Twelve 12"s

Some of you might already be familiar with the 'Twelve 12"s' mix series 'Southern Hospitality' have been running on their blog for a few months . If not, go check it out - they're currently up to volume 17, so if you're short of dope mixes to bump then take your pick and get your download on.

What's refreshing about this series is the fact that all mixes are LIVE using VINYL and, as the title suggests, contributing DJ's are limited to a choice of only twelve 12"s, a concept far removed from the vast majority of modern day mixes which tend to cater for people with short attention spans, chopping and changing between tracks every minute or so. Now don't get me wrong, I love fast mixing and when DJ's do it well the results can be amazing. Sometimes though, it's nice to kick back and listen to a mix with smooth transitions and a DJ who lets the tracks ride out longer. This is basically what you get with the 'Twelve 12"s series - I guess you could call it 'pre-Serato' ethics.

Anyway, I decided to put together a little mix using the 'rules' laid down by Southern Hospitality and I gotta say, really enjoyed going back to the days of just two turntables and a mixer. I used to make tapes like this nearly every week back in the early to mid nineties. I'd work out a nice running order from all the latest releases I'd just bought and then rehearse it a few times until I was familiar enough with any gain and pitch adjustments. Once ready I'd press 'play and record' and hope for the best, more often than not I'd end up stopping and starting again, sometimes over and over, until I had a decent enough take I was happy with. And that's what I've done here - twelve tracks (it goes without saying, all from VINYL) blended or cut in to produce a mix clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the theme being records that have all been signed by the artists. I was gonna write up accompanying little stories for each one but have been so busy recently, and with a number of other posts in the pipeline, just wanted to get it up. Basically, I was lucky enough to have the records signed either, when I was supporting DJ for the act, or when I knew the promoter who got me in back stage for the hook up.

So here you go...

'Twelve (signed) 12"s', mixed LIVE by Mr Krum...






1. The X-Men "Musica Negra"



2. Ugly Duckling "Fresh Mode"



3. Cash Money & Marvelous "Find An Ugly Woman"



4. Mikey D & the L.A. Posse "Comin' In The House"



5. Big Daddy Kane "Ain't No Half Steppin'"



6. Stezo "It's My Turn"



7. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince "A Touch Of Jazz"



8. Blade "We're Going Independent"



9. Jeru The Damaja "D. Original"



10. Mad Skillz "Extra Abstract Skillz" (feat. Large Professor & Q-Tip)*



11. J-Live "The Best Part"*



12. People Under The Stairs "Big Daddy Brown"


*For the sake of a smoother mix I cheated a little and used the Instrumental (as well as vocal) of "Extra Abstract Skillz". I also cheated by using an album track, J-Live's "The Best Part", again for the sake of a smoother mix.