a 1 track version of DJ Rectangle's excellent 'OG Style' mixtape from 1994. Probably deserves a post of its own but it's not my rip so I'll leave it here.

DJ Rectangle - Behind Bars (1999)

That last Rectangle mix I posted went down well, and rightly so - every mix he dropped back in the day was heat. Here's one from '99. Bangers, blends and acapellas flying around all over the place and superbly mixed as you'd expect...

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DJ Rectangle - Behind Bars (1999) by Djstepone on Mixcloud

DJ Rectangle - Deadly Needles (1997)

Definitely one of my favourite mixtapes of all time. I first heard this when Westwood played a side of the tape over 2 weeks on his show. I recorded it, played it to death and bought pretty much all the tracks used on here. Some of them aren't even particularly great out of the context of this mix, but everything fits together really well and Rectangle's technique of using snatches of various acapellas and instrumentals in between songs means that energy of the mix never dips. After  living with the cassette copy, and then a downloaded version (with a minor glitch whenever the track changed, which is often) I copped it on CD a few years ago and decided against uploading it. Until now...

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Rectangle's tapes had a lot of West Coast joints that I wouldn't usually be exposed to as NY DJs tended to favour mostly East Coast artists and that was mirrored in the selections on offer in the UK's record shops. This is the tape that put me on to Suga Free's 'If You Stay Ready', 'Talkin Bout Bank' by The Whoridas and 'Hit The Floor' by MC Eiht & Daz. I assure you, it's fucking great.

DJ Rectangle - Deadly Needles (1997) by Djstepone on Mixcloud

If you like this I recently re-upped 1995's 'Ill Rated' mixtape

DJ Rectangle 'Ill Rated' (1995)

Just rediscovered this last night. Dope Rectangle mix from '95

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Westside Connection, Special Ed, Channel Live and Goodie Mob all feature but in typical Rectangle style theres a new acapella or instrumental dropped in every couple of minutes.

DJ Rectangle on Kiss FM (1998)

Another Rectangle mix, this time from Max & Dave's Kiss FM show in 1998...

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Tracklist

All City - The Actual

Gang Starr ft Rage & Kurupt - You Know My Steez (remix)

Queen Latifah - Get Off Mine

Noreaga - N.O.R.E (instrumental)

Rasheed & Ill Advised - 1986

Lauryn Hill - Lost Ones

Rufus Blaq - Out Of Sight

Thanks to crate digga for sending this over.

DJ Rectangle 'The Tables Have Turned' (1997)

In the mid to late 90s most mixtapes available in the UK were by NYC DJs who rarely strayed from the East Coast for their track selection. Aside from the occasional Snoop, Dre or Outkast track it was rare that artists from LA or the Bay Area were represented. Fortunately Rectangle was on the case and aswell as his tapes being really well mixed he'd have music from anyone making noise on the West Coast. This tape includes freestyles by The Luniz and Jayo Felony (over 'Kick In The Door') aswell as tracks by WC, Suga Free and Daz.

  STREAM SIDE A     STREAM SIDE B

Tracklist

DJ Rectangle Intro

Jay Z 'I Know What Girls Like'

Master P 'Ghetto D'

The LOX 'Do You Think I'm Jiggy'

Busta Rhymes 'Dangerous'

Daz Dillinger 'Way Too Major'

Puff Daddy 'Big Ole Butt'

Mack 10 'Only In California'

Suga Free 'While U Bullshittin'

WC 'Give It Up'

The LOX 'If You Want It'

Mic Geronimo 'Nothing Move But The Money'

Jayo Felony 'Freestyle'

Gang Starr 'You Know My Steez'

EPMD 'The Joint'

The Firm 'Phone Tap'

Jay Z 'Streets Is Watching'

Puff Daddy 'Señorita'

Rakim 'It's Been A Long Time'

The Firm 'Fuck Somebody Else'

The Luniz 'Freestyle'

The Luniz 'Jus Me & U'

Ice Cube 'Greed'

EPMD 'Ritcher Scale'