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
Stream:

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DJ Trace - The Philadelphia Sessions (1999) Side 2
Stream:

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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