Untitled Document

For updates on recent news items / new downloads / dj and live dates, you can now follow Music of Substance on Twitter

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30.07.10

BBE MIXTAPE SELECTION CLOSING TODAY

The BBE Mixtape Selection process closes today. This final round is based primarily on feedback / favourites from the Mixcloud community so, if you have a Mixcloud account, please show your support by logging and 'favouriting' my mix. Many thanks;

To listen / favourite on Mixcloud click here

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27.07.10

DILLA & AG - DUNKIN DONUTS

Not hard to work out what this one's all about - AG drops rhymes over Dilla beats. I love Dilla and I'm a big fan of AG, but I have to say I'm approaching my limit of how many Donuts re-interpretations I can still muster enthusiasm for. I say that in part because, contrary to popular opinion, I've never felt that Donuts was Dilla's finest hour but primarily because it's been revisited so many times. The tracks on here that shine in my opinion are those which use slightly lesser known beats and it's still certainly a recommended listen.

To download via ZSHARE click here (left click, follow instructions)

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18.07.10

FREE TRADE - PLUS 30

The beauty of bandcamp is that you don't have to take my word for it that this is dope, you can just go and listen and decide for yourself that it is ... and then download it for free!

To listen / download via Bandcamp click here (left click, follow instructions)

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16.07.10

JEFF & MICK BOOGIE - SUMMERTIME

This one's been knocking around for the last week or two but I only just found the time to check it out. I'm not really sure where to start in giving my opinion with this; It's certainly a prettty enjoyable listen but I'm struggling to find any superlatives I'd feel comfortable applying to it.

To 'summer'ise (see what I did there) it's a well chosen collection of summer themed cuts put together in a very listenable but ultimately pretty unimpressive manner. (A bit of echo effect and a modest amount of cutting is the order of the day for pretty much every transition.) On the plus side, Mick has gone light on the jingles and drops this time, so that's something to be grateful for.

As a side note, I've never understood why mixtapes like this need to be cut into individual tracks. Surely the point of a mixtape is that it's mixed and you listen to it as such? If you wanted all the tracks separately, then your local record store and itunes are your guys, no?

To download via USER SHARE click here (left click, follow instructions)

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12.07.10

NEW (OLD) MATERIAL FROM DJ DAY

DJ Day has made available a really nice little track from a shelved collaboration project with Miles Bonny, "Learning to Fly". Great jazzy vibes on this cut.

To download original version via Divshare click here (left click, follow instructions)

To download instrumental version via Divshare click here (left click, follow instructions)

Props to This Is Tomorrow for the links.

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09.07.10

3 GOOD GIGS THIS WEEKEND!

So, if you're in London town this weekend and looking for places to go, I'll playing records down at the good old Dragon Bar (corner of Rivington Street and Shoreditch High Street) tonight (Free Entry all night).

Then on Saturday, I'll be playing at The Social on Little Portland Street just behind Oxford Street for SO MUCH SOUL! (Free Entry before 9pm and only £3 after).

On Sunday I'll be playing at the annual Doctor's Order Barbecue at Cargo on Rivington Street alongside the likes of DJ Vadim, Jazzie B (Soul II Soul) and Mr Thing amongst others (Entry is free all day!).

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03.07.10

CHRIS READ - BBE LABEL MIXTAPE

Brand new mixtape featuring tracks released on the excellent BBE label. More info over at the downloads page!

Listen now on Mixcloud (left click, follow instructions)

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01.07.10

THIS SATURDAY AT BRICK HOUSE

If you're out and about in London this weekend and fancy something a bit different to the norm, you can catch me playing records down at Brick House on Brick Lane - great venue, fine dining, cabaret, interesting music and good drinks. For those who know me personally, drop me an email for guest list!

Brick House website here

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30.06.10

REST IN PEACE RAMMELZEE

Very sad news that hip hop artist / pioneer / legend Rammelzee has passed away. Best known for his appearances on the ealy 80s New York scene, collaborations with the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat and classic cuts such as 'Beat Bop', Rammelzee's avant garde persona has had a huge influence on left field artists right through to the present day. Gone, but not forgotten. May his influence live on.

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26.06.10

THERE WAS THIS ONE TIME, AT BANDCAMP

Another week, another music distribution site. So, I've taken the step of setting up a Bandcamp page. For the uninitiated, Bandcamp is a site which allows bands / producers etc make their music available to the public to listen to and download in a selection of high quality formats. Increasingly, this is becoming the industry standard means of making your music available to 'fans'. For starters I've put a selection of my more recent remix projects up on there. In due course I'll be making physical copies of select projects available through Bandcamp, payable via Paypal. All new material will be available through this site as usual and also on Bandcamp.

To visit me on Bandcamp, click here

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25.06.10

MICHAEL JACKSON R.I.P ONE YEAR TODAY

It's one year to the day since the world lost one of it's most beloved entertainers. If you feel, as I do, that that's an event which requires a soundtrack, then revisit the tribute that I put together this time last year. Available to download for free at the downloads page of this site or to listen streaming on Mixcloud, (links for both options below).

To download, visit our downloads page (left click, scroll down, follow instructions)

To listen on Mixcloud, click here (left click, follow instructions)

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20.06.10

STUSSY x GREENSLEEVES x AL FINGERS

In the words of Al Fingers;

" A project I put together for Stüssy Deluxe, revolving around the album cover art of UK reggae label Greensleeves Records, came out last week. The project consists of a book ("Greensleeves, The First 100 Covers"), a mixtape ("Greensleeves, The First 10 Years"), a poster and a set of nine tees and accessories. It’s available from Stüssy outlets and other select stores."

More info here.

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19.06.10

MIXCLOUD!

