Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde 20th Anniversary Mixtape
Our latest mix is another which sits outside our chronological series but is certainly stylistically in keeping with our mission. Taking you back to 1992, this mix revisits the debut album of a legendary West Coast group:
In celebration of the 20th Anniversary of The Pharcyde's seminal 'Bizarre Ride' album and in support of the forthcoming 'Bizarre Ride Live' tour Classic Material resident DJ Chris Read presents this special mix for OG West Coast label Delicious Vinyl in conjunction with Wax Poetics. Comprising original album tracks, remixes, instrumentals, acapellas, original sample material and even some interview snippets from the time of release, this 40 minute mix takes in the high points of this incredible album and summarises why to us (and many others) it is a timeless classic.
Edition #15 (Part 1): 2001-2005
When we released Classic Material Edition #14 at the conclusion of our events series last year we said it would be the last in the series. It turns out we lied. With the release of our new t-shirt range in partnership with London sneaker boutique Foot Patrol and renowned street style photographer Normski fast approaching, we thought it would be a nice idea to bring back the mix series for one final Edition.
Edition #15 will bring things more or less up to date with a two part mix. Part 1, featured here, covers the years 2001 to 2005. Those of you who follow the mixes closely will realise that Part 1 is not an entirely new mix, but a reworking of parts of the much hyped Diary mixtape, released (it's hard to believe) almost 5 years ago. Part 2 (an entirely new mix) will go on to cover the remaining years from 2006 onward.
Boutique Beats: A Tribute to MCA
Not part of the Classic Material mix series as such, but mixed by Classic Material DJ and curator Chris Read in tribute to Adam Yauch, better known as MCA of the Beastie Boys who sadly passed away last week after a lengthy battle with cancer aged just 47. A few words from Chris Read:
"Predictably,
the internet has been awash with MCA / Beastie Boys tribute mixes in
the days that have passed since the untimely passing of Adam Yauch. I've
listened to many, enjoyed a few but, as I often do, felt the need to
put my own mark on it all. So, in less than 24 hours I set about putting
together 'Boutique Beats', not your standard 'best of', but a
collection of some of my favourites, laced with original breaks sampled
by the Beastie Boys (largely but not exclusively for the Paul's Boutique
album), acapellas, remixes and plenty else besides."
Edition#14: 2000
Edition#14 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of the year 2000, the beginning of a new decade and the end of what many consider to be hip hop's greatest era, the 90s. The year 2000 marked a turning point for the Indie scene with artists such as De La Soul, DJ Premier and others proving to the so called 'back pack' fraternity that credibility and club friendly / commercial music could co-exist.
This mix is also a landmark for us here at Classic Material as it marks the end of our year long series of events and mixes. There are however further Classic Material projects in the pipeline including a second range of t-shirts in collaboration with London sneaker boutique Foot Patrol and more music to come so please follow our blog to be kept informed!
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more Classic Material products.
EDITION#13: 1999
Edition#13 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1999, a year which marked a coming of age for the Indie Hip Hop scene. Whereas the previous year had been dominated by leftfield and arguably less accessible indie releases, 1999 delivered more accomplished and club friendly indie releases with labels such as Rawkus really growing into their hype. At the more commercial end of the spectrum big budget albums including Dre's Chronic 2001 delivered on expectations.
Other notable albums from the year include DJ Spinna's Heavy Beats Volume 1 and underground classics including MF Doom's 'Operation Doomsday' and Lootpack's 'Soundpieces'.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more Classic Material products.
Edition#12: 1998
Edition#12 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1998, a year often celebrated as the pinnacle of the late 90s 'Indie' era. Revered independent labels including Rawkus, ABB, Fondle Em and countless other less well known imprints released some of their strongest material during the year. Major labels were quick to get in on the act with Tommy Boy launching its 'Black Label' imprint as an outlet for less commercial sounding output from the likes of Defari and DV Alias Khrist.
Notable albums include Black Star seminal debut, Tribe Called Quest's Ummah produced 'Love Movement' and Pete Rock's star studded solo debut 'Soul Survivor'.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more Classic Material products.
Edition#11: 1997
Edition#11 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1997, a year which many associate with the dawn of the so called 'Indie' era. The music of 1997 set the stage the development of two distinct sounds over the following years, the underground independent sound nurtured by labels such as Correct, ABB, Rawkus and others and the commercial sound of the major labels typified by the output of artists such as Jay Z, Foxy Brown and others. Whilst the independent productions of the likes of Shawn J Period and DJ Hi Tek certainly broke new ground, the commercial output should not be written off, with novel sample sources still playing an important role (see Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz' use of Steely Dan or Lil Kim's use of Jeff Lorber for example).
