DJ Step One - Doctor's Orders/Jazzy Jeff competition mix

DJ Step One - The Doctor’s Orders / Jazzy Jeff Competition mix by Soulfocus on Mixcloud

I don't really tend to look to DJ out much these days. Partly because of the lack of decent venues in my area, partly because being in my mid-30s I started finding it less fun playing to 18 year olds who only want to hear Rihanna and Rudimental, and partly because the novelty of it all had worn off a bit after 15 odd years.
However, if a good opportunity presents itself I'm not one to turn it down so when London club promoters The Doctor's Orders set up a competition to win a warm-up set on a night when 3 of my favourite DJs are playing I had to step up and get busy with this 30 minute mix. I've very rarely asked for much in return over the 640 posts so if you could all oblige with clicking play on the mix above (as I'm sure you were going to anyway) it would be appreciated.

UPDATE - Having hit the target of 100 plays in just over 24 hours, here's the link to download the mix

Don't Sleep #1: Melody 'Cool Chillin' (1989)

The first in an irregular series of posts where I pick out songs that I feel are unduly slept on. It seems like nothing is really that obscure anymore so don't expect a barrage of rare and unreleased joints. This is more a case of either putting people up on things they haven't heard or just jogging memories. That said, the first one up is a bit obscure...

I loved this track when I heard it back in '89 on the Deep Heat 4 compilation but in the years that followed, searches for a 12" proved unsuccessful. A few years ago I found out it was released on an album by the seminal Chicago House label Trax, which was pretty much the last place I expected to find it. Given the notoriously bad quality of Trax vinyl, I passed on buying it. Telstar's habit of squeezing 8 tracks on each side means the Deep Heat 4 vinyl is a non-starter as well, so I've just made do with an MP3. Anyway, its a great track that uses 'Summer Madness' (although 10 year old me didn't know that, obviously) with some Rakim samples cut-up for good measure. Given their label's House background and the general trend for uptempo Rap tracks back then its kind of suprising that this is so downtempo. As far as the lyrics go, it's not entirely dissimilar to Just Hangin Out by Main Source (another personal favourite)...



I haven't been able to find out any info about Melody but this seems to be their only release. I assume they're from Chicago which might have gone against them in the NY-centric days of the 80s. Still, maybe it'll turn out that dude is Chief Keef's grandpa or Kanye's uncle or something.

AZ 'Red Magic' (2014)

AZ rapping over a sample of 'Strawberry Letter 23'. This is exactly the kind of thing I'd have come up with for Rap Thangs That Shoulda Done Happened.

Deven Miles - Kommercial Breakdown (1999)

Carhartt? Check. Jansport? Check. Mixtape filled with 90s indie joints and quirky skits and samples from TV commercials? Check. This is another one from Mr Pepaseed's collection...

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This era has been much maligned in some corners of the Rap Internet but there was undoubtedly some gems released around the turn of the century. 

(NB: The new tracks on here all seem to be from '99, apart from Casual's 'I Got To Get Down' which Discogs says is from 2001. Weird.)

Sparkle Motion - Mega Blends (2014)

Them Sparkle Motion boys done did it again...

GO HERE

Funkmaster Flex - Radio 1 Rap Exchange (1995)

Flex links up with Westwood for the April '95 edition of the Rap Exchange. I rinsed this tape back in the day, mostly because for a while it was the only place I had the remix of 'Resurrection' which has pretty much solidified itself as my favourite beat of all time. Anyway, here's 50 mins (thanks to the lesser spotted 100 minute blank tape) of Funk Flex getting busy...

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Tracklist
Lost Boyz 'Lifestyles Of The Rich And Shameless'
Tha Alkaholiks 'The Next Level'
Method Man ft Mary J Blige 'All I Need' remix
Jeru The Damaja 'The Frustrated Nigga'
Common Sense 'Resurrection' Extra P remix
Junior MAFIA ft Biggie 'Players Anthem'
Raekwon & Ghostface 'Can It Be All So Simple' remix
Biggie 'Who Shot Ya'
Mad Lion 'Own Destiny'
Doo Wop & The Bounce Squad 'Bounce Rock Skate Roll'
Funkmaster Flex ft Charlie Brown, ODB, Biz Markie & Kaotic Style 'Nuttin But Flava' remix

Shout out to Yams who hit me up yesterday requesting some 90s Flex tapes. Also shout to @jose3030 who came up on the source of the David Letterman drop that Flex uses. Skip to 5:50 (or watch the whole thing because Rosie Perez)

DJ Ivan6 - The Sooper Doopa Tape Vol 3 (2014)

 

Hip Hop, Soul, breaks and some other isht courtesy of DJ Ivan6...

GO HERE