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Im The Packman - The Packman
This was one of the first electro tunes I ever heard when played on StreetSounds Electro 1 by a friend way back when…
From 1982, when the video game ‘Pac Man’ was the latest craze, it was produced by the owner of Enjoy Records – Bobby Robinson – with drum programming by Masterdon.
Way ahead of its time and still fresh today.
Tags: 1982, Electro, old school
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Def Jam - Jazzy Jay
Afrika Bambaataa’s DJ Jazzy Jay released this 12″ in 1985 which was one of the first on the Def Jam label.
It was no.1 on the Groove Records chart on the Mike Allen hip hop show for weeks, if not months.
Essentially a drum machine & a turntable kicking out hard beats & scratches, with a vocoder voice overlaid – simple but effective!
Tags: 1985, Electro, hip hop, old school
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Temper (Gotta Keep Cool) - Gifted 4
A little known, and highly underrated, rap tune from 1984.
I first heard this tune, like many others on this blog, on Westwood’s LWR rap show and have loved it ever since.
1984 really was a vintage year with all these great tunes!
Tags: 1984, hip hop, lwr, old school, westwood
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See The Light Feel The Heat - Air Force 1
Another tune that reminds me of Westwood’s LWR shows back in the day.
It’s amazing to think how times have changed since hip hop began. This tune was made during the Ronald Reagan Cold War era and is sprinkled with samples from the ex-president (or a good impression of him).
Arthur Baker’s 808 drum beats give this track that classic old school feel and the b-side is wicked too.
Tags: 1984, Electro, hip hop, old school, westwood
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Scratch Motion - The Triple Threat Three
On the same label as the brilliant ‘Rhythm Rock Rapp‘ – Saturn Records – this is the scratch version featuring Dj Darryl Dee.
I bought my copy from Bluebird Records in Edgware Road and remember it from Westwood’s shows and Mike Allen on Capital Radio.
The rap version on the other side is ok but the killer side is the scratch.
Tags: 1984, Electro, old school, west coast
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Al Naafiysh (The Soul) - Hashim
The quintessential dj scratch track!
This legendary tune is still quite easy to get hold of as demand was so big from scratch djs that it was available for years as a re-release.
I have 5 copies of this tune, all of which have a big hiss at the start and at the bonus beats where they’ve been scratched to death.
Incredibly 27 years old, it remains instantly recognisable & has never lost its cool to this day!
Tags: 1983, Electro, old school, turntablism
