ID: KID GINSENG of the Kraftjerks

_COLLECTING SINCE: 1996
_FAVORITE DIGGING CITIES: London, by far the most knowlegable clerks, they love hiphop beats in a way the U.S. should, but doesn't. peep Mr. Bongos. plus electro is more welcome there than anyplace else.
_FAVORITE LABELS: techno hop, luke skyywalker, tommy boy
_COLLECTION SIZE: 200-300 rekurds, alot of electrofunk. I don't really fuck with new rap 12"s much, I prefer pre '89 stuff and experimental music.
_BREAK OF THE MOMENT: the mexican (either one), it's just begun (captures latin/funk fusion), rock me amedeus- falco, gangbusters (from wildstyle)
_DOLLAR BIN MIRACLE: electric breakdance compilation (the breaking instructions weren't included) found it at a public library, includes "electric kingdom."
_MAGS OF CHOICE: tokyo pop, fatlace, big brother (old)
_FAVORITE COVER: needle to the groove 12"- mantronix (pictured), El Stew S/T, Toasted Marshmellow Feet Breaks (acid trip mike dream (R.I.P.) pen and ink, funny)
_TRACK TO MAKE LOVE TO: hell awaits -Slayer


These are just 10 of the best, not neccisarily the rarest, but records that I think are important that everyone should know, especialy if your using Dirtstyle wax. Helloo? Where do you think you got the skratch samples you use from? Cause there isn't any robot voices in EPMD, yunno. It's obvious that many a skratcher's library of skratch samples is directly or indirectly from electro. Do I hear Awsome Foursome chanting "uh!" or Hashim growling, "Just feel it!"? Get ready, cause "it'sss timmme" for my record check...

TITLE: Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)
ARTIST: Hashim
LABEL: Cutting Records 83

First ever Cutting Records platter in '83 ny, this record is pure genius, mabye my favorite record of all time and mabye the best in the history of music. Aladdin, Qbert, and countless others have used it in their champion routines. When some Qbert-clone, toy is skratching "it'ss" or "just feel it" with Toasted Marshmellow, he may not know it, but he is using this record, and saddly alot skratchers don't know it by name, even though they exploit parts of it to practice with all the time. It's pathetic, like not knowing where "impeach the president" is from, then looping the drums and calling yourself a "producer." Al-Naafiysh has a hard to pronounce name and has been nicknamed "it's time" by many. This song has an extremely processed 808, just saturated with fx, from the reverb and eq on the pounding kickdrum, to the flanger on the sizzling hi-hat. The 808 rimshot sound effect is highly pronounced and forced to the front of the mix, clicking violently at a funky latin rythm. Amazing riffs are played with the Roland Jupiter, and the moog-type bassline is harder than Ron Jeremy's cock. The snare bangs hard like TT-Boy, and the vocoder voice is straight from an evil planet. What makes this song are the melodies that sound straight from arabia played by Jerry Calliste, and the perfect drums, plus the tape edits by label founder Aldo Marin. The fucking shit, nuff said. You can catch this on side b of my tape, Germanik Robotz where I do a test tone to it.

TITLE: Automan 12"
ARTIST: Newcleus
LABEL: Sunnyview 1984

On Sunnyview from '84 I think. The same people that put out "ET's Boogie" which Busta Rhymes bit when he made "Dangerous" a few years back. Automan has very well programmed drums, a very good strategic mixdown and beautiful synths. The drums are slower for electro, around 110 bpm I think, and extremely funky. The vocals are rock and roll style on this song. Horrible. Even I can't stand em. I just use the breaks. Eddie Def defends these vocals, to me it's just a joke because the singer sounds like he's pushing out a log of shit with every word and breath, kinda like Stan Bush, Danzig, or Soundgarden.

TITLE: Running 12"
ARTIST: Information Society
LABEL: Tommy Boy 1986

Released on Tom Silverman's famous new york Tommy Boy label in '86, by this time electro's audience had already shifted from rap fans to a latin club audience and was being called freestyle or latin hiphop. This joint has bad-ass drums with spacey fx and an analog synth bass that you can feel in yer tummy. The lead synth is great too. Attention: like many other dope electro records, this one has singing, done by a brittish guy, Depeche Mode style. Only me or old skool heads like Eddie Def who remember when "Back to The Future" was brand new will dig the vocals. But there's an instrumental too and a remix by "Little Louie" Vega. It's all edited with blades on a reel-to-reel by the masters of quick edits, Latin Rascals.

