[ aquarius records — Hiphop ]

Showing results 1101 through 1150 of 1265.

V/AHip Hop Tribute To Iron Maiden(Tribute Sounds)cd$ 13.98

Worst thing we've ever heard. Almost not even funny. Ok it's a little funny. But definitely not what we were hoping for. What were we hoping for? Good question...

V/AHistory Of Hip Hop Radio Vol.1 (NYC 1986-1991)(Hip Hop Slam)cd-r$ 11.98

This one is for the bigtime old school hip-hop enthusiasts. Without a doubt radio played a huge role in boosting the NY hip-hop scene since the early 80's. This collection of NY hip-hop radio clips will make you feel like you are back in the Bronx in '88 staying up late and listening to Special K and Teddy Tedd on the fm dial to get your latest fix of what's new and hot in the hip-hop world. There are 27 tracks on here ranging from 49 seconds to over 8 minutes that are all snippets from various broadcasts of legendary hip-hop radio in NY from '86-'91. A piece of hip-hop and radio history.

V/AHuman Element - The World's First Human Beatbox Compilation(108 )cd$ 14.98

V/AHyphy Hitz(TVT)cd$ 15.98

Living in the Bay Area, we've obviously been hearing all about Hyphy for about a year now, a distinctly Bay Area sound, not all that dissimilar to Crunk or the chopped and screwed sound of the Dirty South, but with a vibe that was distinctly, well Hyphy (a mix of hype and fly btw). A sound that supposedly just sort of sprouted up in the beginning of 2006. We'd heard tracks by all the main movers in the scene, Keak Da Sneak, Mac Dre, E-40, and while we dug it, it didn't really sound all that different from the Bay Area hip hop we'd been hearing for years, and it sort of smacked of the great hype machine, coming up with a catch phrase to make something old and tired sound new and fresh again. But maybe we weren't hearing the right tracks, cuz we got our hands on this comp, featuring all the best Hyphy bangers from the first year, and HOLEEEEEEEEE SHIT, is this stuff amazing. Fucked up and funny, funky and fun and so totally over the top. Absolutely irresistible. In fact we sold one to a customer, who called us from his car ten minutes later FREAKING OUT about how great it was, and how every track was so good, he'd skip to the next one, expecting it to be a dud, only to discover it was even better. We had the exact same experience. We listened to a few minutes of each track, constantly skipping forward, not believing that every track could be that fucking great. But they were, and they are! We've been freaking out about grime for ages, a killer UK hybrid of hip hop and jungle (Dizzee Rascal, Lady Sovereign, Wiley...), we can't get enough of that grimey sound, so fucked up with killer beats and weird loops, and some of the funniest freaked out flows we've ever heard, dense and tongue twisting. With our new found love of grime, we had been lamenting the sad state of US hip hop, the same beats, the same boring gangster rap, the same glossy MTV stuff, but damn if these tracks don't push the exact same buttons that grime does, sounding fresh and thrilling all over again. But what does Hyphy actually sound like? It's kind of hard to pinpoint, it may be about location as much as sound, the scene as much as the music, but most of the tracks have some common elements. Synths for one. Lots of synths, thick and fuzzy, often the main hook is just a massive buzzing synth melody over a shuffling laid back rhythm. And the rhythms, they don't bang and pound as much as sort of slink. And the rapping, some seriously strange flows, from marble mouthed mumbles, to urgent whispers to Lil' Jon style hollerin' but it's not just the delivery, it's the actual words, a confusional mix of Hyphy slang that has you scratching your head as often as laughing out loud. Check out "I Got Grapes", the main lyric being a wailed "I got graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapes" over a super stripped down beat. Or "Yadadamean" where the main hook is a strangely affected "Yadadamean" repeated over a weirdly epic cinematic synth line. WTF?!? So amazing. I wish we could describe it more explicitly, but you just gotta hear it. If you're anything like us, you'll be grabbed in the first 30 seconds and won't be able to stop. Normally we're pretty skeptical of 'hits' collections like this, but it's hard to argue with a comp this jam packed with stunners, and we're not about to. Did you dig the B'more Music comp? The Science Faction: Grime comp? The Rio Baile Funk comps? The Warrior Dubz comp? The Razor X Productions comp? Well, you just might have a new favorite. THE dance party record of the year. Whether you're slow rolling with the top down, cranking it through the headphones, or bumpin' and sweatin' up the dancefloor, this disc is THE ONE.