With so many online "communities" out there now and less and less time to actually do something creative with your time instead of constantly promoting yourself, it's hard to know which of these services are really worth giving your time to. But, Mixcloud seem to have got it about right when it comes to DJs showcasing their wares - a simple clean page layout and the facility for the public to listen on a pop-up player while they do other things. Most of the big boys seem to be embracing it and I'm not one to get left behind, so I'm on board.

I've already uploaded a few of my favourites from the back catalogue. Any forthcoming mixtapes will appear on both mixcloud and the downloads page of this site.

Come visit me at www.mixcloud.com/chrisreadsubstance

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16.06.10

NEW FROM THE F.E. CAMP

New free track from the Foreign Exchange camp produced by Nicolay. On that neo-soul sort of tip like much of the recent output, this is definitely worth checking if you liked the Zo! EP that dropped a few months back.

To download click here (right click, save as)

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15.06.10

NEW MUSIC FROM THE ARE

If it seems like the past few posts have just been hi-jacking content from FWMJ, then you're about right. But good new music is good new music and I couldn't let something new from The ARE pass by without comment so here we have a brand new track featuring Brokn English, 'This Way'. Trademark production from The ARE laced with solid rhymes.

To download or listen, once again, visit FWMJ

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10.06.10

SKIPPING TOWN

I'm off to Berlin for a few days in the morning so updates will resume some time next week. Whilst I'm here, I'm pleased to say that there are a few exciting new projects on the burn which I will be giving details of here very soon. See y'all next week...

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07.06.10

APOLLO BROWN, BLACK MILK, BIG POOH

I'll confess to not knowing too much about Apollo Brown, but in this age of disposable music it often takes a co-sign from the likes of Black Milk or LB to make me pay attention. And, in this case, I'm glad I did - this brand new cut 'Hungry' from Apollo featuring Black Milk and Pooh is a certified banger.

To download or listen, once again, visit FWMJ

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04.06.10

GIGS THIS WEEKEND

London folks, I'll be heading over to North West London to play alongside the Nextmen at their quarterly residency at the Westbury tonight. And for the Bristol folks, I'll be playing at Upfest Art Festvial again this year. I'm playing tomorrow in the outdoor section so here's hoping this weather holds out. I'll also being spinning over at the after party which I don't have too many details on but I know Kiss FM are somehow involved and that it's in a big club somewhere in Bristol!

More info on Upfest here

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02.06.10

NEW FROM SLUM VILLAGE

Brand new track from SV, "Faster" featuring Colin Munroe and produced by Young RJ. It has kind of a poppy quality to it but is strangely infectious and could well be one of those tracks that grows into a repeat listen favoruite like 'Tainted Love' and other SV joints of old. I'm already singing the hook as I write.

To listen or download, visit FWMJ

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26.05.10

KON & AMIR COME CORRECT

World famous diggers and general go-to guys for all things sample based, funky and obscure have compiled a list of what they consider to be the top 50 sampled records for Complex Magazine. I'm sure that for many collectors there are few surprises in there and I am pleased to say that I own or am at the very least familiar with pretty much all of the music listed, but it's a brilliantly presented article and the sound clips, cover art and personal stories make this a must-read. p.s. If anybody has a copy of that Ray Bryant LP (number 27 on the list), email me - I've been after that for a while!

To read the article click here

In unrelated news, it's been brought to my attention that the download link for the MJ Legacy Mixtape on the downloads page broke this week. If you've been trying to get hold of it, it's now back up!

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18.05.10

SOMETHING BIG...

Those who know me, know that I'm far too picky and generally impossible to impress to rain praise on somebody unless they really deserve it, but I have no difficulty whatsoever in saying that TY is one of the few UK artists who is yet to put a foot wrong in what has been an accomplished recording career. If you love good music and live in the UK, I sincerely hope that it hasn't escaped your notice that TY has a new album out. 'Special Kind Of Fool' dropped on 19th April and has been making waves ever since, rightfully being hailed as one of the albums of the year so far.

For those unfamiliar with TY's back catlogue, I strongly suggest you get familiar ... and to help you do that DJ Bounce has put together a mixtape of old and new TY material as a warm up for the new album. Die hard TY fans will be familiar with most of the material on here, although there is an impressive selection of lesser known cuts, guest features and remixes. It has to be said that the mixing is less than polished in many places but over all, this mixtape is a solid listen and, to put it simply, I defy anyone to listen to this and not want to got out and buy the album which is, after all, the important thing!

To download 'Something Big' via Mediafire click here (left click, follow instructions)

To buy 'Special Kind Of Fool' via Amazon click here (left click, follow instructions)

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14.05.10

ODD SPRING

And so with the passing of the seasons comes another installment of Oddisee's Odd Seasons series. This time, it's the fourth and final edition - Odd Spring. If you've checked out previous editions, you know what to expect by now and in my opinion this is the most solid of the series since Odd Summer. An even mix of instrumental and vocal tracks this time with some real depth and variety. Highly recommended!

To download via Bandcamp click here (left click, follow instructions)

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11.05.10

DJ KO VOLUME VI

I'm not sure how long this one has been out there, but it's been a while since I checked in on KO's bandcamp page and just stumbled on it. I've never really understood what KO's role is in this series of releases since they're not mixed and always seem to feature a different selection of producers and vocalists. As far as I can tell, he performs some sort of A&R function and puts them out under his banner. Anyway, that aside, the latest edition features a few great tracks, notably "Get Up" feat M Josephine and "Word In The Town" feat Rashid Hadee & Manov War. Not everything in this series has been to my taste but earlier editions are definitely well worth checking.

Listen and download at DJ KO's Bandcamp Page

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03.05.10

ZUDRANGMA REMIX!

A little something new over on the downloads page to tide you over until the next mixtape is ready - a recent disco orientated re-edit for Bangkok's Zudrangma Records. Hope you enjoy!

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22.04.10

MORE FROM DAMU

I really should have got round to putting this up a while back, but for those who missed it when it first appeared, here's Damu's latest offering; 'How It Should Sound'. I'm not going to go into detail on this one - if you've checked Damu's material in the past, then you'll know what to expect and for those who haven't, bandcamp allows you to listen before you download so I'll let the music do the talking.

