You say “Girl Talk,” you think of a very popular sonic artist who creates collages with sound files and plays them to a very appreciative and enthusiastic audience. I say “Girl Talk” and I think of an Elvis Costello song that Dave Edmunds had a hit with in the late 1970’s.
Oh wait, that was “Girls Talk.”
Be that as it may, Girl Talk is very talented and he’s very inventive. He’s also using computers for his work. Digital samples. Digital software. A laptop that, if I understand correctly, is wrapped in several layers of plastic so as to not short out when he sweats on it from his energetic concert shows.
I’ll tell you this, though… for all of Girl Talk’s abilities, there’s no way he could create the sonic collages of the 1970’s and 1980’s – doing it “old school.” That’s right, get you two Technics SL-1200 MK2 turntables and a mixing board, and a collection of vinyl records. No edits. No digital delays. What you hear was what was originally recorded – in one take.
So on today’s edition of K-Chuck Radio, I’ve brought you some recordings by some of the top mixmasters – including some who have remained anonymous.
And there’s no better way to start than with the legend himself, Grandmaster Flash is.
What I have here is his most famous solo recording, “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.” This was the first record to show everybody outside of the Boogie Down Bronx the skills Flash had as a remix king. You should be able to clearly hear Chic’s “Good Times,” Blondie’s “Rapture,” Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and the Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache” in this sound collage. And just remember – Flash did this live in the studio, no retakes, no edits.
A few years later, Doug “Double Dee” DiFranco and Steven “Steinski” Stein won a contest in which they remixed a record called “Play That Beat, Mr. D.J.” for a record company. The duo released a three-song EP on Tommy Boy, and it became a very very collectible 12-inch.
Here’s their winning mix, which was called “Lesson One: The Payoff Mix.” This is the track that has plenty of samples of “Play That Beat, Mr. D.J.,” as well as the Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love” and Grandmaster Flash’s “Wheels of Steel” record in it.
“Lesson Two” features an entire mix devoted to the works of James Brown. And it’s hot, yow!
Here’s “Lesson Three.” This one is the kicker. It’s got everything from Herman Kelly and Life’s “Let’s Dance (To The Drummer’s Beat),” to snippets from the films To Have and Have Not (“just put your lips together and…”), Duck Soup (“I could dance with you till the cows come home”), and a John F. Kennedy speech.
Now I’m going to list a few DJ’s who have chosen to remain anonymous. This happens. These were pressed on the “New York Scratchmasters” label. On this track, you can hear fragments of Kraftwerk’s “Numbers,” Hashim’s “Al-Naafiysh (the Soul),” and Paul Hardcastle’s “King Tut.” You old school hip hop DJ’s know what I’m talking about.
This New York Scratchmasters mix is salted with Whodini’s “Friends” and “Five Minutes of Funk,” Kurtis Blow’s “AJ Scratch” and Pumpkin’s “King of the Beat.” Again, you old schoolers know exactly what I’m talking about.
The Disconet DJ record subscription service would provide club DJ’s with specially remixed versions of club hits, and would also make special “end of year medley” discs so that the “average” DJ can channel his inner mixmaster skills. This one chronicles the best hits of 1982. How many can you name?
And finally, here’s one of those remixed tracks that later became a legitimate hit. A bootleg remix credited to “Passion” features samples from the Buggles (“Video Killed The Radio Star”), Madness (“One Step Beyond”), The Spinners (“Cupid”), and if you listen to at least the 6:00 mark, you should hear the Shocking Blue’s “Venus”, the Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” and the start of a Beatles medley. Yep. This bootleg remix record later spawned the Stars on 45. This bootleg remix is so long, it’s actually split over two different YouTube clips.
Hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about 150 songs in just a few different YouTube clips… here for you today on K-Chuck Radio!
Chuck The Writer 