V/AIn Prison: Afroamerican Prison Music From Blues To Hip Hop(Trikont)cd$ 16.98

There is such a rich history of prison music in this country, with the roots of blues easily traced to the incarceration and slavery of African American, and with so much hurt, pain and suffering comes some of the most gripping, raw, and honest music ever made. This compilation collects all sorts of sounds created behind bars from old blues, R+B, soul and modern sounding hip-hop. From the direct and hard hitting blues of Fred McDowell to the righteous empowerment of Nina Simone, the thoughtful anger of 2 Pac to a surprisingly political and subversive soul number from The Temptations. Brand Nubian, James Russell, Dead Prez, Curtis Mayfield and The Last Poets are just a few others featured on this amazing compilation. As is the case with all Trikont releases there is an extensive and informative booklet with great essays including one on how the U.S. continues to be a prison state to this day. We can imagine this being in heavy rotation on the stereos of Spike Lee, Angela Davis and Noam Chomsky, and we can't stop listening to this ourselves. So smart, relevant and powerful!

V/AInfluenced by Intensity(Quintessential)cd$ 12.98

V/ALe Flow: The French Hip Hop Avant Garde(Trace)cd$ 15.98

Wide ranging collection of French hip-hop, from Parisian gangstah rap to down-tempo slow jams. Featuring MC Solaar with Missy Elliott, Les Nubians, Assassin, Alliance Ethnik, Arsenik & RZA and much more. This is really great stuff. Certainly the best collection of French hip hop we've heard so far. Nice to know MC Solaar isn't going it alone.

V/ALexoleum(Lex)cd$ 16.98

This is a pretty wicked sampler of artists on Lex records, an imprint of Warp that specialises in hip hop, and who brought us the totally amazing Boom Bip 'Seed To Sun' record a while back. Features selections from the first handful of Lex releases as well as exclusive tracks from a bunch of non-Lex folks. Tracks by Boom Bip, Sage Francis, Why?, Peaches, Edan, Tes, Supersoul, Madlib, Jaime Lidell and loads more. Once again packaged in a cool Lex Records-style embossed slip case, this time done up all graffitti style!

V/AListen to the Drum(Nu Gruv)cd$ 12.98

Live performances culled from memorable KZSU hip hop shows -- Fugees, Wu-Tang, Redman, Bustah Rhymes, OC, more...

V/ALittle Movies Big Noises(Definitive Jux)2dvd$ 16.98

V/ALyricist Lounge 2(Rawkus)cd$ 16.98

V/AMary Anne Hobbs - Warrior Dubs(Planet Mu)cd$ 14.98

What the hell more can we say about grime?! Other than we love it. We're obsessed with it. Grime and dubstep are everything we wish hip hop still was (and some still is, the new Clipse absolutely destroys!). Fresh and funky, wild and weird. Fucked up beats and even more fucked up flows. Stuttering hiccupping what the fuck rhythms. It's maddeningly mind bending. And we just can't get enough. And the thing is, we're forced to subsist on a new grime/dubstep release every few weeks or every couple of months, when we could easily be eating up ten times that. This is the only music that stands any chance of getting our non-dancing asses out of our chairs and out onto the dancefloor. And even if dancing is even lower on your list of priorities that it is on ours, this shit is the perfect kicking back music, drifting off, mellowing out, late night dubbed out chill music, it also sounds absolutely amazing blasting in your car. Like we said, we just can't get enough. So here we have a collection of some of the best dubstep (and grime) jams of the last little while compiled by legendary DJ Mary Anne Hobbs. About half of these tracks were recorded or at least remixed specifically for this comp, the rest being all time grime/dubstep classics. The disc starts off with a track from recent AQ Record of the Weeker Milanese, a furious muted blast of grime-y groove and some killer dancehall style toasting over the top. The grime element is sort of pushed aside in favor of the more blissed out dubstep sound for the rest of the disc, featuring a track from another AQ record of the week Burial, as well as a track from Kode9 & Space Ape whose full length we raved about not too long ago. And of course a track from Kevin Martin's Bug... This whole record is just so dark and deliriously groovy. Beats are all over the place, alternating between shuffling and pounding, slithering and stuttering, huge basslines fuzz and buzz, thick swaths of low end synth threaten your woofers, vocals are minimal, sometimes wild tongue twisting flows, other times growled dancehall toasting, bits of jungle surface here and there, thick swirls of ominous ambience EVERYWHERE. So goddamn good. We've been listening to this non stop!! And every time we play this in the store somebody comes up to find out what it is, and usually ends up buying it. So what else do you need to know. Buy this now!

V/AMission Voices(Southern Exposure)cd$ 8.98

This hiphop compilation is part of Horizons Unlimited, the San Francisco DJ project devoted to - as the cover states - "empowering youth through the arts". Students took the creative reins: writing, sampling, sequencing and mixing their own tracks as well as

V/AMuggs Presents...The Soul Assassins: Chapter 1(Columbia)cd$ 15.98

A compilation of cuts by some of hiphop's biggest stars (Dr. Dre, RZA & GZA/Genius, KRS-One, various Mobbs, many others) all produced, arranged and composed by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill.

