• 3/14/2023
    HiTech, swoozydolphin @ glob, Denver (4/7/23)

    Unsure how much of the LBJ readership is Colorado-based, but thought it worth mentioning that I have dipped my toe into the show-booking game. (Early returns re: ticket sales suggest that this may be a once-ever occurrence, so consider the experience highly collectible.).

    continue reading

  • 2/12/2023
    Joyce Sims - Come Into My Life (SLX-28)

    Another Mantronik ultra-classic - in particular, we like the beats, the beats that are a bonus. My copy’s unfortunately a little noisy, especially on the A side. Tried a couple of those vinyl de-clicking tools without a luck, hit my line if you’ve found one that works for you. .

    continue reading

  • 12/30/2022
    Young Pop - Let Me See U Jit (41348Z3)

    Super early ghettotech record from 1993, via In-Motion Records. The future electrofunk formula is totally intact, as is pointed Miami bass influence - Young Pop and M.C.T. trade Splack Pack flows on the vocal track, while the bonkers instrumental intersperses Detroit-style funk guitar flourishes and scratching pulled straight from the Miami tradition. .

    continue reading

  • 12/29/2022
    Technics - The Chris Tucker Theme / The Bootie Theme (KOK-7)

    Super simple, but “The Chris Tucker Theme” is one of my absolute favorites from Technics - a couple clips from Tucker’s spoken intro to Michael Jackson “You Rock My World,” backed by some particularly slammin drums. No idea what “The Bootie Theme” is sampling - it’s in the vein of a cartoony chomping-down-on-sandwich sound effect - but I’m not on that side of the record very often anyway.

    continue reading

  • 12/29/2022
    Various - Midas Touch Records (MIDAS-2)

    Details are hazy, but I believe this to be a self-released sort of label sampler from Tony Kurtis, Baltimore r’n’b guy, with a couple DJ Technics remixes thrown in. Tony’s best-known for “Bedsqueak” (the “Moments” mix of which is a pleasantly novel flip of you-know-what), with a shelved debut album and a couple co-writing credits with Gina Thompson (!) to his name as well.

    continue reading

  • 7/24/2022
    Troy Brown, DJ Patrick, Dukeyman - Who Shit Is This / Turn It Around (QR-034)

    Pretty leftfield as these things go, this is one of a number of multi-artist cyphers that Quiet Records put out around the turn of the millennium. Because it’s fun to mythologize, I’m more than happy to attribute 80+% of the weird brilliance of these tracks to “Troy Brown,” a virtual ghost save for one other Quiet release (QR-020, Clap Yo Hand - for the record I’m quite sure that the Discogs entry thereof confuses this Troy for another guy who was active around the same time, but is quite clearly Canadian).

    continue reading

  • 7/2/2022
    Mix: Supa DJ Irate Mate - It's Pronounced 'Buena'

    Reconsidered the last mix I posted - shout out to everybody who was able to collect that before deletion - and decided I’d go a little shorter and less wide-ranging instead. Hence, a bunch of my favorite records from the Clubhouse / Cajmere / Prescription axis, plus some other stuff.

    continue reading

  • 6/26/2022
    Precise - Suzie Homemaker (PC305-12)

    I know very little about Go-Go to begin with, and less still about the one-off(?) “Precise” crew that’s on the label here (always warms the heart to see how relatively well-documented a group like Rare Essence remains, though). Speaking of which, the other (non-Groove Records) issue of this single is the sole non-Rare Essence release among 30 or so on a label called “Sounds of the Capital.” So, maybe that’s something. Anyway, sick tune in all four variations.

    continue reading

  • 6/21/2022
    Supa You T & Simi Disciple / Mystic Levi - House Of Confusion / Rivers (LCR 001)

    Some of my favorite sounds of all time - spent quite a while chasing this down after hearing “Rivers” (at 33rpm) on DJ Python’s erstwhile YouTube channel / lifestyle vlog. I’ve got next to no context for the release, besides the “Digital Roots” genre tag, but all three current uploads somehow managed to summon either Simi Disciple or Mystic Levi into the comments ro provide a little bit of background. (See comments from “troy gordon” here: ”Land by the river is the original vocals to this tune written by Simi Disciple,hence 'Rivers' became it's anthem!For the record,T.Gordon is Simi which is me!”).

    continue reading