TITLE: Boogie Down (Bronx) 12"
ARTIST: Man Parrish featuring Freeze Force
LABEL: Sugarscoop 83

C'mon everybody, boogie down, boogie down!" This is one of my favorite records to skratch practice too. It's not that fast (around 120bpm) so I can really show off my orbits without feeling up tight like a heavy metal dude, like when I skratch to like, 45 speed 150bpm. The drums really bang on this one. The rimshots tick away, playing 32nd notes. The kick booms, but most of all, the keyboard part makes you feel like a space samurai or like you wanna just kick sum ass at a b-boy or skratch battle!

TITLE: Breakdown 12"
ARTIST: Unknown DJ
LABEL: Techno Kut Records 1988

Now for sum LA electro! On Techno Kut Records from '88. This is a much later electro record featuring an Emu SP-12, a Kraftwerk sound effect from "It's more fun to compute" and arabian sounding synths. It's dope as shit though. It has slutty vocals from Janeete and the skratching on one version is dope for the time, fast, precise and well recorded. Wadda you know? He's skratching "just feel it." yeah yeah, this one is on my tape too.

TITLE: B-Boys Beware 12"
ARTIST: Two Sisters
LABEL: Sugarscoop 1983

This record has nice drums, all echoed and dubby. The minimal keys played by Swizz Beats sound alot like this record, just not nearly as good. The bassline is bit from "Cavern" by Liquid Liquid, a classic b-boy break, most known for being bitten on "white lines" by Mellie Melle. Guest cameo rap by G.L.O.B.E. This record isn't played out either. You can catch a break from it on my tape and hear a hint of it on a megamix somewhere in Eddie Def's Hemplords tape series 1-4.

TITLE: Reckless 12"
ARTIST: Chris "The Glove" Taylor and David Storrs featuring Ice T
LABEL: Polydor 1984

Major label release from Polydor, this was on the soundtrack to the embarrassing film that was, "Breakin'" in '84. This song annihilates though. The drums are so echoed and hard sounding, but most of all the bassline is the best bassline in any song ever. it's punchy, and the melody just pounds out darkly over a span of time. The song is very energetic at 132bpm, faster than planet rock. It's got a nice old skool rap from Ice T too. I think this may be his first apearance or one of them. I'm really feeling his VH1 behind the music right now. that's raw. Hope "Analog Brothers" with Kool Keith Thorton sells sum rekids. yeah, "Reckless" is on my tape.

TITLE: Don't Stop The Rock 12"
ARTIST: Freestyle
LABEL: Music Specialists 1986

The subsonic kick is very warm in this song, in fact all the drums are nice, even the bongo solo. What makes this song shine though, is "Pretty Tony" Buttler's ear for composing intertwining melodies. The moment the signature riff rings through your speakers at the start, you know the jam is a classic. Im singing it in my head right now. it's so catchy. Buttler was very prolific but I beleive this is his best work. The vocoder miami freak lyrics are dope too. It's a crowd pleaser that made it perfect ammo for 8-ball to use in one of his infamous tones. the melodies just stick to your brain like a piece of sweet caramel to the roof of your mouth, you don't mind it sticking there cause its so sweet.

TITLE: "Needle to the Groove 12"
ARTIST: Mantronix
LABEL: Sleeping Bag Records 1984

Not the best Mantronix joint but it has the dopest cover so that's why it's in here. Most electro 12"s don't have illustrated covers. plus the ending with the vocoder is classic, as sampled by Beck in "Where it's at" from Odelay and the ending sound effect, "ha!" is skratched by qbert in the final fight of "sneak attack" from Wave Twisters.

TITLE: When I Hear Music 12"
ARTIST: Debbie Deb
LABEL: Jam Packed

Jam Packed records, also produced to be extremely catchy by "Pretty Tony" Buttler. The melody is like a baby's music box, so soft, yet the drums are hard and so is the spaced out, minimal bassline. I fall for Debbie's cute singing, cause she sounds so young and distincly 80's because her voice was pitched higher in mixdown just like with early madonna. they slow the whole tape down to record her vocals, then when it's played back at normal speed, the music sounds right, and the vocals are higher pithed. like a cute girlie cartoon. I love it. kinda like japanese j-pop. it's hot. I really fall for this somewhat corny song, but hey, it's a noveltie and the vocoder and drums are nice. the whole production sticks to your brain.