V/AMusic For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library(Strut)2cd$ 17.98

Crate-diggers have long looked to Library music (anonymously created music cues made available for use in film) for obscure hip-hop and funk breaks. Back in 2000, Strut Records released this survey on the KPM library originally intending to create a series dedicated to mining the archives of UK's foremost music libraries. It has now been reissued in a deluxe format that includes a bonus cd of a live reunion concert at London's Jazz Cafe with KPM's top performers, Alan Hawkshaw (The Mohawks), Keith Mansfield, and Alan Parker, dubbed The KPM All Stars. The album proper also includes tracks by John Cameron, Les Baxter and a host of others focusing on funk, soul, Latin, jazz, and disco with a gritty seventies urban vibe. Break beats are plentiful, but what is most stunning is the solid session player chops being presented especially on the live disc, not to mention the stunning vocals by Madeline Bell on "That's What Friends Are For" (not the Dionne Warwick song of the same name, thankfully!). Fans of Gilles Peterson, or rare soul and jazz groove. take note! There's also a gatefold double lp version that includes both cds with it as well.

V/ANice Up The Dance: Two Worlds Clash(Soul Jazz)cd$ 16.98

Last list one of our 'Records-of-the-Week' was the awesome "Wild Dub" compilation of punk-era dubs. This week, we've got another culture clash -- though, like "Wild Dub", it's less a clash than a perfect match -- with this mix of reggae meets hip hop mixes. Not to be confused with Heartbeat's venerable compilation of disco-mixes which bears the same title, Soul Jazz's "Nice Up The Dance" is no less of a great collection. While the earlier genres of Jamaican music have drawn inspiration from the States in varying degrees since the 1950's, it's only recently that tables have turned and artists from the U.S. have begun importing ideas from Jamaica -- so much so that rap and dancehall are practically joined at the hip. Dancehall artists are not only cameo-ing on albums by prominent rap artists, but even getting some major label attention of their own. Along comes Soul Jazz to bridge the not-so-wide gap between hip hop and dancehall. On the one hand you have Jamaican artists here like Sean Paul, who has apparently been enjoying some MTV and major label attention right now. His 1996 track "Infiltrate", which has some sick sub-harmonic bass for those of you with subwoofers (the "Playground" riddim), is included here. And on the other you have American artists like J-Live with his track "Satisfied" which pays homage to Jamaican music by using Augustus Pablo's "East of the River Nile" as its foundation, and NY producer Kenny Dope with his trunk rattling dancehall/hip hop crossover classics "Boomin' In Ya Jeep" (featuring Screechy Dan) and "Gunshot" (featuring Shaggy). The best thing about this collection is that it's not some academic attempt to point out the missing links between hip hop and dancehall, but -- like Soul Jazz already has demonstrated time and again -- to collect some of the best tracks into a mix that will stay in your system this summer. This is going to be the album to blast at your next bar-b-q, or in your car on the way to the beach/park/club through the coming hot months (for those of you who are blessed with warm summers). Along with the aforementioned tracks is Cutty Ranks' kick ass come back tune "Who Say Me Done", a fucking wicked Tuva-drone toast from Pompidoo aptly titled "Synthesizer Voice", Steelie and Cleevie's electro-bass remix of Dawn Penn's "No, No, No" (admit it purists, this mix grows on you), another mix of the ever so popular "Ring The Alarm" by Tenor Saw and more. But the absolute bestest, most kick-assessed track on the album is Ward 21's gut pounding, steamroller of a bassline "Petrol" (from 2002 -- no it's not on the Mentally Disturbed album) which features tag team vocals from both the growling baritone and the 200-words-per-minute auctioneer cum toaster. And for those of you that can't live without it, there are some nice liner notes tracing the paths of Jamaican and American music here for you. Highly recommended!!!

V/AOriginal Style(New Star)cd$ 15.98

Waaaaay old skool stuff here on this compilation of funked up hip hop from the early days of the genre, dug up by some serious collectors/DJs. Featuring the raps of Pookey Blow, South Bronx Movement, Missy Dee & The Melody Crew, Outlaw Four, The Jackson Two, Nice & Nasty 3, Mike T, MC Rock Lovely, Eye Beta Rock, Denyce "Flip" Isaac, Keeling Bedford Connection and Mr. Sweety. Weird how this stuff can sound almost quaint, even though these ancient MCs are still obviously cooler than you, and be nostalgic even though we've never heard of most of these rappers? Definitely a fine party disc, with smooth grooves and hoary rhymes galore. Liner notes would have been nice, though.

