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• OLD SKOOL LOVERS '80 - '93

Various - Record Shack Presents Volume One - 25-Sep-09 09:09 AM
I picked up a mint copy of this the other day, for free.
I saw the two 'break machine' tunes on it and thought Id give it a listen (as I used to be a breakdancer years ago). The break machine tunes were always cheesey and no serious b-boy would really play them, but (seeing as I didnt recognise any of the other tracks) I thought maybe there might be some hidden gems on the LP.
My mistake lol, the other tracks are all of the 'very camp hi-nrg' type, and unless you are really into this early 80's cheesey sound then I wouldnt reccommend this double LP to anyone.
Every track is very similair, featuring lots of 1980's basic digital synth preset sounds (Yamaha DX7 anyone), very fake linn drums, and lots of very high vocals.
This will obviously suit some people, so if you went out in the early 80's to the US clubs where this type of music was played, no doubt many of the tracks will be classic to you...

Black Velvet - 22-Jun-09 10:42 AM
This label has put out a series of decent EP's with quite a few classic tunes on, a lot of average tunes, and some trash.
The main thing wrong with these EP's is the shocking quality of the recordings. Make no mistake, they are extremely poor.
I bought a few brand new from HTFR and one was so badly pressed that it would not play without my needles skipping from the edge to the centre. I use new technics 1200 mk5 and ortofon carts/needles set to the correct weights and they work 100% with properly pressed vinyls. The ones that do actually play, sound terrible. Think 80kbps mp3 recorded to vinyl and your not far out....
Avoid these ripoff vinyls and just buy originals of the tunes....

Various - Eleventh Heaven EP - 05-Apr-09 11:58 AM
Superb 4 - tracker here.
Move your body is beautiful, the drops are in the right places, the piano is awesome, and the whole chord progression throughout the track is very nice indeed. It does sound oldskool but somehow also fresh and new at the same time, my faveourite track of the ep.
Break the bank is more oldskool sounding and uses a very well known vocal main sample which sits perfectly in the mix. The track has lots of other interesting bits and bobs thrown in and they all fit very well, typical 92/93 sound and if you play it to somebody who has not heard of the label, they would probably swear it was a 92 tune.
4 elements is slightly darker than the previous tunes above, and has a more jungle feel to it. More like a 93 track really, with its hoovers and jungle vocal bits. Even when a piano finally comes into the track it still sounds quite spooky, and its as good as the other tracks mentioned above, although quite different.
My senic starts with an interesting intro with the beat at half-speed tied with a vocal loop, quite african in sound. In comes some nice old sounding stabs and off the track rolls. The beats to this tune are quite old sounding compared to the other three tracks, which is nice and fits really well when the 'need your loving' piano sample comes into the tune. The trancey style backing synth arpeggio is interesting and different, and although it is my least favourite track of the 4, it is still a well produced item in its own right.
Overall this is (imo) the best asbo so far, and anyone who has never heard any of the labels releases would be very happy if they dipped their toe in the water and bought this to see what the asbo's were all about.

Bubbles (2) - We Can Ride The Boogie (Rock With You) - 08-Mar-09 05:30 AM
This is not your typical dark underground oldskool hardcore release, but is still a quality 12" and very under-rated.
This 12" is all about the A side track. The tune starts with a nice buzzy synth sound and is soon joined by the the famous michael jackson vocal bits (taken from his hit 'Rock With You').
The track has a great overall vibe with lots of interesting different drops and sections, and actually sounds very modern considering its age. The vocal samples are maybe a bit over-used and could becomme slightly annoying if you play the tune a lot, but the production and quality of the individual parts that make up this tune are really very good.
Flip it over and B1 is another mellow sounding track which uses synth 'flute' type sounds in a jazzy kinda way. The track doesnt really do anything or go anywhere though.
B2 is simply a short dub version of the A side, and without the vocals it doesnt really have much impact.
Overall this is well worth buying for the A side tune, and will always sound great in any 1992 mix.

DJ Clarkee - E.P Volume II - 15-Dec-08 09:10 AM
Excellent 4-track EP from DJ Clarkee.
A1 - Starts with vocal sample "hardcore / bust it" and ruff beat with mad siren type synth. Bit of a strange track, takes a while to get to the drop, which is quite dark sounding synth / hoover. Another drop 2 mins later and stuttery short synth stabs riff changes the atmosphere again. Not the most easy track on the ears, but its unique sound makes it stand out in a set.
A2 - Starts with broken amen and two vocal samples, one I dont recognise, the other is classic "alright" as used by many other artists of the era. A piano riff enteres the track after a few bars which is quite nice but doesnt sound like it really fits with the other parts. As with the 1st track, isnt typical in its track structure, and kinda takes a while to get going, and doesnt really go anywhere anyway. But its unique style does make it stand out, and it does grow on you.
B1 - Typical early jungle sound, nice ruff breakbeat, deep bass, and "I get hype" vocal sample.
B2 - This is the most famous track on the EP for me. It was played at an early dreamscape (DS3 ?), and probably lots of other events too. Ruff beats, awesome deep jungle bassline, and "come on people have a good time" vocal sample. Combined with the eerie background synth this makes for a great track.
Overall this is an EP of tunes which do not have lots of variation in each track, nor are they very different to eachother, but it is a unique sounding ep that is worth getting for B2 alone.

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