The origins of the Mixtape go back to the late 1970’s when
DJ’s such as Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc and DJ Hollywood produced recordings
of their private shows to distribute. Since that time, the mixtape has been a
staple of Hip Hop culture be it those produced by artists or those put together
by the fans for parties to showcase their favourite tracks.
Reviewing a mixtape can be a daunting task as they can
contain upwards of Twenty plus tracks But, the BushCamp Mixtape from DJ Sammy B
is 13 tracks deep which is about the same as a standard album release.
The DJ for the legendary Hip Hop group, The Jungle Brothers,
has taken a host of some of the top Emcees from the USA to the UK and put
together something that promises funky dopeness on a grand scale.
So, let me break this down track by track and see where it
took me:
You briefly float into this on some blissful keys. From
there BushCamp Intro hits you with a funky dope vibe thar see’s Mike
Steezo grab the mic and take you through life and the love for hip hop while
dropping more than a few names along the way just to wet your appetite. Ain’t
a Trapper instantly flips the vibe to a deep heavy pounding beat with an
electronic feel that hovers on the verge of a more modern feel. Cardiff (Wales,
UK) emcee SayKriDD Daly and the JB’s Mike G take over the mic and speak on life
and putting together the kind of Hip Hop music that brings real energy. To keep
that freshness to the musical vibe Back It Up keeps that modern feel
that mixes ragga with a trap vibe. BIGLSD and Mike Steezo bring it hard all
over the fakes, wack emcees and politics in the game.
Taking it back to the real Hip Hop vibe Begging for a
Dollar has K Born Rivers dropping knowledge with personal experiences
through the years over a beat that has head nod summer vibe all over it. Gotz
2 Get It (BushCamp Interlude 1) is an interlude in name only. A funky
bagging track that has emcee Left dropping a wicked verse that really gears you
up for the next onslaught.
That onslaught is Mic Terrorist a proper slammin’
track that will keep ya movin’ with Mike Steezo and Dan-J displaying some slick
lyrical delivery and content and add to that some sweet cuts and this one
delivers, nuff said. Inspiration is a more laid-back vibe but, still
funky enough to make you wanna move with it. Kurious takes the mic reigns on a
track he states is inspired by the JB’s and DJ Red Alert and he really delivers
some top-notch bars. Next, it’s time to Take It Back with Hakim Green on
a track that not only has that electro vibe but, Hakim takes us on a journey to
those early days of Hip Hop. Back Down (BushCamp Interlude 2) is a funky
little track with Left back on the mic and bringing a bit of a lyrical face
slap to bring your focus back.
Move brings a guitar and harmonica heavy vibe that
give this one a Hip Hop spaghetti western feel. Dan-J and Gwalla bring a
lyrical unrelenting style that states, if they tell ya to move, you better
move. Let It Flow brings legendary UK Hip Hop artist Redvenom to the mic
with a few lyrics you might recognise. Everything about this track screams
golden age Hip Hop start to finish. Mike Steezo again steps up for his final
appearance on the penultimate track I Can’t Wait. This track has a real
Caribbean style vibe giving this one a real summer vibe too as Mike shows he
can switch up his style regardless of the beat. The final track is Meant To
Be which features BIGLSD, it has a kind of South American style vibe which
gives it that real body moving feel. It is BIGLSD’s lyrical delivery and
content that gives it a harder feel, otherwise this would have a far more party
vibe to it.
It is no mean feat to pack this much quality into a little
over 30 minutes but, Sammy B has done an amazing job. The production is
polished and covers such a wide range of vibes it is a proper ride and a half.
There is something here for everyone from the old skool Hip Hop heads to
younger generation who might be just discovering Hip Hop through it’s more
modern evolutionary tracks.
The choice of emcee’s that he has brought in is another
display of brilliance. Each artist fits perfectly with the individual tracks
they lend their expertise to. That mixture of styles and artists from both sides
of the pond is element that really works so well.
This is essential listening regardless of what you are up to
and is easily one you can play from start to finish without skipping a single
track.
It goes without saying that when you are part of one of Hip
Hop’s pioneering groups, in this case The Jungle Brothers, your reputation can
precede you and in this case it does help but, it takes nothing away from Sammy
B’s individual talent as a producer and DJ. I grew up with the Jungle Brothers
and not only is it an honour to review his work But, it is also such a credit
to him to hear this new work and to have it sound as fresh and exciting as his
work from years back. Sometimes the quality and standard of some artists seems
to drop over the years but, that cannot be said of DJ Sammy B.
I am sure that there is a BushCamp Mixtape 2 in the works
and I’m looking forward to hearing this one too.