V/APanatone: Warm - Compiled By DJ Tom Thump(Cosmic Flux Musiq)cd$ 14.98

This 2001 compilation is the impressive debut in the recorded realm of Bay Area clubland kingpin DJ Tom Thump. If you dig downtempo, soul and house sounds, you're probably already very familiar with Tom Thump. For those of you who aren't, rest assured he's a gent you can trust as a purveyor of the smooth funky, jazzy good times! This skillfully mixed compilation will carry you deep into the night in fab style.

V/APeanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45's(Stones Throw)cd$ 17.98

Great! In 1998, local hip hop music maker, record collector, and impresario Peanut Butter Wolf started a series of vinyl 7"s meant for one-off releases that didn't fit with his straight up hip hop label Stones Throw. (Hey, if you didn't know already, PB Wolf is da guy dat came up with the idea of the all-45s sets that brought Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow together for their now famous shows.) Featuring folks like Madlib, Breakestra, A-Trak (his sublime "Enter Ralph Wiggum" track), Lootpack, etc, and then later expanding to reissue funk/soul classics from the late '60s/early '70s, the 7"s were meant to be collectible, with exclusive tracks. (In fact, even though this disc compiles the 7"s, it takes only one track from each single so the 7"s are *still* collectible.) I didn't pay them enough attention when they were still singles, so this comp is welcome, and as a collected entity it only serves to show how rad PB Wolf's taste is. Man, some of the old funk tracks appearing here are *unbelievably weird*, and the contemporary tracks are sufficiently soul and funk-influenced that sometimes it's hard to tell if they're old or new. That's awesome! Hands down one of the very best soul / funk / hip hop comps we've heard in forever, and the fact that it covers old and modern stuff just puts it over the top. A great, exciting listen thru and thru. Highly recommended.

V/APerfect Beats 1(Tommy Boy)cd$ 15.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. This compendium of 'New York Electro Hip Hop + Underground Dance Classics 1980 - 1985' has so many great tracks from Afrika Bambaataa, Kraftwerk, New Order, Cybotron, Liquid Liquid, ESG, Shannon, etc... it is baffling that Marc insists on only playing 'The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight' by Dominatrix not just once, but three or four times in a row. I'll admit that there is something charming about this song, but I have gotten sick of it. Nevertheless, the tracks on these compilations qualify the roots of techno, electronica, and gangsta rap. Vol 1. features Afrika Bambaataa, Yaz, Yello, Kraftwerk, Peech Boys, Planet Patrol, T.W. Funkmasters, and more. Vol 2. (perhaps the best of the 4) features Dominatrix, New Order, ESG, Liquid Liquid, Shannon, Freeze, Slack, and more. Vol 3. Shannon, Xena, Carol Lynn Townes, Heaven 17, Hashim, Tina B, Seidah Garrett, and more. Vol 4. (the most electro of the bunch) features Cybotron, Jonzun Crew, Quadrant Six, Newcleus, C-Bank, Afrika Bambaataa, and more.

V/APerfect Beats 2(Tommy Boy)cd$ 15.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. This compendium of 'New York Electro Hip Hop + Underground Dance Classics 1980 - 1985' has so many great tracks from Afrika Bambaataa, Kraftwerk, New Order, Cybotron, Liquid Liquid, ESG, Shannon, etc... it is baffling that Marc insists on only playing 'The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight' by Dominatrix not just once, but three or four times in a row. I'll admit that there is something charming about this song, but I have gotten sick of it. Nevertheless, the tracks on these compilations qualify the roots of techno, electronica, and gangsta rap. Vol 1. features Afrika Bambaataa, Yaz, Yello, Kraftwerk, Peech Boys, Planet Patrol, T.W. Funkmasters, and more. Vol 2. (perhaps the best of the 4) features Dominatrix, New Order, ESG, Liquid Liquid, Shannon, Freeze, Slack, and more. Vol 3. Shannon, Xena, Carol Lynn Townes, Heaven 17, Hashim, Tina B, Seidah Garrett, and more. Vol 4. (the most electro of the bunch) features Cybotron, Jonzun Crew, Quadrant Six, Newcleus, C-Bank, Afrika Bambaataa, and more.

V/APerfect Beats 3(Tommy Boy)cd$ 15.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. This compendium of 'New York Electro Hip Hop + Underground Dance Classics 1980 - 1985' has so many great tracks from Afrika Bambaataa, Kraftwerk, New Order, Cybotron, Liquid Liquid, ESG, Shannon, etc... it is baffling that Marc insists on only playing 'The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight' by Dominatrix not just once, but three or four times in a row. I'll admit that there is something charming about this song, but I have gotten sick of it. Nevertheless, the tracks on these compilations qualify the roots of techno, electronica, and gangsta rap. Vol 1. features Afrika Bambaataa, Yaz, Yello, Kraftwerk, Peech Boys, Planet Patrol, T.W. Funkmasters, and more. Vol 2. (perhaps the best of the 4) features Dominatrix, New Order, ESG, Liquid Liquid, Shannon, Freeze, Slack, and more. Vol 3. Shannon, Xena, Carol Lynn Townes, Heaven 17, Hashim, Tina B, Seidah Garrett, and more. Vol 4. (the most electro of the bunch) features Cybotron, Jonzun Crew, Quadrant Six, Newcleus, C-Bank, Afrika Bambaataa, and more.

