Diggin in the Crates: The Counts

The Counts (originally known as The Fabulous Counts) "Love Sign" album dropped in 1973 on the Aware label and went largely overlooked, but there are some real gems in the album for crate diggers like me. Other albums from The Counts have been sampled before from artists like Eric B and Rakim, Queen Latifah, DJ Mark the 45 King, Snoop Dogg, Atmosphere, Gravediggaz, Dilated Peoples, Planet Asia, and more - but no samples have been credited to this album.

1. LOVE SIGN
2. TOO BAD (You Don’t Love Me)
3. JUST YOU JUST ME
4. RIDING HIGH
5. SACRIFICE
6. COUNTS MEDLEY

The title track starts the album off and sounds like something Prince might have used for inspiration and reminded me of the scene in Beat Street when "Kenny" hit the "Blackbird Fly" mix in his bedroom. "Just You, Just Me" reminds me a lot of the soul you hear in War's "World is a Ghetto". "Riding High" starts off with a dope guitar riff that would sound great if it was flipped in the classic Bomb Squad vibe. Listen to the funky flavor of the song "Sacrifice" and know that I will most definitely twist some of that in the mix. Go to the 1:47 mark of "Counts Medley" when the beat drops out and you hear "Play it again! Play it again!" then the funky drum roll...that is MOST DEFINITELY going to be a clip I use. I'm actually surprised that someone like Public Enemy didn't use the horn riffs at the 7:28 mark too. This album was a nice surprise for me and is one I sometimes just let ride when I'm at the house.



Liner Credits for anyone interested:
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals – Demo Cates
Arranged By [All Arrangements By] – Counts, The
Engineer [Remix Engineer] – Milan Bogdan
Executive Producer – Leroy Emmanuel, Marlin McNichols
Guitar, Percussion, Vocals – Leroy Emmanuel
Keyboards, Vocals – Mose Davis
Percussion, Vocals – Andreau Gibsont
Published By – Fudge Lips Music Co.
Published By – Act I Music Co., Inc.
Copyright (c) – GRC
Phonographic Copyright (p) – GRC
Manufactured By – GRC
Distributed By – GRC
Recorded At – The Sound Pit

Diggin in the Crates: The Crusaders "Southern Comfort"

Whenever I dig in the crates I usually try to avoid artists that have been heavily sampled before. As a DJ I pride myself on finding and flipping shit that is dope and somehow has gone unnoticed. That's my edge...my Unique Styles. Although the Crusaders have been heavily sampled, I was still able to find some material from their SOUTHERN COMFORT album that has slipped through (until now) like the souful jazz in their title cut "Southern Comfort". The opening piano from "Greasy Spoon" or the bass guitar riffs from the opening of "Double Bubble" (which is really dope when you screw the pitch way down)...both dope clips that I will be chopping into my mixes.







Want to see how much the Crusaders have impacted Hip-Hop and who's sampled their music already? Check it here and here. You'll find names ranging from Guru and KRS-One to Digable Planets, Ice Cube, Method Man, Kool G Rap, Noreaga, the Beastie Boys, Ultramagnetic MCs, ATCQ, Tyrese, Snoop Dogg, Tupac....you get the picture.

Ni Taylor ft Rapsody "No Games" prod. by J. Rhodes

The homie J. Rhodes (@J_Rhodes on twitter) hit me today with the new "No Games" record he produced featuring Ni Taylor (@Ni_Taylor on twitter) and Rapsody. The record is available as a free download at Jrhodes.Bandcamp.com

If you know me then you know I'm always diggin' in the crates, so I had to hit J Rhodes and ask about the samples he flipped. He told me its "Hey U" from The Dramatics (which he found at Half Price Books). Dope.



No Games is the first single from Ni Taylor's upcoming Politely Rude LP. It is produced by J.Rhodes and features fellow female spitter Rapsody from N.C . Enjoy!

credits
released 07 February 2012
Produced by J.Rhodes performed by Ni Taylor and Rapsody

For the DJs: Trouble Funk Breaks

I've been digging through a stack of Trouble Funk albums and finally clipped out a grip of samples and breaks that I can flip into my mixes. Thought I'd share it for any other DJs who might be looking for a dope percussion sample or classic Trouble Funk break.



If you want to download this string of breaks and samples here is the direct link Da' Hitman - Trouble Funk Breaks

Trouble Funk has been sampled quite a bit, especially in the 80's-90's. Here's a short list of some who have sampled Trouble Funk and here is an even bigger list of Trouble Funk samples

Diggin in the Crates: Atlas

Today I dropped the needle on the 1977 funk album "Atlas" and found some gems; especially the songs "Necessity" and "Ain't No Sunshine". There are some nice breaks in "Play It Cool" too. If you like horns then you're sure to find some nice riffs to sample. When I saw the cover art I had to give this record a listen and I'm glad I did. Diggin in the crates...real DJ shit. I was surprised that I wasn't able to find any previous samples from Atlas used by any Hip-Hop artists, but that is always a bonus when you find something fly that no one has used yet.

