Beantown Boogie Down - This Old Mixtape - Beantown Boogie Down

Sunday

01Nov2009

This Old Mixtape: DJ Overload- Smiling Faces (1992)

Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 11:12PM

Classic mix set recorded by DJ Overload when he was living in Boston. Regarded as one of the very first drum and bass DJ’s in the area, this tape reaches back even before it’s birth to showcase a nice palette of dancefloor jams, feel-good piano house, and techno.

On side A of this tape we see a small touch of breakbeats in a time when drum and bass music was still several years out and breakbeat hardcore music was slowly starting to migrate it’s way across the Atlantic from the U.K. There are many hands-in-the-air house and techno tracks included here as well which actually blend nicely with the breakbeats. Side B slows the tempo down a bit, pushing the breakbeats aside after a couple of experimental opening rhythms in favor of feel-good house, a few rave anthems (piano included), even some borderline trance towards the end. The squelchy 303 lead and reece basslines make guest appearances throughout.

Special thanks to Hilary for sending this over to me, it’s been in her personal collection for many years! I cannot say when this tape came out, but from the sounds of it, probably 1991-92. If anyone has more mixsets they would like to share from the 1990s, by all means definitely let me know. I can honestly admit that I’ve been struggling to find tapes to add here as many have been lost/discarded, and also there are very few people active in the scene today who were old enough to be involved way back in the early-mid 1990s.

Soundcloud links below.

DJ Overload-Smiling Faces (Side A) by beantownboogiedown

DJ Overload-Smiling Faces (Side B) by beantownboogiedown

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Wednesday

01Apr2009

This Old Mixtape: Dan Efex-Protocol (techno/trance)

Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at 1:07AM

This is an interesting tape I obtained by a dj known as Dan Efex. He was apparently fairly well known in both the club and rave circuit in the mid-late 1990s and was well known for his energetic sets that consisted of anything from trance to techno to hardcore. Taking a brief look at the bio on his website it sounds like he is originally from Chicago, although he probably played in NYC and Boston a great deal back then. Looks like he's been inactive since 2001 but his diverse selection and eclectic taste in music lives on through tapes like this.

I highly enjoyed side 1 of this tape- it's pretty much entirely goa trance, which means that this tape was probably recorded during its' heyday in 1996 or 97. Goa trance music eventually evolved and became more complex and experimental in terms of its sound and has been known for the last 8-10 years as psytrance. I think goa trance is more stripped down and less structured (which I actually prefer), and this part of the tape illustrates this.

Side 2 of this tape is ok but I honestly admit I did not enjoy it as much as side 1. The flow was good but some of the songs with vocals weren't my cup of tea. There are still some nice goa tunes in here mixed in during various parts.

Oh yeah, I have a gabber mix by Dan Efex I also recently recorded that I will be uploading soon. It's a little, er, different from the trance mix, to say the least....watch this space.

And if anyone has any of Dan Efex's ambient tapes that they would like to share, please get in touch with me!

Dan Efex- Protocol (side 1)
Dan Efex- Protocol (side 2)

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Friday

06Mar2009

DJ Timestretch: Live at the Casualty Ward ('97 drum & bass)

Friday, March 6, 2009 at 11:13PM

Anyone who was around in Boston's drum and bass scene in the 1990s will definitely remember dj Timestretch. Me, on the other hand, am on the new school tip so never got the chance to meet this cat. Regardless, he made his mark back then and was regarded as one of the very first people to promote the sound of jungle around parties and raves in the city during the mid 90s. As this was before the widespread proliferation of the web and even prior to 4front records the only way he would even be able to get dnb/jungle vinyl is to actually travel to the UK to get it! When he was there he was able to network a lot and even get some dubs cut. He took things a step beyond DJ'ing though and ran a record label (Advance Recordings), produced, and threw parties.