V/APerfect Beats 4(Tommy Boy)cd$ 15.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. This compendium of 'New York Electro Hip Hop + Underground Dance Classics 1980 - 1985' has so many great tracks from Afrika Bambaataa, Kraftwerk, New Order, Cybotron, Liquid Liquid, ESG, Shannon, etc... it is baffling that Marc insists on only playing 'The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight' by Dominatrix not just once, but three or four times in a row. I'll admit that there is something charming about this song, but I have gotten sick of it. Nevertheless, the tracks on these compilations qualify the roots of techno, electronica, and gangsta rap. Vol 1. features Afrika Bambaataa, Yaz, Yello, Kraftwerk, Peech Boys, Planet Patrol, T.W. Funkmasters, and more. Vol 2. (perhaps the best of the 4) features Dominatrix, New Order, ESG, Liquid Liquid, Shannon, Freeze, Slack, and more. Vol 3. Shannon, Xena, Carol Lynn Townes, Heaven 17, Hashim, Tina B, Seidah Garrett, and more. Vol 4. (the most electro of the bunch) features Cybotron, Jonzun Crew, Quadrant Six, Newcleus, C-Bank, Afrika Bambaataa, and more.

V/APharaohs of Funk(Slit Wrist Recordings)cd$ 17.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

V/APirate Fucking Radio 100(Hip Hop Slam DJ Series)cd$ 14.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. Celebrating five years of battery powered radio waves and uncensored low-wattage, "Pirate Fucking Radio 100" is a scratchtastic collection of mostly Bay Area turntablists from the same label that released the Shiggar Fraggar pirate radio sessions with tracks from Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Eddie Def, Peanut Butter Wolf, Kool Keith & Kut Masta Kurt, Chuck D (well just seven seconds of Chuck D), The Space Travellers, and more!

V/AProject Blowed(Massmen)cd$ 14.98

Legendary So. Cal. hiphop collective from the early '90s, finally reissued. Incredibly deft lyrical flow from Aceyalone of Freestyle Fellowship, among others. Awesome!

V/ARapid Transit(Chocolate Industries)cd$ 14.98

Chocolate Industries compilation, whoo-hoo! Some gems from the output of this excellent hiphop (and jazz) infused electronica label. Push-Button Objects, Ko-Wreck Technique, East Flatbush Project, Funkstorung, While, Sluta Leta (who deliver their dependable headscratching mix of some old 70s jazzrock LP with millenial quality breakbeats...Soooo nice) and others. Some tracks are new, some are classics from the CI back catalog. A good 'un.

V/ARasco Presents: 20,000 Leagues Under The Street Vol. 1(Pockets Linted Entertainment)cd$ 15.98

Pretty great underground CA hiphop collection w/ Rasco, AQ faves Zion I, Cali Agents, Saafir, Planet Asia, and others. The tracks are exclusive to this comp, it seems. A good way to get clued into some current, cutting edge rap artistry.

V/ARawkus Presents: Soundbombing II, the Singles(Rawkus)12"$ 5.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. One of 5 singles taken from the Soundbombing II compilation album. This one features Mos Def, Diamond, and the always-interesting Company Flow.

V/AReal Deal(Bomb Hip-Hop)cd$ 12.98

V/ARed Hot + Riot(MCA)cd$ 17.98

Tribute to Nigerian musician Fela Kuti featuring a swarm of artists including Mixmaster Mike, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, Femi Kuti, Macy Gray, Meshell Ndegeocello, Common, Manu Dibango, Tony Allen, Baaba Maal, Archie Shepp, Sade, Taj Mahal, Antibalas and much more. Though most of the tracks are a brief 4 or 5 minutes (instead of the Fela standard of an album side) they are set up in continuous form so that one guest will toast over a track for a bit, then someone else will pick up the slack where they leave off. So you kind of get the Fela feel in a 2nd millennium party mix sort of way. In fact, many of the tracks use Fela's original music as source material and throughout the collection it is remixed in varying amounts. Net profits from the sale of the album go to support Red Hot's AIDS awareness activites and other AIDS related relief and prevention programs.

V/AReturn Of The DJ 3(Bomb)cd$ 16.98

Finally! This is the third collection from Bomb Recordings, documenting the flash, the wizardry, and the techniques of the turntablist. Features DJ Faust, Z-Trip (who presents another triumphant hip hop collage of metal and classic rock in "Rockstar II"), Mr. Dibbs, Shortee, Eddie Def & Extrakd, DJ Design, Cold Cutz Crew, and many others!