Notable albums include, of course, Biggie's seminal 'Life After Death' and at the other end of the spectrum Jurassic 5's debut 'J5' EP and Company Flow's leftfield classic 'Funcrusher Plus'.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more Classic Material products.
Edition#10: 1996
Edition#10 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1996, a year which marks a turning point for the genre with a divide growing between the popular RnB influenced sound and the underground 'independent' sound blossoming in reaction to it. Whilst many established artists including De La Soul openly attacked the emerging commercial sound of the day, artists such as Busta Rhymes managed to retain underground credibility and deliver more chart friendly offerings for major labels.
Notable album releases include the Fugees' commercially succesful yet credible 'The Score', Tribe Called Quest's Ummah produced 4th album, 'Beats Rhymes and Life', Jay Z's 'Reasonable Doubt' and Jeru's 'Wrath of the Math' in stark contrast to it. Debut releases from Kool Keith alias Dr Octagon and newcomers Company Flow set the tone for a new breed of leftfield acts.
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EDITION#9: 1995
Edition #9 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1995. The output of '95 arguably typifies what is often referred to as the 'mid 90s sound', with filtered and layered grooves accompanying crisp programmed drums at a tempo generally far lower than in previous years. The general trend for decreasing tempos peaked in '95 with a significant proportion of single releases barely breaking the 90bpm mark.
1995 is also notable for the rise of a darker more melancholy production style with even the darkest of backdrops (Mobb Deep's Shook Ones Part 2 for example) scoring as unlikely club hits. There were of course also a host of more typically upbeat club tracks, Blahzay Blahzay's 'Danger' and ODB's 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya' being good examples.
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Edition#8: 1994
Edition #8 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1994, a year which for many is best remembered for giving us two of hip hop's most revered debut albums, Nas' Illmatic and Notorious B.I.G's Ready to Die. It was also a golden year for radio and mixtape DJs with tapes from the likes of Funkmaster Flex, Stretch Armstrong, Doo Wop, Ron G and others being a key outlet for the new breed of underground acts as well as established names.
Despite tempos generally drifting downward in comparison with previous years and the general sound of the year's output being laidback and largely jazz infused, '94 had its fair share of anthems, Craig Mack's 'Flava In Your Ear', Gang Starr's 'Mass Appeal' and Channel Live's 'Mad Izm' being notable examples.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#7: 1993
Edition #7 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1993, a year which many consider the pinacle of the so called early 90s golden era. Sampling and production techniques honed during the early 90s had reached a natural maturity by 1993 with key golden era producers such as Pete Rock and the Beatnuts establishing their own trademark sounds. The East Coast also ushered in a new harder edged sound with Wu Tang and Onyx both delivering gritty debuts. On the West Coast, the 'G Funk' sound which found its feet the year prior delivered arguably its most accomplished album in the form of Snoop's seminal LP, Doggy Style. 1993 was also a great year for emerging undergound acts carving out their own sound, Souls of Mischief being a notable example.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#6: 1992
Edition #6 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1992, a year most notable for shifts in production techniques and styles and perhaps more importantly sampling trends. Abandoning over-saturated funk standards in favour of obscure jazz samples, producers such Showbiz, Diamond D, Q Tip and many others besides laid the foundations for the laid back jazz led sound that characterised countless East Coast classics of the early to mid 90s. On the West Coast, Dr Dre's seminal Chronic LP also broke new ground in terms of production style with a polished classicly LA sound that formed the blueprint for the 'G Funk' sound which ruled supreme throughout the early 90s.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#5: 1991
Edition #5 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1991, the year which really signalled the start of what many consider to be a golden period for club friendly credible hip hop releases. Aside from numerous memorable LP releases, 1991 was above all a year of anthems - Tribe's 'Scenario', Nice and Smooth's 'Hip Hop Junkies', Showbiz and AG's 'Party Groove' and many other club records with catchy hooks saw releases during the year. 1991 was also a solid year for long players with stand out debut LPs from Black Sheep and Main Source amongst others. Debut LPs from Del the Funkee Homosapien and Cypress Hill both broke preconceptions about the West Coast sound in very different ways.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#4: 1990