To download via Bandcamp, click here (left click, follow instructions)

In unrelated news, I'm off to France to play a few dates tomorrow (Volcanic activity permitting) so no website updates for a week or so.

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21.04.10

GURU REST IN PEACE

If you've been anywhere near the internet in the past 2 days you will no doubt have heard the very sad news that one of hip hop's undisputed pioneers sadly passed away on Monday, after a lengthy battle with Cancer I would have taken the time to post something sooner but have been out of town for a couple of days and only just been able to sit down in front of the screen to get something up on here.

The loss of one of the figureheads of our culture has hit me a little harder than I'd anticipated for a variety of reasons. But above all, it's all about the music - Gang Starr's 'Step In The Arena' was the soundtrack of my school days, 'Jazz Thing' was the record that taught me the relationship between the hip hop music I grew up with and the jazz music that my father listened to, subsequent albums schooled me in the art of truly great hip hop music and the world of sampling and beat making.

It's a tragedy to have lost a legend, but a greater tragedy to have lost a legend at a time in his life where it appears, at least to an outsider, that he had become estranged from those who truly cared about him, his well being and his creative direction. Nonetheless, his legacy lives on in the form some of his inspiration to others and substantial back catalogue of classic music.

Having lost a family member to Cancer myself in recent years, my thoughts go out to the entire Elam family and all of Guru's friends and fans. Rest In Peace.

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15.04.10

THINK TWICE (4 HERO REMIX)

Gilles Peterson is a dude with impeccable taste and an uncanny nack for putting together quality compilations. So when you hear that he's had one the UK's top class production outfits remix his Havana Cultura band's take on Donald Byrd's 'Think Twice', you know there's a 0% chance of disappointment. And what's even better is that it's out here on the good old internet as a promo track for a forthcoming full length of similar cuts. I've seen some folks writing that this is a take on Dilla's famous remake of the track, but seeing as his remake was pretty close the original I don't really see the distinction between that and a remake of Byrd's original - maybe I'm missing something? Anyhow...

To download via MediaFire click here

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13.04.10

GOOD SH!T

Great new site from the folks who run East London's Ah Sh!t club night. Listings for all forthcoming hip hop, club nights, bar gigs and concerts in London Town plus some pertinent downloads, links etc. Real Sh!t...

www.ahsht.com

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05.04.10

THE ROOTS DO DILLA!

The Roots playing Dilla joints? Sold!

To download via Usershare click here

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01.04.10

GUESS WHO'S BACK?

I'm back. A touch jet-lagged but generally in good spirits following a very enjoyable tour - lots of really fun gigs played, some good places seen, some great people met and a good few interesting records received and / or purchased. Proper updates and some new music coming soon...

In the meantime, London folk can catch me at Droppin' Science this Saturday at the Vibe Bar in East London.

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22.02.10

HAVE BOX, WILL TRAVEL

OK, updates have been a little few and far between lately but not without good reason. I'm just about to embark on a one month tour of Australia and a little bit of Asia so I'm afraid further updates will be on hold for a while. I'll still be checking in on Facebook, Emails (and Twitter if I get really bored but don't bank on it), so if you need me, that's where I'll be.

All the tour dates are now up on my myspace. See you on the other side...

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11.02.10

INDECENT PROPOSAL

As bloggers and journos get all excited about the new Sade album (highest selling UK female artist of all time - who knew?), others are raiding her back catalogue in the name of creativity... and doing a decent job of it it turns out. Beat maker Brisk Oner enlists the help of rapper Concise Kilgore to lace 15 Sade sampling beats with enjoyable vocals. I'll have to confess to only taking a quick listen through this as time is a little short today but the beats are solid and rhymes good humoured and over all a thumbs up. In particular "Pull, Spray", a pastiche of Lupe Fiasco's "Kick, Push" is an amusing listen.

To download click here (right click, save as)

On a side note, if you're out and about in East London tonight, Whack It! is back at the Vibe Bar on Brick Lane, following which it's back out to Sweden for a few days for me so catch more updates here next week on my return. Over and out....

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09.02.10

FRESHLY SQUEEZED LEMONADE

Again, this one's been knocking around for a little while but I'll prbably be playing catch up for a week or two yet so bare with me. A solid slab of Indie Hip Hop featuring production from Beat Fanatic Rob Viktum.

To download via Zshare click here (left click, follow instructions)

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04.02.10

GUESS WHO'S BACK?

Yes, that's right. The site updates are finally back. First up, a big apology to anyone who's been coming to the site for the last month or so and wondering what the hell's going on. To cut a long story short, a catastrophic computer failure lost a load of stuff including the software used to access this site and it's taken a lot longer than expected to get back up and running. The good news is there's lots of interesting music to catch up on, some new stuff from Music Of Substance in the pipeline, a tour, some official remixes and much else besides.

Anyhow, to kick things back off, I thought I'd share this free release from Canadian band Keys N Krates entitled 'Live Remixing 101'. They're a 3 man set up consisting of a DJ, drums and keys and they've put together a fantastic mixtape style work out of their reinterpretations of classic cuts from the likes of Tribe and others. I've heard stuff like this before that has fallen flat but these guys are a very tight outfit and do their thing really well. Highly recommended!

To download click here (left click, follow instructions)

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17.12.09

LOW BUDGET CHRISTMAS

More free festive music for you in the form of a free EP / beat tape from Low Budget Crew. Ordinarily I'm a big fan of anything that Kev Brown and Low Budget put their name to but I have to say this one left me a little less impressed than usual. Well worth downloading for 2 tracks in particular from Kev Brown, 'Christmas Wish' feat vocalist Tanzania and 'We're Carolling', both on that neo-soul tip. The rest of the EP is a reasonable listen but Kev's work shines high above the rest it has to be said.