V/AReturn of the DJ Vol. II(Bomb)cd$ 16.98

At last, the compact disc version of this amazing all-DJ, all-scratching compilation. Truly a worthy sequel to the insane turntable antics of 1995's volume one. AMAZING collection of scratching and other turntablist skills sounds so ALIVE and refreshing and immediate, it brings smiles to all who hear it. We are the first store anywhere to carry this groundbreaking collection of turntable strategists kicking lesser DJ ass far and wide. Contributors hail from the likes of Paris, Finland, Cincinnati, and New York City. For fans of more well-known DJs like QBert, ShortKut, Disk & Mixmaster Mike of the Skratch Picklz, LA's Beat Junkies and Manhattan's X-Men (here represented by Roc Raida). You MUST hear this.

V/AReturn of the DJ Volume IV(Bomb Hip-Hop)2lp$ 19.98

Volume 4 of the Bomb label's acclaimed all-scratching DJ compilations. Somehow Bomb Hip Hop, with these comps, has managed to consistently corral all the new 'n exciting scratch DJs you've never heard of, constantly introducing fresh talents and remaining

V/AReturn of the DJ vol. 1(Bomb)cd$ 16.98

Back in print! With a new color cover, akin to that of vol. 2. If'n you don't know, this is the crazy acrobatic hiphop turntablist state of the art, a real must-have for anyone interested in exploits on the wheels of steel. Live sound collage mayhem to kick your ass, courtesy of such luminaries (better known now) as Rob Swift, Z-Trip, Peanut Butter Wolf and of course the Invisible Scratch Pickles.

V/ARevenge Of The Robots(Definitive Jux)2dvd$ 19.98

Pretty sweet collection of music/video/documentaries from probably our favorite hip hop label. Def Jux continue to blaze their own unique path in pretty much every thing they do. The DVD features an hour long tour documentary, tons of live concert footage, videos from El-P, RJD2, Mr. Lif, and Murs as well as a making of documentary for the Murs video, as well as a documentary about the label itself. All in 5.1 digital surround sound. The cd contains an exclusive RJD2 megamix, 5 exclusive live tracks and a hip hop trivia game.

V/ARevenge of the B-Boy(Bomb)cd$ 14.98

'Revenge of the B-Boy', the soundtrack to the upcoming film 'I Saw Your Mama Breakdancing Bucknaked, features custom-made-for-breakdancing b-boy anthems from producers around the globe like Faust & Shortee, Hydroponic Sound System, Knights of Bass, Jeep Beat Collective, Clockwork Voodoo Freaks, Blade, Metabass, and more! Hip hop, turntablism, electro, big beat, and breaks from the same label that released those Return of the DJ albums. We also have a bunch of big full color posters, if you want one, just ask!

V/ARevenge of the B-Boy Episode 2(Bomb Hip-Hop)cd$ 12.98

V/ARio Baile Funk 2: More Favela Booty Beats(Essay)12"$ 9.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

V/ARio Baile Funk More Favela Booty Beats(Essay)cd$ 16.98

If you love your booty shakin then you probably got the first installment of this totally endearing and bumpin' collection of Baile Funk deep from the heart of Rio. That held us over for a bit but our booty's were in need of a recharge and we got it thanks to this 2nd volume in this collection. A raw, mutant mixture of booty bass, hip-hop, carnival, and mash-up culture at its most contagious. What makes this collection so infectious is that you can't help but hear how these songs were made free of irony, and giving us a little peak into what a colorful and risquÅ kind of party scene is happening in Rio. Throw this on in between some M.I.A and Lady Sovereign and you're sure to get everyone around you shaking their booty like it's meant to be shook. 100 percent F-U-N!

V/ARules Of The Game(Tripek)cd$ 14.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. Local hip hop compilation featuring songs by Mystik Journeymen, The Coup, Fanatik, KNT (featuring Q-Bert), and lots more. We haven't had a chance to hear it yet so no comment on the sounds contained herein.