Edition #4 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1990, a year when hip hop really spread its wings with a diverse range of new sounds breaking in all corners of the US and overseas. 1990 is probably most celebrated as being the birth of the 'afro-centric' era, with debut albums from X-Clan, Professor X, Poor Righteous Teachers, Tribe Called Quest and many others hitting the stores during the year. But 1990 was also an important year for the artists from the opposite end of the spectrum: Compton's Most Wanted, Capital Punishment Organisation and Above The Law all released debut albums proving LA had more to offer than just NWA. Aside from new developments, established artists including LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy and EPMD all dropped certified classics. As with previous editions, our mix places classic cuts alongside the lesser heard.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#3: 1989
Edition #3 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1989, another year in which the genre's dominant sounds changed drastically. As the James Brown influenced sound that had dominated the late 80s played out its final days, producers from all corners of the genre turned their attentions to sampling the bass heavy West Coast sound of Parliament, Funkadelic and Zapp. Acts such as De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers burst on to the scene injecting a light hearted honesty into their lyrical content which paved the way for the emerging 'new school' sound of the early 90s. Early releases from the likes of X Clan hinted at the 'afrocentric' sound that would come to prominence in the following years. As with previous editions, our mix places classic cuts alongside the lesser heard.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Bonus Mix: 80s Electro (with SpineTV)
Bridging the gap between the disco rap of the early 80s and the early sample based hip hop of the mid to late 80s (featured on the two mixes we put together for Classic Material Edition #1) is a rich groove of drum machine led rap tracks characterised by the raw stripped down sound of bass heavy 808 kicks and snappy hand claps. But somewhere else in the melting pot of music released in that same era is the unlikely blend of fast paced electronic beats with dancefloor sensibilities, funk, rap and leftfield European electronica that formed the electro scene of the day.
Whilst the sub-genres are plentiful, this mix doesn't concentrate too heavily on any one of them; West Coast dancefloor cuts from the likes of Egyptian Lover rub shoulders with European pioneers Kraftwerk and East Coast electro rap and electro funk. As with all the Classic Material mixes, classic cuts stand alongside the rare and lesser heard. Originally issued as a bonus track on the Classic Material Edition #1 CD, we're pleased to make this mix available online in association with Spine Magazine.
Edition#2: 1988
Edition #2 of our monthly Classic Material series pays tribute to the hip hop of 1988, a year which many consider the 'golden year' of the late 80s. As samplers took over from drum machines as the producer's tool of choice, the James Brown drum sound ruled supreme and lyrical subject matter explored new territory. With seminal (and at the time controversial) album releases from the likes of Public Enemy and NWA, this was a year that changed hip hop forever. This mix features classic and some lesser known cuts from singles and albums released in 1988.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#1 (Part 2): 1984-1987
Part 2 of the first edition of the Classic Material mix series documents hip hop's progression through the years 1984 to 1987, an era in which hip hop’s prominent sound changed drastically with the increasing popularity of drum machine programmed beats and early sampling technology. This mix leans quite heavily toward sample based material from the latter part of that era so we’ve thrown an extra treat on the CD version – a bonus mix of electro rap and electro funk from the early to mid 80s.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
Edition#1 (Part 1): 1979-1983
This is the first edition of 'Classic Material', a brand new series of mixtapes celebrating over 30 years of recorded rap music. Edition #1 documents hip hop's birth on wax and it's formative years, 1979-1983, from the disco and boogie influenced sound of the late 70s through to the early drum machine tracks of the mid 80s. Each following month we will documenting a subsequent era or year with a new mixtape so please check back for the next edition.
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
THE DIARY VOLUME 1.5
The Diary Volume 1.5 (Twenty Years of the Remix): 1989-2008, One iconic track from each of the last twenty years remixed by Chris Read in homage to the producers and styles of the day.
"Up there with Paul C, Pete Rock, Premier and all! - I can't think of another Hip Hop CD I've played so much in years!"
(Andy Smith - Portishead)
"Chris continues the rap anthology concept of his super-dope 'The Diary' megamix in the shape of a remix project - a great platform for Chris to showcase his ample beat-making skills."
(DJ Woody – Former World ITF Champion)
"Crazy! This is Rap History in the making. Chris proves his production skills on this one to the fullest. A wonderful and refreshing journey through all eras of hip hop. Double thumbs up!"
(Marc Hype – MPM Records / Former ITF Champion)
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.
The Diary
A chronological mix of the hip hop's landmark recordings by order of release from 1979-2007. 801 records in the blend!
“So deep … Incredible stuff” DJ Yoda – Genuine Records
“Megamixing at its finest… Original and essential!” DJ Plus One – The Scratch Perverts
“An amazing piece of work!” Mr Thing – Former World DMC Team Champion
CD copies of this mix are now sold out! Visit our online store for more CDs from the series.