ID: Parakitachi Crew

_COLLECTING SINCE: 1993
_FAVORITE LABELS: Kudu, CTI, Blue Thumb, ESL, Ninjatune, BBE, IRMA, Stereo Deluxe, G-stone, Guidance, Schema
_COLLECTION SIZE: Very Modest
_FAVORITE PRODUCERS: Rae and Christian, Thievery Corporation, The Nextmen, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Premier, Nightmares on Wax, MAW, Fila Brazilia, Coldcut, Nigel Hayes
_FAVORITE SONGS: Get on Down, Strange Games and Things, Last Night Changed it All, Theme from SWAT

Most of the following stuff isn't too rare, but I think these are some of my all time faves. I'm a huge fan of the Fender Rhodes sound and of nice warm, "round" beats. Since I'm a DJ, not a turntablist or a producer, I really rely on strong records, with big drums, or nice grooves to generate the right vibe when I spin. So let's get right to some of my checks.

TITLE: Serpico
ARTIST: Hashim

The real treat on this record is the song "On the Streets". Lower the pitch to minus 8 and you got yourself a moody, funky, almost downtempo-like tune. Drums are extra nice and clean. Bob James on the Rhodes for extra loveliness. This is one of the best rainy day,chilling with your girl songs ever.

TITLE: Raptivity12"
ARTIST: Ronnie Gee

1980, when hip hop was first getting put out on wax. This 12" is your average old school track with slow rhymes and a live band playing, but flip it to the instrumental and you got yourself a nice, mellow track, full of Rhodes, early 80's basslines and a very nice break. This reminds me of those late 70's/early 80's TV movies where there's an emotionally unstable cop that makes good but goes through a lot of crap in between. I think this would be playing in the back of one of the scenes where Holmes is walking across the street, smoking a cig, wearing courdoroy flares and fat sideburns, contemplating all the strife his boss and his girl are giving him.

TITLE: My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
ARTIST: Brian Eno + David Byrne

This is no secret, every digger knows this record, but this is for the kids that are just starting out. I was a huge Eno fan (still am, especially of the "Ambient" series). This record kinda goes everywhere and it's rumored that they recorded a live excorcism on one of the tracks. It's probably not true, but you get down to the song "Regiment" and this is one of the best instrumental tracks ever. Simple and hypnotic basslick and piano line, ethnic chanting, and all around eeriness-- oh yeah, the beat is nice too. It's not "funky", but you can rock it and with some of the more experimental/ minimal hip hop that's been coming out in recent years, this sounds like it was made last year.

TITLE: Depth Charge
ARTIST: Depth Charge

This record came out in 1989. I got it right around the same time DJ Shadow's "In/flux" came out. Dr. Octagon came out a little later and the song on this 12", "Han Do Jin", sounds like a cross between "Bear Witness" and "In/flux". Hardcore beats and kung-fu dialogue-- nice.

TITLE: The Pushin "Dope" EP
ARTIST: Kemmy Dope

This EP is a personal favorite of mine. The gem on this one is "Get on Down" which loops Minnie Ripperton's "Inside My Love" and mixes it with the Method Man sample. Sometimes I think this is my alltime favorite song. It's a great song to play at smaller, intimate joints and the ladies really like it.

TITLE: Let's Go Another Round 12"
ARTIST: Inner Life

Speaking of ladies, this is another jam that'll really get them into the groove. Not to be confused with the group Inner City that produced the house classic "Good Life". This is some ealry 80's disco. I used to hate on disco until I got turned on to some of the soulful stuff. This an 11:30 minute song that breaks down half way and just rides. It's got chunky guitars, early 80's synths, rhodes, females vocals and lots of congas. Sounds like the stuff Madonna was probably listening to when she was still trying to break into the business.

TITLE: You Keep Me Hanging On
ARTIST: Dave Matthews

This is a remake of the Supremes song. The song itself is cool, but the reason to get this is the drums. If you produce beats, you can chop these drums and come out with some hard, crunchy beats yourself. I also like the basslines and the good use of the cymbals.

TITLE: Into Battle
ARTIST: Art of Noise

Contains the song "Beatbox" which is a b-boy favorite. Mix it in with "Close to the Edit" for Maximum Effect. Watch folks get all grinny when you play this piece.

TITLE: Beat Dis 12"
ARTIST: Bomb the Bass

When I was a newave kid, this was one of my favorites. This song follows in the tradition of Double Dee and Steinski, Coldcut and M/A/R/R/S. Samples everything from "The Grunt", "It's Just Begun", "Blow Your Head", to "Pump that Bass". Cut and Paste staple (where are my Meat Beat Manifesto records?). Tim Simenon went on to produce a lot of stuff for Depeche Mode in the 1990s.

TITLE: Woman's Gotta Have It
ARTIST: Corner Shop

Fairly recent record (1995), but the track "Camp Orange" is the shizzy! This came out before the "Brimful of Asha" hype that followed a few years later. It's indie rock stuff, some of it is in Punjabi (I'm not Indian so I may be mistaken). Camp Orange is one of two songs that takes a different route from the guitar rock sound. It loops some super sick, fat drums and lays little kids/ or ladies chanting in an ethnic language. Sounds stupid when you read it, but when you hear it, you'll flip. Many B-Boys ask me "what was that record with them little kids singing in Chinease?"-- This was my secret, up until now.

TITLE: Running Away 12"
ARTIST: Roy Ayers Ubiquity

Finally, one of the best songs ever recorded!! Everyone sweats RAMP's "Daylight" and "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" (both great songs), but to get the party going, you need to throw this record on. You will never, ever disappoint with this nugget (play the long version with Roy getting down on the xylophone). For those who don't know, ATCQ sampled this song for "Description of a Fool" (but if you're reading this section, you probably already know that). Needless to say, I love this record.