V/ARun The Road(Vice)cd$ 13.98

Man can we not get enough grime. Ever since we first heard Dizzee Rascal, we've ben jonesing for more grime. Which was tough since most of the killer grime was released as limited run 12" singles in the UK. Then came not one, but two whole compilations on Rephlex, and while we sort of dug 'em, there was just something missing, namely the vocals. Sure the jagged stuttery beats and fucked up synths hit the spot, but those mostly instrumental tracks were lacking some of the fire and vigor and snarkiness of the Dizzee Rascal (and the Wiley record we also dug!). So Vice records comes to the rescue, with a comp of CLASSIC grime tracks, many of which were essential genre defining 12"s (a few of which are even mentioned in this month's Wire, in the suddenly timely Grime primer, or, uh 'grimer') So what the hell does grime sound like you ask? Well, it's like hip hop, mixed with simple two step drum an bass (or garage -- pronounced gare-ij), some dancehall, constucted frrom simple hiccuping beats, weird synth melodies, throbbing basslines and some crazy cracy rapping/toasting. This comp is so high energy, fit to explode, fiery and furious and funky as fuck. The whole thing is so hyper and hard core and relentless. Totally raw and powerful. And then there's the ladies, who typically get left out in the cold when it comes to electronic music, but the ladies here represent. In a big way! Lady Sovereign, No Lay, and Shystie fucking rule it!!! Lady Sovereign's "Cha Ching" is one of the most awesome sounding songs we've heard lately. The much-hyped and biggest band of the lot, The Streets (who isn't technically grime, but whose track features a handful of heavyweight grime MC's hence his inclusion on the comp we suppose), have a song on here that almost pales in comparison to the other tracks, simply for its use of "rock" as an element in his track. The other tracks work so well because they're so simple and primal and stripped down. They contain only the most important elements. A beat, some electro zzzap, some sharp synthy melody, and a barely there bass line to hold it all together. And of course raw, mean-ass snarky lyricism. Run The Road is pretty fuckin "fit" as it were. If you haven't gotten into grime yet, you best mate. And this is the perfect place to start.

V/AScience Faction: B'more Gutter(BBS / Milkcrate)cd$ 14.98

Holy crap! This record almost immediately became our favorite new record, while at the same time, proving to be maybe the most fantastically aggravating record of all time. Folks from Baltimore are probably well familiar with this kind of stuff, DJ Technics and the like. A sort of dizzying mash up of Miami bass, four on the floor techno, and druggy house music, but stripped down to its bare essence, usually a single loop, synths, drums and vocals, repeated over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. But somehow we just can's stop listening to it. Super primitive, and maddeningly catchy, this must drive people fucking nuts on the dance floor. This is get wasted and dance until you drop club music for sure. Like those Rio Baile Funk comps, all cranked up, looped and let loose. Not many of us around here actually go dancing, but this relentlessly funky disc has at one time or another got every single AQ staffer if not dancing, at least bouncing or swaying, which is a serious testament to the sheer dance floor funk power of these joints. Some of the tracks are fierce and gangsta like "Murdaland" with it's gunshot percussion, almost jungle rhythm and raspy voiced rapping. Others are like nursery rhymes set to club music, like "Oxy's Anthem Featuring Roxy Cottontail", with a tired sounding club girl talking about shaking her ass endlessly over a super mesmerizing shuffling loop. And some are just bizarre, like "Kidstuff" featuring vocals by a gaggle of kids, over a stuttering, chopped up house beat. And those are just a few picked at random, every track here is somehow totally fucked, totally catchy and absolutely irresistible. Absolutely, THE dance party record of the year. Just toss this in your player, push play and let it spin over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over...

V/AScience Faction: Dubstep(BBS / Milkcrate)cd$ 14.98

Part of the same series that included the B'More Gutter Music compilation that we made record of the week on the last list, as well as the killer Science Faction: Grime comp (definitely a would've/could've/should've been record of the week as well), Science Faction: Dubstep is another killer slab of throbbing, shuffling, stuttering electronic griminess. And in some ways it's a lot more listenable than those other two. There's a very blurry line separating grime and dubstep. Grime is snotty and super syncopated, hiccupping beats, and lightning fast tongue twisting rapping, while dubstep seems to be the late night blissout version of grime. The grime version of the reggae/dub "version", with the vocals stripped off, more of a focus on the rhythms, the bass thick and resonant, dense stabs of fuzzy roof rattling synth. Sort of like chill out music you could dance to (if you were so inclined). Imagine stuff like African Head Charge and other modern digital dub given a seriously grimey 21st century makeover. Ominous and creepy, slithery and dark, but laid back and groovy. Lots of strange samples and loops, minor key melodies, over some of the most hypnotic beats EVER. Like jungle at 16rpm, convoluted and brilliantly unfunky in the funkiest way imaginable. But it's all about the low end, the basslines, the massive slabs of fuzzy synth, we had this blasting at the store and it literally had stuff on the desk rattling, and threatened to knock the plaster on the ceiling loose. The bass lines are thick wiggling eels of tectonic rumble, weird reverberating pulses that swallow entire rhythms whole, the synths sound like tuned airplane engines, thick fuzzed out warbling whirs like someone dumping a truck-full of low-end over your head. This sort of stripped down, instrumental dance music is supposed to be for dancing, and by all rights it should be totally boring to just -listen- to, but this comp is anything but, so massive and heavy and grimey and funky and fucked up that we haven't actually been able to stop -just- listening to it!