DJ Sammy B Presents BushCamp the Mixtape is out now and
available from the usual streaming sites, just click here: BushCamp Links
Huge thanks to Redvenom for putting this one my way.
Every one of us are on a journey in many aspects of our
lives. That’s multiple journeys each and every day of our lives and not just
those we take in a car, on a bike, on the bus or train but, also in how we live
our lives. We journey through our careers, our interests, hobbies, marriage and
so on.
One of the most enjoyable journeys we can take is through
entertainment be it a movie, theatre, or music. Now not every song, album or so
on is going to take you on a ride but, a great many will and those pieces of
music are the ones that become special.
Artists enjoy creating music for your pleasure and their own,
and once in a while an artist will create something that is enjoyable to listen
to but, may have an even deeper meaning for themselves. So, when an artist like
Whirlwind D drops a new project which he describes as being very personal to
him, you can bet your life this is going to be something to really listen to.
Original Breaks to B-Lines is a journey that will take the
listener from his Solid N Mind (Liberty Grooves) years to the
more recent B-Line Recordings releases but, not just that, the release
contains a host of New music, remixes and demos that really bring the whole
thing to life.
So, before I say anymore let’s take that trip with Whirlwind
D…
Our journey begins with a snippet of How I Get Ill
recorded live at the O2 Bournemouth when the B-Line Crew supported the one
and only Public Enemy. This is such a great way to begin by immersing us
in the energy of the live music experience and anyone who attended a Hip Hop
gig will know the energy and vibe of those moments and this brings that beat
back for sure. How I Get Ill is also the track that kicked off D’s debut
album on B-Line, 2014’s Nomansland. Keeping the energy high we roll full
on into Solid N Mind days with Battle Tipped Rhyme which sees D
dropping the battle style rhyme style and hitting it hard with some slick flows
and on point lyrical content over that kinda raw hard Hip Hop sound that has
everyone jumping. Production is by Johnny F with cuts by The Assembly Worker.
From there we slide into Solid N Mind’sCentre Stage which sees
Johnny F on production and cuts again providing that heavy pounding beat with
some rough chiselled cuts, and over this Whirlwind D matches that heaviness
beat for beat and word for word. Overall Centre Stage really conjures up that
feeling of the group being on stage and commanding the attention of the
audience.
Next we move into some of D’s Demo tracks and, up first is Butta
Funk (Pt 2) Demo, this one sees D taking that 7 minutes of funk track and
giving us some of the highs and lows of relationships. The deep funk of this
really works with the subject matter and helps you feel what D is putting
across. Son’s Rise Demo sees D joining with Welsh producer Sweetman
and DJ Nice One of Mortal Danger on a track with a darker vibe.
The beat is more simplistic with some ethereal strings on the chorus and some
rough nerve shredding cuts at the end but, what you do get here is a very real
sense for the deep realness that is so often a factor in D’s work. That feel
for a deep connection to what is going on in society can be felt in this early Brainwash
Demo from the Solid ‘n’ Mind days. Johnny F’s use of Big Beat really
provides the perfect platform for Whirlwind D to drop some masterful lines
about some of the big issues of the time. Personally, I’d love to see this one
resurrected and given the state of the world today it would be interesting to
see what D would do. Final track of this first part of our journey through D’s
early years is the Carpathian Dreams Demo which brings us more up to
date to 2010 and a track that sadly did not make it on to the WD40 EP. With D
working alongside Steve ‘Waxer’, this is a track with a chilled out feel
but a deep message that seems to speak of the struggles of the mind and this
track really spoke to me, something I have found with a lot of the work D
produces.
We flip into part two of this immense journey and step from
the original breaks into the B-Lines and we start with a track taken from the Nomansland
LP and reworked from Strong which featured on the WD40 EP, Stronger
is produced by Waxer, rearranged and mixed by The Assembly Worker with
cuts from Theory 77 and to give it that extra dimension it features B-Line
label mates Chrome & Illinspired. This one is all about the music
and is about everything you want from a Hip Hop track. The beat is pounding and
laced with some deep floating orchestral flavour, more than a sprinkling of
sweet cuts and those three emcees who you just can’t better on a track.
Interesting fact here as well, not sure if this was intentional, Stronger also
kicked off the B side of the Nomansland LP. Next up is a track from the Beats,
Bits & Bobs EP from 2018, produced by super producer Djar One
and featuring cuts by Specifik. In my original review of this EP I
described Labels as ‘A Journey in itself’ and I stand by that. Now this
might have been about D’s experiences but, this track took me back to my early
days in Hip Hop, digging in record shops in Southampton, Portsmouth or a trip
to London to check out Carnaby Street, Mr Bongos and 4 Star General and so on.
