DJ Trace - The Philadelphia Sessions (1999)

From what I gather, the streets is hungry for more classic mixes by the original techstep don - the UK's (and mid-90's Philly transplant) DJ Trace. I've been a long time fan of the master both as a DJ when I first got hold of his Don FM pirate radio sets from 1993/94, as well as a huge fan of his many incredible productions over the years.

During his stint in my hometown, not only did I get to regularly check Trace (known as Duncan to his mum) play excellently on many massive rigs, I've also been extremely lucky to be on occasion witness to this turntable monster throw down some of the freshest, nastiest dubplates in some of the most intimate settings: on decks set up on kitchen counters in 4am apartment ragers, off the back of a truck behind some abandon warehouse in North Philly, and of course the dark, smokey, extremely loud confines of the upstairs back room @ 1415 Locust (blunts, break-dancing and bass, anyone? Those were the days!).

This mix from 1999 - landed via mp3 in my email box recently. I don't actually own a copy, though I do remember it's release and it making the rounds among friends. It's an excellent selection recorded at GFS studios (big up Joe & Justin!) with a nice little intro by the recently elusive Dub 2 MC. Expect a heavy neurofunk vibe, loads of Bad Company, Ed Rush & Optical, Johnny L, Ram Trilogy, Trace, Fierce, and more. The quality is very questionable at times so forgive me it is out of my control. This is the problem with encoding cassette tapes. Enjoy!

DJ Trace - The Philadelphia Sessions (1999) Side 1
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DJ Trace - The Philadelphia Sessions (1999) Side 2
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Joey Breakdown - Jungle Bones

Here is just a little thing I threw together for some friends, more or less a recreation of an old anonymous mixtape that made the rounds of our circle during the mid 90's Philly rave scene by an unknown DJ.

The beauty of the mix is absolutely the track selection , a stinky, stuttering ragga funk that gives way to roughneck future business. Cause of its plain and simple awesomeness I recreated it, using my vinyls and some recently obtained mp3's, attempting to recreate as much of the vibe and punch of the original mix. Hope you enjoy.

 https://www.mixcloud.com/JoeyBreakdown/jungle-bones-strictly-for-the-old-headz-2010/

Andy C and Randall - Feel It
DJ Buz - Slave Special
D'Cruze - Chronic Breaks
DMS and Boneman X - Strength
Family of Intelligence - Keep Pushin
The Dubster - Zigzawya
Leviticus - Burial
DMS and Boneman X - Sweet Vibrations
New Blood - Worries In The Dance
Red One - The Futurist (Ant Miles Remix)
DJ Crystl - Groundhog Day
Photek - Move Yourself
Red One - Alive and Kickin (Ant Miles Remix)
DJ Rap & Aston - Get Rushed!

Joey Breakdown: 7/14/95

My first ever mix tape. This was made for some friends and got passed around. It never had a proper title so I titled it after the date it was recorded. Yes, the mixing and track selection maybe leave something to be desired but it's really not that bad for a 17 year old who just got his first pair of decks two months prior. I think I had already played out @ the then Club Nile by this point. I had picked up the technical side of DJing fairly quickly. Mostly because I watched other DJ's I very quickly knew what I was doing technically. However, this mix shows I had a while to go before I understood how to program a set and especially that I was still feeling my way around what records to buy and play. Nonetheless, it's a fun trip down memory lane for me. While hesitant to post such an amateur effort, a few friends have asked for copies over the years so it's nice to have it digitalized...

No full track list as I sold a lot of these years ago and have no clue what they are, but I can say you'll enjoy the likes of Goldie, Remarc, 4 Hero, DJ SS, Ellis D, Leviticus, Origin Unknown, Bizzy B, and some cheeky Toni Tony Tone remix, among others. Enjoy.

Joey Breakdown: 7/14/95
https://www.mixcloud.com/JoeyBreakdown/joey-breakdown-71495-july-1995

Kaos - Underground Selection Vol 2 (1995)

OK so it's safe to say I've got a nice grip of old mixtapes by both Karl K and Kaos, so expect many more, but rest assured I've got some bits by J. Smooth, Boy Blue, Trace and a few of my own first tapes coming up real soon. Also, keep an ear out for Episode 2 of the Drumskool215 podcast. Click here to check the first one, mixed and hosted by yours truly.

Anyways, on to the business at hand. This mix, which hit the streets in summer of 1995, remains an all time favorite of mine - it's superbly mixed and programmed, spanning a multitude of styles and tunes, from the likes of LTJ Bukem, Photek, Aphrodite, Dillinja, Lemon D, DJ Crystl, Q Project, Source Direct, and if memory serves I recall that side 1 of this mix kicks off with a very early DJ Kaos original? No full tracklist (though I could probably work it out if I had time) but nonetheless the mix is wicked stuff. Check it.


