Fact Magaine - 100 albums of the decade

One of my fav sites did their end of decade list... and I'm quite pleased with the end result.

Esstential 2-Step

It comes at you with this almost heavenly intro, the 'with little bit of luck' line makes it both depressing and cheesy. But as soon as that bad bassline comes in, there is this smooth ride that makes you feel all good inside.


Nice beat programming that reminds me of Bell Biv Devoe's "Poison". The blend of ragga with house vocals adds depth. the low-low-upupup bassline is way too bubblin.


There is something very 'outerspace' about this tune with the pitched up vocal. I'm thinking Burial likes this tune. That second verse with the 'sleepless' night really packs an emotional punch and puts it all in place. Tracy Chapman maybe?


Whoa, what a great pairing of vocal with bassline, as her vindictive shots are supplemented by physical bass. Her chorus is amazing and as it drops back down to the organ it just goes all nuts at that point... sweet!


The relentless flow of Asher goes well with the mid-range stabs that just keep punching and punching. The break is rough enough too, so Asher smooths it out with his lava flow... rough!


Its that cheesiness that actually pays off.. Never heard such a literal translation from pop to 2-step of Soft Cell's cover of "Tainted Love".


Its one of the 4/4s that I really like. The snare and shuffle are what make it hot, its so sloppy and swings so hard that i can't help but dance.


I had to put en El-B and I went with this because of the bright key hits alongside Monie Love's angry flow, another example of mixing dark with bright in 2-step.


This one gives me the screwface...


This one just swings so hard... and them Stevie Wonder like keys are too nice!


The vocals are treated just like dub reggae... sprinkles throughout and you don't get tired of it...

I stole this picture of a Reggae Sound for you

It's analogous right? The power of the person to create, the sheer power of bass... something invisible that physically moves you (spiritual, no?). The ability to make something out of nothing. The overcoming of poverty and stereotypes. Individualism within a communal experience. Creating community. and so on and so on and so on...

Rogue's Foam - The Premature Burial: Burial the Pallbearer vs Burial the Innovator

This long piece on Burial that explains why music critics have too much time on their hands, or why burial is one of the greatest producers and innovators of dubwise music.

A London Some'ting dis - Jungle documentary (1993)

I want to share this great documentary on Jungle, which is defined as a hybrid of Techno, House, Hip Hop and Reggae.. bringing forth a brand new sound felt 15 years later with Dubstep, Grime, etc. I truly appreciate this doc above all others as it truly captures the ability of urban Britain to make a new sound from seemingly disparate sources. As a Latino, this resonates strongly with me as I grew up from a cultural Mestizaje of African, Iberian, and Indigenous American nations. As a B-Boy, this resonates strongly with me as Hip Hop was a reframing of Jamaican soundsystem culture where the chatting, soundclash, and dubplate culture was translated with Funk, R&B, and Disco music. The great thing was that Jungle and Hip Hop were both then released to the rest of the world as musics EVERYONE can move and groove to. Creating a bridge across differences through hybridity.

Electro-Rappin!! - Attack of the B-Boys from Outer Space!!

A collection of Electro-Funk, Hip Hop, and Techno from ‘80 to ‘85. This was a bit difficult to mix as this isn’t really my genre of expertise… so pardon the mix especially towards the end (I did redeem myself with Night Drive > Drama). But, being that I am no DJ, this is meant to showcase music moments that are currently influencing me. If you need, hit me up for my old school House, Jungle, Drum & Bass mixes, plus any ill.selection or Dubstep mixes… I should have some Reggae/dub and Golden Era Hip Hop coming up.

Download Here!

Fab Five Freddy Intro

Looking for the Perfect Beat – Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
Boogie Down Bronx – Man Parrish
Jam On It – Newcleus
Friends – Whodini
Dear Ivette – LL Cool J
It’s Like That – Run-DMC
Play at Your own Risk – Planet Patrol
Let the Music Play – Shannon
Clear – Cybotron
Set It Off – Strafe
Walking in the Rain (I saw you) – Oran “Juice” Jones
Play that Beat Mr. DJ - G.L.O.B.E & Whiz Kid
Bassline – Mantronix
That’s the Joint – Funky 4 plush 1 More
The Breaks – Kurtis Blow
Scorpio – Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Night Drive (Time, Space, Transmat) – Model 500
Drama – Derrick May

Breakage - "Hard" Feat Newham Generals, "Run Em Out" Feat Roots Manuva

This is very sick! D Double E is a don for sure!! Both on Digital Soundboy