To download via UserShare click here (left click, follow instructions)

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16.12.09

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

My obsession with unusual Christmas music has led me to some wierd and wonderful places over the past month. I'm not going to give too much away but I will say that I've unearthed a couple of incredible Christmas Jazz Albums, a few lesser known Hip Hop cuts and some nice funk pieces that weren't included on the World's Greatest Christmas Mixtape. Looks like Volume 2 might be on the cards for next year. Watch this space!

On the whole the mixtapes I've stumbled upon whilst 'conducting my research' have been pretty poor on the presentation front, with the exception of this - "Happy Birthday Jesus" from fellow Brit, Jimmy Green. Well mixed, good dose of humour and with the possible exception of one or two tracks (I wasn't really feeling the inclusion of Faith Evans or Ashanti), a dope selection of Christmas Soul, Funk, Hip Hop, Reggae and other odds and ends. Recommended!

To download via Sendspace click here (left click, follow instructions)

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11.12.09

WORLD'S GREATEST CHRISTMAS MIXTAPE

Yo! Yo! Yo! It's that time of year again. Grab it while it's hot over at the downloads page!

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08.12.09

NEW FROM STRANGE FRUIT

This one's been floating around for a couple of weeks now but I forgot to post it when I first stumbled on it. If you liked the Strange Fruit material released on OM a couple of years back as much as I did, then you'll know this is worth checking.

To download click here (right click, save as)

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04.12.09

20 YEARS OF DE LA SOUL

Mick Boogie and Terry Urban celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the release of De La Soul's ground breaking '3 Feet High and Rising' LP with their latest offering - a collection of De La's better known cuts reinterpreted by a star studded line up of underground legends and newcomers including Phife, Tanya Morgan and many others. No wrong turns here and an enjoyable listen from start to finish.

To download via User Share click here (left click, follow instructions)

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03.12.09

GREAT MINDS? BLACK MILK Vs ME

OK, the headline is little bit self indulgent I know but read on and you'll see what I'm getting at.

They say there's no such thing as an original idea and nowhere is that more true than in the world of sample based music. Followers of the site might recall a beat I produced called 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Me' which appeared on Diary Volume 1.5 earlier this year and which I then used on my 'Little Brother Show' EP a few months later. Well, thanks to a link a good friend sent me earlier today, I now know that my beat bares more than a passing resemblance to that produced by Black Milk on his 2007 track 'Shut It Down'.

Check out Black Milk 'Shut It Down' here (Youtube)

Check out Chris Read 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Me' here (Vimeo)

Whilst I know that my music doesn't have anything like the profile of Black Milk's, it's still kind of a source of embarassment for me, firstly because I would never sample a hook knowing it had already been used and secondly because I'm a fan of Black Milk and I'm a little ashamed to say that I never copped Popular Demand and only heard 'Shut It Down' for the first time today. On the upside, it's sort of encouraging to know that my beat digging and sampling habits are not dissimilar to one of the genre's most in demand producers! Say word...

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25.11.09

HUDSON MOHAWKE - FADER TAPE

I'm going to break the habit of a lifetime here and post something that I can't say I'm 100% into - but I have my reasons. Hudson Mohawke is one of a handful of a new wave of producers I've really been feeling over the last few years, in fact ever since I first heard Heralds of Change and the like. This mixtape, although not very well presented / mixed is a decent insight into his influences from New Jack Swing to synth heavy beatscapes. There are some track choices I can't say I'm really feeling and a several awkward transitions but enough good moments for me to want to share. In particular the track that drops around the 22 minute mark nearly broke my neck - track name anybody? Anyway enough unnecessary analysis. Listen for yourself.

To download click here (right click, save as)

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21.11.09

FUNK BUSINESS FROM SHEEN BROS

Sheen Bros is a collaboration between The Rub's Cosmo Baker and producer 4th Pyramid. I'll have to confess to not knowing too much about 4th Pyramid but Cosmo has been kind enough to share his thoughts on my mixes on a few occasions and as a general rule I'm into what he does. Cosmo and 4th have just dropped the second of their 'Scumbag Funk' mixtapes - a pretty slick delivery of many well know and some not so well know funk tunes cut up with a smattering of hip hop to keep things moving. All in all a good listen...

To download via Sharebee click here (left click, follow instructions)

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20.11.09

NEW FROM HASAAN MACKEY & CREW

There were a handful of things I had in mind to post this morning but then I was having a little browse over breakfast and stumbled on this and it blew the rest out of the water. Hasaan Mackey' "What You Got" featuring Kev Brown, Asheru and Grap Luva on mic duties and produced by Kev Brown. Apparently just a rough track thrown together whilst hanging out together one night, this puts most other artists' studio efforts to shame. Don't miss!

To download click here (right click, save as)

Link courtesy of FWMJ

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18.11.09

THIS IS TOMORROW RMXS3

Luxembourg based DJ and beatmaker Blueprint has just released the third in his series of remix tapes under his This Is Tommorow moniker. This time round he re-works tracks by Common, Bahamadia and AZ amongst others. As with previous volumes there are couple of tracks on here which are truly impressive, in particular the Das EFX and KRS joint, which could be a lost track from the original 12. Grab a free download and make your own selections...

To download via Lime Linx click here (left click, follow instructions)

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14.11.09

LADDER OF SUCCESS REMIX

Just a little something new over at the downloads page to tide you over until the next mixtape - dropping in about 2 weeks time. Watch this space!

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08.11.09

SPREAD MORE LOVE

History fans amongst you will be familiar with the 45 King's Ike and Tina Turner sampling rework of gospel harmony group Take 6's 1988 single 'Spread Love' released on Bozo Meko... and if you've heard me DJ in recent years you'll know that record has been on heavy rotation in my sets for a while now. Well I'm about to add this to the rotation - UK bootleg maestro Shepdog's rework. Basically putting the full Take 6 track over the Ike and Tina drums with breakdowns in the the style of the 45 King version, it's simple but effective.