01 Hey, Man!
02 Pasteboard
03 Skybird, Fly
04 Necessity
05 Ain't No Sunshine
06 Play It Cool
07 Rhode Island
08 We Are Happy
09 Let's Not Believe

Download "Atlas" for free at SoGoodMusic

Crate Digga's Vol 1

BeatsByYou.com and Unique Styles team up to deliver the first of a new compilation series titled "Crate Digga's" geared towards producers looking for new samples and DJs looking for classic breaks. This collection was compiled by Da' Hitman, including the comments for each track. No mix, no added sound effects, no DJ tags - strictly the breaks and songs (38 total tracks) to allow producers and DJs to utilize the compilation as needed. "Crate Digga's Vol 1" is free and available exclusively at www.beatsbyyou.com.

CRATE DIGGA'S VOL 1 TRACKLISTING
Accadde A - Accadde A Bali (I like the flute when it jumps in over that bassline. I left the entire track because of the different cymbal hits throughout)
Amon Duul - Kismet (I’ve heard this flipped before, but its still dope)
Bernard Wystraete - Daydream (Again with the flutes lol I like the horn stabs at the transitions too)
Brother Jack Mcduff - Electric Surfboard Bassline and Horn Riffs (I clipped it to just the bassline and horn riffs)
Chapeau - Botte de Cuire Break (The wah guitar is ill and the horn stabs are dope. When it hits 34 seconds the beat fills up nice)
Churchill - Here We Are (I’ll be using the horns from the intro for transitions I’m sure. Love the bassline and when the horns come in…dope)
Ferrante & Teicher - Lady Love (I like the acoustic guitar and the muted trumpet. Lot of dope bits in this one)
Francois De Roubaix - Les Dunes Dostende (Skip through to the 37 second mark and the twist is dope)
Gary Pacific Orchestra - Soft Wind (Almost didn’t include this one but I thought someone might want to flip it)
Gator Soundtrack - Laying the Trap (THIS MU’FUCKA HAD ME GOING NUTS AT THE 1:38 MARK!!!!! DOPE!!! MY FAVORITE OF THIS BATCH)
Golden Music Orchestra - African Honeymoon (I love percussion so the congas and horns together caught me. I like the vocal riffs too – not so much the animal sounds though lol)
Hardy's Jet Band - Selected Sound (I thought someone might want the bass guitar stabs. This one is pretty basic but nice. The breakbeat 40 seconds is engineered just right)
Head West - Attention (When the beat trips in with the dude screamin “OH!”…fly shit)
Hysear Don Walker - Children of the Night Break with Bassline (I like the bassline but the congas are too low)
Ian Carr - Roots (Perfect for a transition, especially for a movie score)
Jack Arel - Psychedelic Portrait (I swear this sounds like something Cypress Hill should have ripped! I love this one for a story-telling rhyme)
JJ Johnson - Pull Jabal Pull (The beginning bored the shit outta me, but 12 seconds in I was going nuts!)
Johnny Harris - Light My Fire (I’ve already had a producer flip this one and he absolutely murdered it! I’ll send it to you if you want it. Chill Rob G is recording to it for me)
Kerrie Biddell - In Necessity (Her voice is fuckin dope! I really want to find a way to work this in my mixes)
Lafayette Afro-Rock Band - Darkest Light (You will immediately recognize this from Public Enemy. Dope)
Les Mcann - Go On and Cry (I really like the vibe of this one. Another one of my favorites from this batch)
Louis Clark - Brute Part 1 and 2 (For anyone looking for instrument pieces they can sample-they will love this one. The strings are dope)
Maleditus Sound - Kriminal Theme (Almost didn’t include this one too, but maybe someone might dig it. The horns are nice and the snare hits like a mu’fucka. Song gets really strange at the 1:30 mark lol)
Michel Gonet - Flower Dance (You’re going to recognize this one immediately, but it’s still dope. I think NAS ripped this best)
Monk Higgins - Railroad Snippet (This one is fuckin sick immediately!)
Nick Ingman - Under Pressure (You’ll recognize this one immediately for Slim Thug’s rip, but the whole damn thing is dope)
Oliver Sain - On The Hill (I like the drums – reminds me of Rakim’s Mahongony flip of Al Green’s classic, but the horns on this one have a real Odd Couple vibe)
Parry Music - The Climb (This one is dope right away and screams for some WuTang flava)
Passport - Puzzle (skit) (Very basic but somebody might find some use for it – one of my least favorites in this batch)
Ronald Stein - Go Home Pigs (You’re going to immediately recognize this one from Dr Dre, but I still kept it in the batch)
S.S.O - Faded Lady (skit) (Another one you’re going to recognize right away)
Serge Gainsbourg - Requiem Pour un Con (I like the Timbaland type vibe of the beat and the percussion. Hard to sit through that foreign language singing though lol break at 2:13 is nice and open)
Sound Studio Orchestra - Southbound (Sounds like an old Too Short bassline. I love the horns again. I really like the way they build up and layer. Snatch the bars at 46 seconds and loop em - dope)
Sun - Time is Passing (Piano is very nice. Really liked the piano, but hang on for the beat to drop in 25 seconds and think Erykah Badu or Mary J Blige)
Syrius - Devils Masquerade Break (I will definitely be using this as a transition. Classic breakbeat with the cymbals riding)
The Bubble Gum Machine - I Wonder (You’ll recognize this one right away too, but couldn’t leave it off the batch. Who’s the Black Sheep!)
The Phoenix Authority - Come Together (That “shooooop” shit is dope and I love that this is a jazzy instrumental to the classic)
Wet Willie - The Beggar's Song (I like the opening vocals. Beat is ok but the melody is catchy as hell)