DIGGIN IN THE CRATES

For anyone who doesn’t know the origin of our craft as DJs, it all began with DJs getting two copies of a popular album and finding that one break that would always get the crowd moving. Then the DJ went to work and kept that break rolling while flipping from one turntable to the other while repeating the break. DJ Kool Herc was a monster in the game with this technique and it is still used today by every legitimate DJ in the craft. It didn’t take long before producers caught on and started digging through crates to find obscure albums and dig through entire albums for maybe just one little clip that they could yank out and sample. Think of the Bomb Squad, or DJ Premier, or RZA, or Dr Dre, or any other successful producer who has created music that is considered classic….you’ll find a producer that knows how to dig in the crates.

When I am asked what makes me stand apart from all the other DJs in our craft; one of my top skills is to find dope breaks from old vinyl and flip those breaks into today’s music. I do it when I’m on the radio, I do it on my mixtapes, and I do it in the clubs. The funny thing is that I doubt that most average listeners even catch it. T.I.'s song “Lay Me Down” is built on the classic beat from the 80’s hit “Clear” from Cybotron for instance. How many people caught the flip of the Fatback Band in Epademik's "JESUS SYNDROME" mixtape I did? How many people caught the flip I did of Ray Charles over Snoop Dogg's "Wett" on Unique Styles vol 19? I think it’s one of the skills that make me unique as a DJ. Now I’m going to share some of the albums that I flip on the regular, or samples that I chop into mixtapes I release, and occasionally let you in on secrets on some of today’s albums that are flipping samples I recognize.

KASHMERE STAGE BAND "TEXAS THUNDER SOUL"
The 25 second mark of "Zero Point" with that ill run down on the horns is bananas (go to the 40 second mark of the LP version if you have that one). The horn breakdown at the 1:02 mark of "Do You Dig It Man" is a warning signal that an absolutely dope break is about to drop...Click here for the full post and links

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE "FRESH"
One of the funkiest albums ever made and probably one of my favorites to just drop the needle and let it ride - Sly and the Family Stone's 6th album "Fresh" (released in 1973).  Click here for the full post and links

THE COUNTS
The Counts have been sampled before...but no samples have been credited to this album. Click here for full post and links


THE CRUSADERS

Although the Crusaders have been heavily sampled, I was still able to find some material from their SOUTHERN COMFORT album that has slipped through...Click here for full post and links

CHARLES HILTON BROWN

This is the ONLY album ever recorded by Charles Hilton Brown. Ever. I did some research and through every possible resource I know - I could not find any history of any piece of the album ever being sampled...Click here for full post and links

TROUBLE FUNK
I'm always looking for breaks to twist into my mixes and when I wanted to find some dope percussion breaks I knew where to find 'em...Click her for full post and download link

ANATOMY OF A CLASSIC: HOUSE OF PAIN "JUMP AROUND"
Dive into the breakdown of all the samples twisted together to create the classic 1992 House of Pain record "Jump Around"...Click here for the full post

PRETTY PURDIE & FUNK FACTORY
The high-energy drum work from Pretty Purdie and a second album, Funk Factory's self-titled album "Funk Factory"...Click here for the links and full post

MONK HIGGINS "LITTLE MAMA"
Monk's music has been sampled quite a bit already, but every so often a new artist will twist up an old Monk Higgins sample and once again I dig out the old albums...Click here for the links and full post

OTIS REDDING "VERY BEST OF OTIS REDDING"
Thanks to Kanye And Jay-Z and their new "Otis" record (built around the samples from Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness"), Otis Redding's music is a hot commodity all over again...Click here for links and full post

JUICE CREW EP
This is my Diggin In The Crates treat for all the DJs out here that dig in the crates, study the craft, and are like me and always looking for that rare vinyl. The infamous Juice Crew EP was limited to just 350 pressings with a...Click here for the links and full post

QUINCY JONES "DOLLARS"
This one might get overlooked since it was a movie starring Goldie Hawn and Warren Beatty and it's from 1972, but please believe this is one you need in your crates.  Samples from this album have been used by Rakim, Mobb Deep, Common, Gang Starr, Naughty by Nature, etc...Click here for the download link and full post

G.O.O.D. Fridays (The Samples)
If you enjoyed Kanye West’s “G.O.O.D. Fridays” series, you will surely enjoy the samples Fake Shore Drive compiled. It doesn’t include any of the samples from the album, but he did include all of the rest of the leaks. Props to them for taking the time out to put this together. There’s some real gems in the batch...Click here for the download link and full post

THESE ARE THE BREAKS
No one was able to identify the break I posted before so I thought I would give everyone another shot, but this time with a load of hints. The original album was recorded at The Sound Factory, Hollywood, California November-December 1974 and released by Blue Note in 1975. I'll even tell you the original album artwork is mostly blue with a touch of purple and violet....Click her for the break and full post

CAN YOU NAME THIS BREAK?

AS a DJ I am always diggin in the crates to find those funky breaks that no one else has ever used and are so off the map that they are rarely recognized. This is one of the DJ skills that separates the bullshit from bosses. I'll give you a hint - it is NOT Fatback Band's "Put Your Love In" although I have flipped that in a few mixtapes....Click here for the break and full post.

VARIOUS ARTISTS: FUNK DROPS VOL. 1

Another nugget for the DJs and Producers "Funk Drops vol 1" with all of the originals that so many artists have sampled. From this one album you can find samples used by Kanye West, Eric B and Rakim, Cypress Hill, Scarface, Wu-Tang, Big Daddy Kane, NWA, LL Cool J, Poison Clan, Pete Rock & CL Smooth....Click here for the tracklisting and D/L link (Vol 2 and 3 included)

DIGGIN IN THE CRATES: A LESSON FROM KANYE WEST

For those of us that dig in the crates, you're going to love this; a complete breakdown of the samples Kanye West used for his latest album "MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY". Without going into a full length post of albums and links...Click here for the full breakdown and learn from Kanye West

FOR THE DJs/PRODUCERS: HUGE LIBRARY OF SOUND FX

I almost hate to post this up for everyone to download because it makes me sick when lazy ass 'DJs" don't even bother to blend and mix, but instead just scream all over tracks and hide shitty transitions under a ton of sound effects.....but, for those of you that use sound fx for your projects... Click here for massive library of sound fx

24 CARAT BLACK "GHETTO: MISFORTUNE'S WEALTH"

Originally released on Stax in 1973. Featuring classically trained Detroit arranger Dale Warren who got his start with the famed Motown label & from the late '60s throughout the early '70s, composed the majority of string scores for soul artists on Stax Records (arranging for such artists as Billy Eckstine, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, Albert King & the Staple Singers). Click here to see who's sampled the album and for the D/L link

THE HEADHUNTERS "SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST"

1975 was the Headhunters first album without Herbie Hancock, Survival of the Fittest, featuring the hit "God Make Me Funky". This song was sampled by The Fugees, among many others, for their track "Ready or Not," and has been covered by Jamiroquai as a live track. While Hancock's Man-Child moved a bit towards more commercial sounds, Survival of the Fittest kept Headhunters focused to intense jazz-funk. Vocals were heard on two songs but there was still lots of experimental fusion on the album (the band's music is called "space-funk" on some re-issues of the album). Click here to see who's sampled the album and for the D/L link

If you have a specific album that you are trying to find or feel like there is an album that deserves shine, add it to the comments below and I'll dig in the crates to try to find it for you. I would love to hear from DJs and Producers that dig in the crates to hear what secret gems you flex in. I will be adding new content to this page on a regular basis. Shoutout to all the producers and real DJs that respect our craft and dig in the crates.