Some vinyl picks (in no particular order) from my humble crates. It was tough picking favorites since I still go digging whenever I have the time and constantly find new faves, but these are some records I’ve accumulated through the years that I’d never let go of. Some old, some new, some rare, some not so rare – most found for $2 or less and all my jams.
??? – “Pablo” 12″ (White, 198?)
My roommate gets dollar bin records for free at Academy (he works there and apparently they have a basement full of’em) and sometimes he snatches some for me. That’s how I came up on this little joint. I have no idea who this is, but it has the illest bounce, complete with vocoder vocals singing “Do it to me baby, Do it to meeeee…” It sounds like an Arthur Baker production, early 80′s for sure. One of my fave white label mystery 12″s and a stunner for my popping and locking homies out in Cali. (UPDATE: C’mish found this last weekend – it’s Vernon Burch – “Do It To Me Baby” – D’oh!)
Mohammed Rafi – Jaan Pehechan Ho Pic Disc 7″ (Rambling Records Japan, 2001)
Bought this 7″ for 5 bucks over at APE-CON in SF some years back. APE-CON (Alternative Press Expo) is a great place to find weird comics and scope nerdy-art girls, but I wouldn’t recommend going there to find records. I think the only reason they had this was because it was tied into the whole “Ghost World” movie release and has the awesome Daniel Clowes illustration on the disc. “Jaan Pehechan Ho” is one of my favorite Bollywood jams, originally from the 1965 movie “Gumnaam.” I don’t know if this is super rare or anything, but it’s not on discogs or ebay (probably bootleg). Oh and if you didn’t know, Mohammed Rafi is the man.
David Astri – Do It Right LP (Award Records, 1983)
This would have to be my “dollar bin miracle.” I didn’t know it when I pulled it out of the dirty landfill known as “The Thing” in Greenpoint, but when C’mish looked it up on ebay it was fetching $120+. Yes, David Astri with cheesy as all hell cover (looks like a beginners guide to MIDI or something) pressed up on crystal clear vinyl, and contains the sought after track “Dancing Digits.” Sounds like something that inspired Metro Area or some of those new disco maestros. Still minty except for all the BPM sticky notes on the cover and the “Black Passion Disco” stamp on the label left from the original owner.
Slyck – Love it Or (Beat The Bush) (Solid Platinum, 1981)
I’m a sucker for thick elastic bass, squiggle synths, and tight disco drums. This thing has all of three in abundance and is just plain nasty. Not only that, it has a Werewolf howl at every breakdown ensuring freaky dance madness every time (and it doesn’t even have to be Halloween)! The intro break alone could be released as an edit with the one-of-a-kind filtered slap bass (haven’t heard anything like it) but when the the whole composition comes together (after the Werewolf howl) its a wrap.
Ed Rush & Optical – Wormhole 5X12″ (Virus, 1998)
Back in college, I spent all my money on import DnB 12″s and break records (and trees). I started off buying ragga jungle stuff, but this was the type of shit that got me straight up addicted. I was going to 3-D animation school at the time, so all the twisted, teched-out wobbly sounds were a perfect match to the endles hours I spent in front of MAYA pulling at control vertices in the virtual world. Ed Rush and Optical were my fave DnB producers and were responsible for the whole neuro-funk DnB sound (and spawning a shit-ton of bad imitators). This album banged from beginning to end – all 5 12″s were my shit and always got a place in my crate when I played at parties n raves in Oakland.
Gino Soccio – Face To Face (Atlantic, 1982)
It’s completely satisfying when you dig up a whole LP that you can play from beginning to end without having to skip tracks or edit out the cheesy or bad parts. This record may not be so rare or fetch the most dough, but it’s a rock solid LP and one of my treasured disco LPs. Gino Soccio was on top of his funked-out italo game in ’82 with “Face To Face”. The album is worth it for “It’s Alright” alone, but you can seriously groove to all of the tracks on here. Bonus points for sharing its name with my favorite Daft Punk jam and the artwork is future fresh with the red aboriginal guy, sine waves and grid patterns.
E-40 – Sprinkle Me 12″ (Jive/Sick Wid It, 1995)
E-40 has been the Bay’s rap ambassador and slang innovator for years before hyphy and “Tell Me When To Go.” Growing up in the East Bay, I remember being in 6th grade and freaking out over the “Mirror In My Pocket” video on The Box. That shit blew my mind as a kid – then he kept stunnin’ me throughout the years with hits like “Captain Save A Ho,” “Hurricane (with the Click),” “Player’s Ball,” and of course “Sprinkle Me” with his sister Suga T. “Sprinkle Me” = feel good rap jam. Most of ya’ll prolly even know the words. Ironically I never saw this record when I lived out in Cali, but found it at the thrift store here in Brooklyn. It was sealed too, ya smell me?
Funkmaster Ozone – West Coast Pioneers EP (Da Source Germany, 2007)
Electric boogaloo shit from… Cologne, Germany? Coulda fooled me! THE MEANEST talkbox shit right here, definitely Troutman disciple numero uno. It’s like P-Thug from Chromeo but harder. I had to order this direct from Deutschland (shipping was a bitch!) but it was worth every penny.
Latyrx – Muzappers Mixes EP (Solesides, 1997)
Man when this came out I couldn’t play it enough. Shadow on the throwback electrofunk beat with Lyrics Born’s whisky slur delivery and Lateef’s lyrical flips is still fresh. Seriously, best raps about a girl ever. “The little children wanna jump in your lap, girl I wanna do that myself…” Ha! I played this so much, my copy sounds like crap – there’s even a small cigarette ash melt on the vinyl (but I still played it out). This is the original clear orange vinyl pressing with Brent Rollins on the fly sleeve design purchased from Rasputin’s in San Lorenzo (RIP).
Tony Cook & The Party People – On The Floor (Rock It) 12″ (Half Moon, 1984)
This song always gets me. I knew about this track for awhile through an old b-boy video (it was a clip of K-Mel from Boogie Brats) and the blue label version, but never the “Special DJ Master Mix” (only on the white label) which I first heard Super Fam play some months ago. When I heard that mix it blew my mind and had to find it. I love how they extend the shit out of it and it has more of a free garage house vibe than the b-boy version.
and thats all from me. maybe i’ll throw some of these on the next lab radio…