This tape is a perfect snapshot of drum and bass music at a time when the sound of techstep was at it's infancy while jump-up and ragga were slowly starting to gravitate away from the spotlight. Almost all of the well known tracks from '97 are here, as well as a few of Timestretch's own tunes and even a couple dubs of tracks that were unreleased at the time (and I'm not even sure if the D'Cruze track even came out at all!) Good mixing and even a little bit of scratching on here too.

DJ Timestretch-Live at the Casualty Ward (side 1)

John B: Slamfunk Remix (dubplate)
Dillinja: Light Years (prototype)
Ed Rush & Optical: Funktion (v recordings)
Nemesis & DJ Kane: System (optical & fierce remix) (renegade hardware)
Snuggles & 3D: Template (dubplate)
Genoforce: The Germ (hardware)
D'Cruze: ??? (dubplate)
Krust: Warhead (v recordings)
Optical: To Shape the Future (Remix) (metalheadz)
John B: Starburst VIP (dubplate)
Roni Size: Trust Me (talkin loud)

DJ Timestretch-Live at the Casualty Ward (side 2)

John B: Secrets (dubplate)
3D: Millenial Dawn (dubplate)
Timestretch: Electrobolt VIP (dubplate)
Goldie: Temper Temper (Grooverider Remix) (ffrr)
John B: Sight Beyond (new identity)
SS: Symphonic (new identity)
Decoder: Circuit Breaker (Peshay Remix) (tech itch)
Moby: James Bond Theme (Grooverider Remix) (mute)
Faith No More: Ashes to Ashes (Dillinja Remix) (london)
Doc Scott: Swarm (metalheadz)
Roni Size: Brown Paper Bag remix (talkin loud)
Scorpio: Trouble (v recordings)
Sci Clone: Everywhere I Go (dubplate)

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Wednesday

25Feb2009

DJ Overload: Subsonic Soundscape (house, electro, florida breaks, mid '90s)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 10:56PM

Really nice tape I've had for a minute now by a DJ who was well known in Boston's dance and rave scene in the early-mid 1990s. From what I have heard in his mixes he appears to be very versatile and used to play everything from techno to hardcore to techstep drum & bass. He was involved with promoting one of Boston's first dnb events, "Jungle Roots", with Al Fougy. This tape shows a bit of what his interests were on the other side of the 140bpm range however. I have 2 of Overload's mixes on my computer and have this one on cassette-although I found a web link for it courtesy of dj Entropy!

Over the course of Subsonic Soundscape's 90 minutes we hear bits and pieces of detroit techno, classic electro breaks drenched in 808's and vocoders Miami-style, synth laden deep house, club-oriented vocal house, even a little bit of acid towards the end. Sound quality isn't the best but is a nice journey regardless.

Overload-Subsonic Soundscape (side 1)
Overload-Subsonic Soundscape (side 2)

ps- anyone from Upstate NY recognize any of the flyers in the pic there? ;)

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Saturday

07Feb2009

(unknown dj): 30-minutes techno, 60-minutes jump-up dnb. 1999.

Saturday, February 7, 2009 at 1:30PM

Another good tape I found at a party a couple years ago. I think this tape was recorded off a radio show, and can tell from the tracks I recognize on the dnb mix that this was probably recorded some time in 1999. The first half hour is pure 4-to-the-floor techno with a light touch of acid and even trance. The only song I was able to recognize was Angel Alanis- Chi's Revenge towards the end. However, I do recognize the signature 303 leads and 909 drums that are very prominent in most of these tracks and is the icing on the cake. Following this mix is a drum & bass that opens up with some deep techstep and gradually turns itself over to classic late 90s jump-up by the halfway mark. Look out for Makai's "Beneath the Mask" at about 24 minutes in- this is one of the most sought after dnb records right now! DJ Die's "Clear Skyz", A-Sides "Once Again", and several familiar Aphrodite and Prisoners of Technology tracks also populate side B of this tape. The tape unfortunately runs out right before the drop of Dubplate Pressure (a travesty!) :(

House/techno mix (side A)

Jump-up dnb mix (side B)

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