To download via Send Space click here (left click, follow instructions)

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07.11.09

PICTURE THIS... INSTRUMENTALS

I'll have to confess to being very late on this one, but I just noticed that DJ KO has offered up a free download of the instrumental version of his 'Picture This...' long player which features beats from an all star line up featuring the likes of 9th Wonder, Illmind, Marco Polo, Black Milk and others. All solid stuff although it has to be said that some of the lesser known producers, most notable Analogic, really bring the heat in comparison to some of the big boys (9th Wonder for example). An enjoyable listen front to back - don't sleep! ... and if you like what you hear, show some love by investing in a copy of the vocal version.

To download via Media Fire click here (left click, follow instructions)

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05.11.09

ZO! ZO! ZO!

New free digital EP from long time Foreign Exchange / Phonte collaborator Zo! This dope 7 track EP features other familiar faces from the FE camp including Phonte, Darien Brockington and the never disappointing Carlitta Durand. If you like the more soul orientated FE / Nicolay matertial then this one is for you.

To download click here (right click, save as)

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04.11.09

NEW MUSIC FROM DAMU

Those who follow Damu's production know exactly what to expect when a new track drops - jazzy licks and thudding MPC beats. This is no departure from the formula and well worth checking.

To download visit Damu's band camp page (left click, follow links)

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02.11.09

WE LOVE ... VOLUME 1

The very good www.putmeonit.com has started a new weekly compilation series called 'We Love' which gives you a little audio round up of what's been hot in the preceeding week. Volume 1 (and 2 & 3) are up now and I'm pleased to say Volume 1 features yours truly in pole position. Show your love and pick up some damn fine music along the way.

Download 'We Love Volume 1' here (left click, follow links)

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28.10.09

MICHAEL, MARVIN & STEVIE

I'm still undecided as to what I think of Beatnick and K-Salaam. Their productions / remixes have that very clean 'big studio' sound. They clearly bring a good level of musicianship to their projects but, I find, often lack that grit, soul and feeling that comes with a less polished sound.

Their latest project (I'm not sure how long this has been around but presumably it's a post-MJ tribute of sorts) features remixes of classic joints by Michael, Marvin and Stevie. Not all were to my taste but the title track is really good and there were a couple of other tracks which I thought worked well - you'll probably find one or two that work for you too.

To listen / download, visit Beatnick and K Salaam's bandcamp page (left click, follow instructions)

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23.10.09

MORE NEW MUSIC FROM ODDISEE

Regular readers might remember what a big fan I was of Oddisee's 'Odd Summer' release a few months back. Well, with the changing of the seasons comes another installment, 'Odd Autumn'. This time Oddisee really branches out in terms of the style of the beats hitting a broad range of tempos and sample sources. Not every track on here was pushing my buttons, but trust me when I tell you to put on a neck brace before listening to "Tell the Truth" (Featuring Nikki Jean) - Hands down one of the best tracks I've heard in a long time.

To download Odd Autumn via User Share click here (left click, follow instructions)

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16.10.09

FELA KUTI - MESSENGER!

This one's been floating around for a while, but I only just got round to checking it. A month or so back I was sent a J Period remix EP called 'The Messengers' comprising reworks of original recordings by Fel Kuti, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan featuring MC K'Naan. The Fela Kuti track was easily the standout cut in my opinion so I was plseased to discover that there's a full length project associated with each of the three featured artists.

To download Messenger: Fela click here (right click, save as)

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11.10.09

THE LITTLE BROTHER SHOW!

It's been a little while since I put out a new mixtape or remix tape I know. It's not through lack of effort I promise - there are a bunch of things in the pipeline but the tricky part is getting any of them finished. Those of you who follow the site regularly for updates will have a seen a few individual tracks added to the downloads page over the last few months, but this is the first 'full length' thing I've put out since the Jackson Legacy mix. I hope you enjoy.

Info, download link and instrumental version over at the downloads page.

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01.10.09

GIVE AN EXAMPLE...

A recent exchange of emails with some old acquaintances, the good folks at the No Fakin club night in Liverpool, hipped me to this excellent mixtape - 'Give an Example' by the No Fakin DJs. It's been around a while apparently, but it's a great selection of hip hop, original breaks and other bits and pieces taking in everything from Peter Gabriel and Maze & Frankie Beverly to Lyrics Born, all mixed with deft skills and good party spirits. Well worth checking.

To download click here (right click, save as)

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28.09.09

FORWARD DUB!

Just a little something new for a Monday morning. Download link and info at the downloads page.

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27.09.09

KING OF THE BEATS SCREENING TONIGHT

The premier of good friend of the site, P Kalsi's, "Men and Their Music " (the follow up to the excellent "King of the Beats") takes place tonight at Vibe Bar, Brick Lane, East London. Great documentary film featuring some of Hip Hop's most celebrated producers. And if that's not enough, Mikey D of Main Source will be performing live and Mr Thing will be throwing down some records to celebrate his birthday. See you there!

More info at www.kingofthebeats.com

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20.09.09

ROC RAIDA REST IN PEACE - MY TRIBUTE

If you've been anywhere near twitter this morning, you'll no doubt have heard the very sad news that Grand Master Roc Raida died aged 37 last night / this morning following surgery complications relating to a martial arts accident.

It hardly needs to be said that Raida was an extremely talented individual who succeeded in playing with technical skill, confidence and charisma. Throughout the mid to late 90s, Raida and the X Men (as the X Ecutioners were then known) were an enormous inspiration to me and most of the other DJs in the scene coming up at the time. The plethora of battle titles he held speaks for itself.