V/AScience Faction: Grime(BBS / Milkcrate Records)cd$ 14.98

Oh man, these Science Faction comps are KILLING us! The B'More Gutter Music comp reviewed elsewhere on the list. A killer dubstep comp we'll be reviewing soon, and this, the latest blast of grimey goodness from the UK. It's been a long time since we've gotten some serious grime. Seems like the world has discovered grime's mellower side and made the move to dubstep. Which is cool, don't get us wrong, but there's something about super blown out over the top grime that just totally kicks our asses. Totally hits the spot for us the way hip hope used to. It's just so aggressive and weirdly rhythmic. It's like the best parts of hip hop, jungle, and ragga, all wrapped up into a wild and goofy, funny and fucking fierce blast of fuzzed out, stuttery what-the-fuck. The flows are even faster, mush mouther and tongue twisting, wildly leaping to and fro, over weird snippets and loops and samples, all over a crunchy dancehall like rhythm and thick squelchy synths. This just might be the best collection of grime so far though. From Crazy Titch's bastardized classical music jam "Sing Along" all strings and flutes and huge moaning symphonies chopped into funky little bits, to Roll Deep's crunchy synth and growly ragga toasting, to the sci-fi videogame freakout funk of Bruza's "Doin' Me", to the gangsta ragga skitter of the Regal Players' "Rude Boy Remix". This is all just completely nuts. Funky, phat and fucked up and freaked out. If I was a dancing man, which I am most certainly not, but if I was, I'd be all over this shit. As it is, I don't have a single dancing bone in my body, and every track on this comp totally kicks my ass and gets my toes tapping and my head nodding, which is as close to actually dancing as I will ever get. Completely mental. And of course, recommended!

V/AScratch Attack Vol. 1(Hip Hop Slam)cd$ 12.98

Scratch Attack was a monthly two hour radio show dedicated to the art of turntablism, and ran for one year until it unfortunately got booted off of KPFA in Berkeley. These tracks are culled from archives of the show, and feature both live on the air and pre-recorded stuff made especially for the show. Released by the inimitable Billy Jam, whose taste is impeccable, the collection isn't endlessly wanky (as many dj comps are, let's face it), but interesting and varied good listening. With DJ T-Rock, D-Styles, DJ Shortkut, 8-Ball, Quest (Live Human), Golden Chyld, even DJs from Netherlands, England and Ireland. Lots of spoken snippets from the radio shows, including poor Shortkut talking about how his records were stolen at an airport. Really fun, and a nice document of the groundbreaking radio show.

V/AScratch Attack Vol. 2(Hip Hop Slam)cd$ 14.98

Volume 2 of Hip Hop Slam's Scratch Attack series again compiles tracks from the legendary radio show. Scratch Attack was a monthly two hour radio show dedicated to the art of turntablism, and ran for one year until it unfortunately got booted off of KPFA in Berkeley. These tracks are culled from archives of the show, and feature both live on the air and pre-recorded stuff made especially for the show. The collection is tight and there's little filler involved, just really strong tracks from some of the best turntablists around, including a previously unreleased (clickety clackety boom boom) QBert piece, Italy's incredible Alien Army (whose scary tracks include dentist drills, Al Pacino, and werewolves), AQ-fave DJ Jester, DJ Quest & Live Human, Double Dee & Steinski, DJ Pone, DJ Spair, etc. Recommended.

V/AScratch Attack Volume 3(Hip Hop Slam)cd$ 14.98

With this third and final volume in the Scratch Attack series, beloved local hiphop go-getter Billy Jam has managed to collect together some of the most astonishingly good and exciting turntablist tracks out there, many of them having been performed live on his Scratch Attack radio show, with the studio tracks boasting just as much energy and creativity as the live stuff. Honestly, these are some of the most impressive, well chosen tracks out there. A fine survey into the current turntablist scene. With appearances by T-Rock, Live Human, Qbert, Shing02, Alien Army, etc. MPEG Download: SHING02 & FREELANCERS UNITED "Organ Transplant" [/audio/scratchshingo.mp3] MPEG Stream: SHING02 & FREELANCERS UNITED "Organ Transplant" [/audio/scratchshingo.m3u]

V/AShiggar Fraggar 2000(Hip Hop Slam)cd$ 14.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. More turntable trickery from respected Bay Area-based series.

V/ASi-Con(Shadow)cd$ 15.98

Hiphop/electro breakbeat compilation introducing a slew of up and coming Japanese DJs (Dazzle-T, Indope Psychics, Koji Sekiguchi, DJ Beat, DJ Yoh, DJ Shun, and others) all looking to be the next DJ Krush. Scratch-happy heavy beat science for those into the turntablist thing. One track gets remixed by DJ Cam, who is French not Japanese, but we won't hold that against him ;) As comps