Phat Kev - Wild Style Lesson - 7-INCH SINGLE [7 inch Vinyl Disc]

When it comes to the pantheon of hip-hop movies, 'Wild Style' is number one. While the actual plot carries about as much weight as 'Beat Street' or even the Fat Boys vehicle 'Disorderlies' - and the acting is also nothing to write home about - the soundtrack is an indelible classic.What the film and it's soundtrack caught was a moment in time and some key performances from genuine pioneers instrumental in the nascent hip-hop scene. And the influence has passed down through the ages, with rhyming couplets from the 'Wild Style' album still cited today, and Nas drawing on a snippet of the film for the opening track of his one true classic album, 'Illmatic'.What's unusual about the soundtrack - and evidenced on the tracks showcased here, available for the time on 7Inch since a 1983 Japanese - is that it didn't draw on the tried-and-tested breakbeats that many of the artists featured on it would have cut their chops on. Charlie Chase, whose slithery scratches adorn both sides of this record, would have been used to going back to back on the records captured later on the 'Ultimate Breaks & Beats' compilations. Instead, the music is produced by Chris Stein of Blondie in collaboration with Fab 5 Freddy, drawing inspiration from those earlier breakbeats, with drums provided by one Lenny Ferrari. Here, Grandmaster Caz of the legendary Cold Crush Brothers is at ease over both sides, the music evoking the sound he would have rhymed over at the block parties where he built his reputation. It's a moment trapped in amber - you can't listen to this 7Inch without imagining a graffiti strewn subway car in New York.

Ever since it's triumphal premiere on 12th September 1910 in Munich, Mahler's 8th Symphony in E flat major has had the reputation of being, along with Arnold Schönberg's InchGurre-LiedernInch, the piece on the whole of the symphonic repertoire calling for the largest number of participants. This recording has a number of musicians much less than the average, but Gabriel Feltz sees it more like a great chance. He used flanking positions for the choir in relation to the orchestra and lager parts of the choirs were facing each other, which gives especially the first parts stereophonic effects. For Feltz these performances of Mahler's 8th symphony on 3rd and 4th July 2018 were especially successful and fulfilling moments in his life as a musician.

Few groups arrive as fully formed as EPMD did. This dropped as the third single from the album of the same name, and further cemented their distinctive aesthetic Slow rhyming, trading lines rather than the rappers being confined to their own verses, and backings that were ruthlessly funky and simple at the same time.They'd go on to be labelmates with Public Enemy when Def Jam picked up their contract in 1990, and to compare and contrast the two is illuminating. While PE at that time were making waves with the Bomb Squad's breathless, kitchen sink approach to production, EPMD were equally adored for taking the opposite approach. Here, there's a sprinkle of drums from Kool & The Gang's oft-sampled 'Jungle Boogie', paired with a very recognisable portion of Eric Clapton's 'I Shot the Sheriff'. And that's pretty much it - the two samples are linked, looped and left to their own devices. Such was Erick and Parrish's confidence in their own rhyming ability and strong voices, no further embellishment was needed. That confidence extends to the subject matter. While their debut album and later projects were heavy with concepts - the 'Jane' series - and notable guest verses, this was the third straight single of pure brag rap. Two MC's, one beat, a whole heap of lyrics about how good they were. It's something you can't do unless you truly are special, and this duo most certainly were.Paired with the classic instrumental version, which didn't make it to the US 7Inch releases - it's only on a hard-to-track-down French 7Inch pressing from 1989 - this this is a timely reminder of how breathtakingly perfect hip-hop can be.