As is becoming customary, I thought I should pay my respects the best way I know - through music. This is one of the tracks I prepared for The Diary 1.5 but decided against using because I wasn't sure it sat quite right alongside the other tracks I selected, but now seems an appropriate time to share. Although this particular cut features Rob Swift on the the cut, I think it remains representative of the X Men's work as a group. So, here is my remix of 'Music Negra', the lead single from the X Men's 1997 'Xpressions' album.

To download 'X Men - Musica Negra (Chris Read Remix)' click here (right click, save as)

Grand Master Roc Raida - an inspiration - Rest In Peace.

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15.09.09

GOT SOUL? TOMORROW NIGHT

New night at Momo's in London's west end tomorrow night (Wednesday 16th September). Good North African food and dope little basement with good music. Just off Regent Street it's a well kept secret for those in the know... Hope to see you there.

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08.09.09

ZUDRANGMA VOLUME 2!

Receiving a package of dope music in the mail is a very good way to start the day, especially when the sun is shining - two rare London occurences on the same day.

Good friend of the site, Maft Sai, from Bangkok's ZudRangMa records has compiled a second volume of his excellent Thai Funk compilations. A great selection of 22 Thai Funk gems including Thai covers of well know US funk hits, delivered (as always) in beautiful packaging. The CD comes in a card sleeve with fold out poster featuring cover artwork and photos from the original 7" pressings, all of which is wrapped in a sealed embroidered bag. Lovely job - well done mate!

Purchase your own copy from the online shop over at www.zrmrecords.com

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05.09.09

MAYLIGHT LIVE

First up, apologies for having let a week slide past with no new content on the page. I've had a lot on and a rare creative burst that has had me tapping out music in any spare moment I can grab so the site went down the priority list for moment there. Sorry.

Anyway, on to the new content. Those of you who visit regularly might remember that I was working with a band called Maylight toward the latter part of last year. I thought it was about time I put some of the music we were working on up here so I've gathered together a few tracks recorded at one of our first shows at Jazz Club in Birmingham in October 2008. Please check it, if for no other reason, to hear the wonderful voice of Tru Thoughts' Lizzy Parks and some very talented musicians.

Download link and a little more info on the band over at the downloads page (scroll down to the entries for 2008).

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28.08.09

MUSIC OF SUBSTANCE RECOMMENDS

Just got sent this sampler and felt obliged to give it a recommendation. Full length album from the Sa Ra Creative Partners member featuring the likes of Bilal, Om'Mas Keith, Count Bass D, Noni Limar, Fatima and more. Dropping soon!

To keep it simple, if you like Sa Ra, then you'll like this...

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27.08.09

TONIGHT IN EAST LONDON

You know the drill by now. Free entry, good music, drinks in the courtyard on a nice sunny day like today. Simple tings!

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26.08.09

FOREIGN EXCHANGE - LIVE IN SESSION

Hard to think that it's now 5 years since Foreign Exchange released their debut long player 'Connected'. For me, this was one of those albums that really re-invigorated my enthusiasm for new hip hop, just as LB's 'The Listening' had a few years before.

Anyhow, to celebrate the anniversary, Nicolay has just posted the full recording of the live session that LB and Foreign Exchange recorded for Radio 1 back in 2005. Featuring Darien Brockington and Yahzarah on additional vocals, DJ Flash on the wheels and Nicolay on keys, this is a nice session and well worth checking.

To download, click here (right click, save as)

Link courtesy of www.nicolaymusic.com

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20.08.09

THE ARE - IRAN BEAT TAPE

I'm back on British shores, well fed, well rested and trying to find space for all the records I bought in Stockholm - seriously, if you're into digging you owe it to yourself to get over there at some point - record shops for days, often of the great big dusty back room variety.

Anyway, there's a bunch of good new music to catch up on but for starters, here's a new beat tape from Music of Substance favourite The ARE, simply titled 'Iran'.

To download, click here (right click, save as)

Link courtesy of Rappers I Know

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27.07.09

SUMMER HOLIDAY MEGABLAST!

Right, I'm going to be off out of town for a few weeks which means there'll be no updates for a while. So I figured I should leave you all with a few things to be getting on with (and in truth stuff that I've overlooked posting in the last few weeks);

- Funkineven 1956 is the latest artist to sign to Alex Nut's Eglo Records imprint (home to Floating Points, Fatima etc) and is giving away his latest track 'Mad Swing' for all to enjoy. If you like your beats on that semi-futuristic tip, grab it here.

- K Sparks has a new track entitled 'Abstract Jazz' which delivers solid rhymes over decent jazz based production. Highly recommended. Download here.

- DJ PC from Luxembourg gives Camp Lo's late 90s summer banger 'Luchini' the remix treatment and comes up with a laid back head nodder that is well worth checking. Download here.

- UK beat maker Percy Filth has a new EP out entitled 'Elbow Grease' featuring guest spots from Maylay Sparks, Juice Aleem, Mad Flow, Foreign Beggars and others. You can try before you buy by downloading snippets here.

- My man Maft Sai, who runs the excellent Zud Rang Ma Records, broadcasts another edition of his 'Operation Bangkok' radio show, the only internet radio show to play Thai Funk, Molam and Luk Thung beats! To check it, visit the broadcast page at www.zrmrecords.com. (Flyer above).

- Australian beat maker S.2 has given Mad Flow's 2001 single 'It's The Who?' a remix. I've posted the remix and instrumental over on the downloads page. (Scroll down next to the original version).

- Having been given a mention here on the blog on a couple of occasions, Danny Delta's 'Headshell Mix' has been given a permanent home on the downloads page.

On the off chance that anybody should be in Lulea, Northern Sweden on 5th August, I will be DJing at Onsdagsklubben, which I'm told is excellent so come and say hello. Everybody else, see you in a few weeks. Until then, look after yourselves ... and each other.

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23.07.09

TONIGHT IN EAST LONDON

Nothing to add that isn't on the flyer in captial letters except see you there!

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22.07.09

TWO NEW TRACKS FROM NICOLAY!