You could even say this is like an anthem for all of us who grew up with Hip
Hop in the 80’s and to those who didn’t, it’s like a window to the past. There
is nothing more you want from a track; this one just covers it all. Sometimes
not all remixes ever see a release but, are often used during live shows, which
really hypes the audience and once such is this B-Line Business Remix, the
original version is from D’s second B-Line Recording’s LP, Other Side. A
high-paced funky beat from Specifik and featuring cuts by Jabbathakut,
you can understand why this one became a staple in the live shows as it has
that energy and vibe which really can get the crowd moving. While we are on the
subject of remixes, one of D’s more recent releases Doin’ It gets the
remix treatment from Beattrix as Doin’ It Again. If you liked the
original, then you are gonna love this funky reworking and I challenge you not
to move your head to this one - it’s got summer vibes written all over it…
No album like this, on such a journey, would be complete
without a little digging in the vaults for some exclusives and Whirlwind D does
not disappoint. Here we have Written in Pen a track produced by Specifik
and featuring cuts from the great Jabbathakut. This jazz-fueled track
has D telling the story of the B-Line Recordings label. This is one where
you can really sit back, close your eyes and feel the history floating through
your awareness. Another exclusive on the album is Creature, a track which
sees D using metaphoric visions to look at the how right-wing politics has
risen in this country while the views of the many are suppressed. Production on
this one comes from Crease who crafts the perfect audible vison for D’s
subject matter, not too dark but, with the right amount of atmosphere.
The album ends with Falling Down from a superb 2017 EP Falling.
Back in 2017 that EP, for me, was dark, emotional but, finely crafted looking
at issues of mental health and the harsh realities of life and Falling Down
with its dark monotonic beat from Specifik and the melodic cuts from Jabbathakut
sees D crafting a stark picture of life, the challenges we face and how we
deal with them. A life changing event of any description can have deep effect
on how we then view and walk our journey through life and that is such a thought-provoking
way to end this album, this journey. As one journey ends, another begins, where
will yours take you…
As we mature and look back at life we see so much of what
has gone before. Good times and bad, the changes we have made and seen along
the way and what I see in the album is a vison of change and maturity.
The album shows Whirlwind D’s musical journey from
his early years with the energy and desire to push forward and make something
of himself from a love of the music and the culture of Hip Hop. Then through
years of change, still writing but, not recording. Enjoying life and music,
still with that seed of the words inside him just waiting for the right moment.
When that moment came, we can see how he has brought life’s experiences to his
craft. Sometimes enjoying the fun and energy of the music and the culture and
bringing that facet to the front, while at other times looking at the
injustices, pain and suffering in the world and expertly bringing that aspect
to his music.
There is so much more here than just the music. This album
encompasses a wealth of life experiences, as an individual, with friends and
with family. As you listen to the album, perhaps just take some time to really
feel it, read the notes as you listen, read between those lines and listen
beyond the music and the lyrics. When you do that you can really begin to
understand and grasp what Whirlwind D has done with this album and
across his career to date and I don’t doubt there is much more to come. For me,
personally, it is his ability as an emcee to capture the moment that makes him
one of my top UK emcees. I just feel he has such a down to earth way of writing
that allows every word to be heard and understood and the depth of feeling he
puts into his lyrics for me puts him shoulder to shoulder with the best of them.
When you put that together with Specifik and the B-Line crew, there is just a
chemistry there and that chemistry is set to keep these guys going for a long
time, mark my words…
The more you listen to this the more you get a sense for the
evolution of Whirlwind D’s music and chemistry that really works so well
with the producers he has and continues to work with. From Johnny F
through to Specifik, Crease and Djar One, everything seems
to click resulting in releasing music of such a high quality and depth.
The other thing to understand here is that Whirlwind D’s
music can be listened to by anyone. You can safely play this to your kids or
anyone for them to enjoy and sometimes there is a deep advantage to be able to
put your point across without the need to swear. Just think about that too…
As always, the album is a fantastic package. It is released
by Britcore Rawmance Burning Anger Records and is a collaboration by B-Line/
Liberty Grooves and Tru-Tone Productions. Executive Production comes from
Whirlwind D and Todhart. Design and Artwork from the one and only Mr. Tibbz and
last but, by no means least mastering is by the legendary Rola @ Khameleon 107,
Bristol.
There will be a limited run of 100 White & 100 Black
vinyl so, get in there quick on this one.
I'll drop some links once the album goes live.
The lead single Doin' It Again is available now and you can catch the video below, if you've not seen it already.
