Low-Life | UK Hip Hop Story | 35 Essential Cuts - Celebrating 35 Years In The Making CD

Intro

Early Doors:
1979-1985

False Dawn:
1985-1990

Underground Years:
1990-1995

The Renaissance:
1995- 2000

The Future:
2000 & Beyond

Artists &
Discographies

35 Essential Cuts CD

This is a review that I accidentally deleted, so this is just a quick one to make up for the loss. What we have here is a bit of a mystery. It appeared in the mail with no announcement as to what is is and who it is by. The cover as you can see has a pair of shell toed Adidas trainers with fat laces in front of a red and orange background and the rear has a similarly coloured collage with only the words, '35 Essential Cuts Celebrating 35 Years In The Making' stand out information wise. Without any sleeve notes, introductory letter I am at a loss as to what this could be. With some of the musical content I wondered if it was a tribute to Jam Master Jay, or even an elaborate viral marketing advert for Adidas. Despite this lack of knowledge with regard to what I was listening to I never the less lapped it up.

The CD kicks off with some Run DMC tracks cut the buggery out of and blended with a collage of vocal snippets Steinski or early Cold Cut style. Its three minutes before we get a full verse of Runs House, followed by the opening drums from Sucker MCs being Juggled. Then we are off going on a breaks and funk excursion in which we are treated to a well mixed selection which initially starts off with Bob James' Take Me To The Mardi Gras and includes the ubiquitous cut up James Brown along with some super funky Meters type tracks and other well known grooves which would keep any dance floor filled.

The breaks section finishes off with James Brown's I Know You Got Soul before the CD progresses on an classic mix of Big Daddy Kane's Another Victory and Heaven & Hell and a selection on an Electro tip featuring Man Parrish's Boogie Down Bronx and Hip Hop Don't Stop and Twilight 22's Electric Kingdom followed by G.L.O.B.E.'s Play That Beat before a crude slow down and a Nu Skool selection including Public Enemy's Your Gonna Get Yours, a bit of Stetsasonic followed by what sounds like a Trouble Funk Go Go beat and Audio Two's much sampled classic classic Top Billin'. Special Ed's I Got It Made continues what is turning out to be a fabulous dope mix.

A crude switch to Group Home's Superstar or Livin' Proof, I forget right now and the The CD finishes off pretty much where it started with a return to phrases cutting up, 'sneakers on my feet' and 'my Adidas'. Run DMC and the turntable skills which have accompanied the tracks for the duration play out the tracklist. So a complete mystery as to what this is about, but it is a nice retrospective track selection, ust what I wanted to hear. I wasn't counting the number of tracks, but 35 in this 30 minute mix seems about right. If anyone has any more information on this let me know.