Download Side 1
Download Side 2

Karl K - Dubplate Selection (1995)

Throughout most of 1995, I, along with a good chunk of the Philly rave scene, regularly attended the dark, cavernous confines of the basement known as Club Fever, specifically the Thursday night weekly New World parties. This tape hails from that time period, as it was not only acquired from Karl K at one of those parties but a good chunk of what's on this tape is stuff he regularly dropped in his sets at the time. This mix was a fixture in my walkman, cassette deck, and any car I was riding in, and remains of of my favorite mixes to this day.

It's a blistering weave of ragga, techstep, hardstep, jump up, rnb & hip-hop vocal samples, and jazzy atmospherics combined with Karl's usual cutting and scratching - it's, in a word: jungle. And it's awesome. Look out for the brief appearance of MC Dub 2 in the second half. Below is a partial track list, if anyone is willing to fill in the blanks please do in the comments :)

https://www.mixcloud.com/JoeyBreakdown/karl-k-dubplate-selection-who-run-tings-1995/

SIDE 1
Tonic - The Mack
Ed Rush - Gun Check
T Power - The Mutant (DJ Trace Remix)
Eternal Bass - One Movement
Roni Size - Timestretch (Origin Unknown Remix)
DJ Krust - Set Speed
???
Ray Keith - Sing Time
DJ SS & Mental Power - Blue
Funki Porcini - King Ashabanapal (Dillinja Remix)
Shy FX - This Style
Babylonian - Ball Of Fire
MTS - Baad Boy Sound
Therapy? - Loose (Photek Remix)
Q Project & Spinback - Riker's Island (Dream Mix)

SIDE 2
???
JMJ & Richie - Free La Funk
Shogun - Reflex
The Mack - Hip To The Hoppa
Desired State - Here & Now
???
Splash - Babylon (DJ Trace Remix)
Dillinja - You Don't Know (Remix)
Photek - Complex
???
Roger Johnson - The Drifter
Jack Ruby - Another World

More Classic Kaos (1994)

I don't know when this flyer is from as there is no date, and the same goes for the mix it accompanies as my good friend (who, like me, also happens to be a card carrying member of the Geriatric Raver Society ;) Celestial donated to the blog. She cautioned the tape might not even play. But lucky for us it did! Judging from the track selection (Origin Unknown's "Valley Of The Shadows", "The Dark Stranger", Goldie's "Fury", and DJ Crystl's "King Of The Beats" all make appearances, among plenty more stormers), I'm guessing that the tape (and most likely flyer) hail from maybe late 1993, early 1994. The mix is a bit dark, but mixed impeccably, as expected. Enjoy. :) Brings back memories.

DJ Kaos - Untitled - 1993

Download Side 1
Download Side 2
Keep in mind these are ripped from very old cassette tapes, the sound quality is not the best!

DJ Trace Live on Bassquake, 103.3 (May 1997)

Philadelphia drum n bass heads had it lucky in the mid 90's, as one of the originators of the sound, DJ Trace had settled into our fine city and regularly rocked it's dance floors with dubplates no one had or heard, from his occasional visits back to the UK. This set was recorded during the height of that period, with Trace stopping by Michelle Sainte's infamous Bassquake radio show on Princeton University's 103.3 WPRB, as most will remember to be one of the only places to hear jungle or drum n bass on American FM radio (though it is a college station).

I remember it being miserably rainy the day this aired (Friday the 13th!), I recorded while at work (in an office, mind you)on a crappy boom box, but I did my best to do a bit of remastering and boosted the levels. Please don't forget, these are being ripped from cassette tapes!

While it isn't the full set, it is most of it, at least all 90 minutes I could capture. In addition to loads of still unreleased stormers, it overflows with classic No U-Turn, Metalheadz, Prototype, Ram, and Renegade Hardware techstep and early neurofunk. This was the first taste many of us got of bits like "The Shining", "Sonar", "Cells", "Replicants" and of course "To Shape The Future VIP", and it's mixed and selected in typical Trace style, with the usual Bassquake shout-outs and banter. An excellent listen for any fan of the sound. Sorry no tracklist, maybe we could compile one?

DJ Trace Live on Bassquake, 103.3 - May 1997

Click to download Side 1
Click to download Side 2

Karl K & Kaos 1994 Face-Off!

If you happened to be one of the many attendees at raves in Philadelphia during the early 1990's, the only time you heard jungle, breakbeat or UK hardcore music was most likely from these two pioneers of the local sound. Karl K & Kaos, basically a duo @ the time, (and augmented by the likes of the one and only MC Dub 2) released these two seminal mixtapes, both in late 1994, so we're posting them both up here in an attempted face off! All in good fun, of course. You be the judge!

Personally, these were the golden years of the genre. While many amazing tunes were released, and subgenres spawned after this point, so much ground was being broke at this point in terms of production and where the genre was headed.

DJ Kaos - Causin Up A Stress

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Download Side 2

Karl K - Untitled

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Download Side 2

More to come!