First up, the 5th in Nicolay's 'Off the Shelf' series, a track called 'Love Is In Control' (a Quincey Jones cover) featuring Dutch vocalist U-gene. Sitting somewhere between electronic pop and a bunch of other stuff, this one's a little different to the previous offerings in the Off the Shelf series, but still highly recommended.

To download 'Love Is In Control', click here (right click, save as)

... and secondly, a great collaboration between Nicolay, Questlove, Zo, Phonte and Carlitta Durand (who I can't get enough of listening to lately) called 'Purple Flip' - you guessed it, in tribute to Prince. I've had this on repeat, repeat, repeat.

To download 'Purple Flip', click here (right click, save as)

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21.07.09

NEW MIXTAPE FROM LOW BUDGET

You've only got to look at the line up on this to know that there's going to be some quality music on offer here - Kev Brown, Oddisee, Phonte Coleman, Grap Luva - in fact, pretty much most of the people who fall under the (now virtually meaningless) label of 'hip hop' whose music I really still check for.

What's not so good unfortunately is the way this is mixed - one to two minutes of each track bashed together more often than not with an explosion sound effect. What you're left with is a play off between some great music and less than great presentation. You can't help thinking this would have been better off as the full tracks unmixed but still worth checking, in particular for the Phonte joint.

To download via Divshare click here (left click, follow instructions)

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17.07.09

DAM FUNK: TOEACHIZOWN VOL.1

Got sent the promo of Dam Funk's latest offering earlier in the week and felt compelled to urge others to go and get this. Squelchy future-esque LA funk with a definite nod in the direction of Roger Troutman, Zapp etc.

Buy it here!

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14.07.09

BOOTLEGGIN MY SH**

So it turns out I've got a new record out ... in Japan! Just got a tip off that my remix of Mobb Deep's 'Survival of the Fittest' from Diary Volume 1.5 has received the dubious accolade of appearing on 'Monstapiece Volume 37'. Can't say that I'm too concerned. An unofficial remix finds its way onto an unofficial release - there's some logic there I guess.

I'm really feeling the sketchy artwork, unauthorised use of the Paramount logo and the copyright warning is a nice touch.

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12.07.09

SUNDAY RE-UP!

More info on the downloads page.

... and if you're in East London tonight, I'll be playing at Cargo alongside Jazzie B (Soul II Soul) around 9ish. (Jazzie's on at 10).

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10.07.09

THE LEGACY ON SOLID STEEL / DJ FOOD

My MJ LEGACY MIX will be broadcast on DJ Food and DK's Ninja Tune affiliated Solid Steel radio show tonight. Sindicated to 20 countries worldwide and subscribed to online by ~~about 20,000 people~~ (correction - about 1,500,000 people I'm told!) - can't say fairer than that!

...and that's also a good excuse for me to let you know that there's a new DJ Food record out. I've not heard it yet, but Henry Flint from 2000ad did the artwork which is post-worthy in itself. I'll let Strictly give you the low down;

"Yes I finally got round to releasing another record and it’s out today, a 30 minute EP on Ninja Tune called ‘One Man’s Weird Is Another Man’s World’. It features the vocal talents of Natural Self (yes, I said vocal) on lead track ‘The Illectrik Hoax’ and the nifty drums of Dr. Rubberfunk alongside the sampled vocals of Ken Nordine and The Dragons on ‘All Covered In Darkness’. Bundy K Brown is behind the board for ‘A Trick of the Ear’ and an old collaboration with PC makes it’s first appearance in the form of ‘extract from Stolen Moments’. 2000ad artist Henry Flint graciously provided drawings for the cover art to make it something worth having and holding when it folds out to an A2 sized poster."

Get all the info / download links etc from the DJ Food website.

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06.07.09

THE LEGACY!

THE LEGACY: World's Greatest Jackson Tribute Mix! - 60 minutes, 45 tracks, featuring a selection of Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5's original works, edits, acapellas and demos accompanied by records that have sampled them, cover versions, tributes and remixes from the likes of Dwele, Dilla, DJ Spinna and Ian Brown amongst others.

Available now from the downloads page. Stop reading, go cop it and get your reminisce on!

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01.07.09

NEW MUSIC FROM KEV BROWN

Dope new track lifted from Kev Brown's forthcoming 'Random Joints'.

To download via zshare, click here (lift click, follow instructions)

Link courtesy of Put Me On It.

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30.06.09

MY MUM, THE CRATE DIGGER

Whilst out in the States visiting family last week, I was impressed to find out that my Mum managed to take time out to hit the dollar bins in a second hand record store to grab for me the only kind of holiday gift she knew I would truly appreciate.

And she did good! Prize pick was a copy of Galt McDermot's "Cotton Comes to Harlem" soundtrack (as sampled on Masta Ace's "Slaughtahouse" album, Nine's classic mid 90s "Nine Livez" album, and more recently by Madlib). Second place goes to a copy of Philadelphia International Records' 1974 "Philly Sound" comp which, although I have most of the tracks on the original albums, is noteworthy for including one of my personal favourites, the O Jays' "For The Love of Money". She also bagged some solid soul in the form of the Dramatics' 1976 "Joy Ride" LP and Roberta Flack's "Chapter Two" (which I already had, but a good pick for the "Reverend Lee" track alone). The Roberta Flack LP also contains a break sampled by T.I. if that's something that interests you? Rank outsider was an '80s Commodores LP which contains enough quirky synth samples to keep my sampling habit active for a while. Thanks Mum. You the best!

(So called 'internet diggers' take note - my Mum is keeping it realer than y'all!)

And on the subject of digging, you need to check out this video! Watch and listen carefully, it'll blow your mind.

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29.06.09

THE INTERNET LOVES MICHAEL

As anticipated, in the last few days the web has been flooded with MJ tributes of one form or another and predictably the majority of them are pretty amateurish. That said, there's been some interesting stuff written and some good music put out there too. So here's a few edited highlights;

Dwele's video tribute (an acoustic cover of Human Nature) here

FWMJ re-ups both versions of the Dem Damb Jacksons album here

Although I wasn't massively impressed with his tribute mix, J Period shares his thoughts on MJ and makes some good points about his music and presonal life here

DJ Premier does his MJ tribute radio show style, complete with banter, burping, pretty hap-hazard mixing but most importantly a lot of great music here

I decided from the off that I wasn't going to get involved in the MJ tribute flood, but having played an excessive volume of Jackson tunes at two gigs over the weekend, I'm finding it hard to resist the temptation. If I cave in and do it, you'll be the first to know. Watch this space.

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26.06.09

KING OF POP R.I.P

Questionable private life? Well, despite a trial and a lot of speculation the jury is still out for a lot of people. 'Unhealthy' obsession with the imagery of youth / being simultaneously white and black? Arguably, but it all depends on your personal view of what's constitutes 'normal' and what constitutes 'genius'. Let's just agree on unique. Made some of the greatest pop soul records of all time? ABSOLUTELY.

That's right, today is the day that the world mourns the loss of Michael Jackson through endless identicle twitter posts and, I'll wager, by this afternoon, countless badly executed and rushed together MJ tribute mixtapes. Which is why I'll try and beat you all to the punch by posting these two excellent MJ influenced offerings which first came out last year.

First up is The ARE's 'Dem Damb Jacksons' beat tape. Excellent beats crafted entirely from Jackson samples. This is the instrumental version, although there is a vocal version if you care to search for it.

To download via Divshare, click here (left click, follow instructions)

Second up is Rhymefest's 'Man in the Mirror' mixtape. Produced and mixed by Mark Ronson again using Jackson samples. Worth checking for the pretty funny skits (if not slightly disrespectful given recent events).

To download via Sendspace click here (left click, follow instructions)

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25.06.09

TONIGHT IN EAST LONDON

My man Blueprint is in town from Luxembourg and will be joining me with his fine selection of 45s down at the Vibe Bar tonight. It's free entry so no excuses. See you there.

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24.06.09

NICOLAY: OFF THE SHELF PART 4

I'm back and feeling full of the joys of summer. Germany was nothing more than an airport and a bus ride, but France was great (if a little a brief) and Italy was just what the doctor ordered. So, I'm back on it and feeling at least a little bit re-invigorated. To celebrate the sunshine and good times, here's another couple of tracks from Nicolay's vaults, this time featuring Dutch vocalist Moon Baker.

To download 'Moon Baker - Stay', click here (right click, save as)

To download 'Moon Baker featuring Kay - ABC of Romance (Nicolay Remix) click here (right click, save as)

Link courtesy of Nicolay's website.

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16.06.09

NEW SA-RA ALBUM DROPPING 23 JUNE

The other day I got sent the promo sampler for the new Sa Ra album and I can say the new stuff is every bit as good as I'd hoped. 'Nuclear Evolution: The Age Of Love' drops on 23rd June, so do the good thing and leave the screen and go to a record store. If you can't wait that long and you want a sneak peak there are a couple of promo tracks doing the rounds to be found here and here.

I'm off tomorrow to France and then Italy for the Adidas Originals launch and some sunshine so updates will resume in about a week's time! Until then, take care of yourselves ... and each other..

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11.06.09

NICOLAY'S OFF THE SHELF PART 3

Another week, another unreleased nugget from Dutch favourite, Nicolay. This week's treat is a track entitled 'Soulclap' by United Soul featuring Yahzarah and Phonte of Little Brother.

To download click here (right click, save as)

Link courtesy of Nicolay's website.

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08.06.09

NEW MUSIC FROM ROB VIKTUM

At the risk of regurgitating the content of Rappers I Know two posts in a row, here's some new music from Rob Viktum. Rob is one of those beat makers who works hard and has got a solid flow of good material out there (his American Gangster remix album was one of about three that I would say was worth checking) and this collection of new school instrumentals doesn't dissapoint either.

To download click here (right click, save as).

Link courtesy of Rappers I Know.

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05.06.09

UNRELEASED DJ SPINNA

Spinna is one of those dudes who's managed to stay creative and relevant over a long period of time. I feel his more recent soul productions every bit as much as his more revered mid to late 90s hip hop productions.

Here's an unreleased remix of Busta's 'Abandon Ship' which appeared over on Rappers I Know a week or so back. Apparently this track will appear on a forthcoming mixtape called 'Recall' along with other unreleased bits and pieces.

To download click here (right click, save as).

Link courtesy of Rappers I Know

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03.06.09

WHACK IT SOME MORE!

Just when I thought I'd cleared the decks of all the older material that I wanted to get up on the downloads page, I stumbled across a few more bits and pieces that I figured would be worth posting. Dating back a few years, here are a few mash up style remixes of well known tunes with a twist. Sample sources from the Stranglers to recent jazz are thrown into the pot with some popular vocals and and this is the result. Features a great remix from good friend of the site Danny Delta alongside a couple of my own ... plus a slightly less creative mash up that I still have a soft spot for. Again, mostly created with the jobbing DJ in mind, others might still get some enjoyment out of these.

Grab it from the downloads page!

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02.06.09

TWEET TWEET

Twitter - a bit self indulgent and not very interesting? I'd have to say that for the most part I agree. But, I've been looking for a quick and easy way to tell people about new content on the site for a while and this might be it... so I'm on the bandwagon.

I will say this though - my aim is to only post a message (tweet?) each time I post some new content so that anyone who cares to follow will be informed. No need for you to know what I had for breakfast or what the weather is like in London. If you want to send me a message, please use good old email!

MusicOfSubstance on Twitter - www.twitter.com/SubstanceMusic

If you're a twitter user you can "follow" (that sounds very self important) or if not, you can still sign up for RSS updates.

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01.06.09