In 2001 I released by first LP, Rap Traffic. This was a collaboration with UK graffiti veteran, Req One (AKA Nocturnal Beat Constructor), who handled production. The album, which comprises of 8 tracks is the result of a series of late night recording sessions at Req’s house in Brighton. Everything was recorded on a Fostex R8 tape recorder and mastered onto minidisc. The beats were programmed on a Casio FZ 1, except for ‘The Emphasis’, which was made on Russ Rockwell’s borrowed MPC. He also did the scratches on ‘Bus Stop Emcee’. My old house mate, Supreme Vagabond Craftsman co-produced ‘Rubber Body Poppers’, magnificently splicing together The Miracles’ ‘I Got to Dance to Keep From Crying’ and The Stones’ ‘Monkey Man’ without it sounding stupid – only stupid fresh. You get weh?
Here’s what the critics said:
“Admirably Warped” – Jockey Slut
“A distinctly British take on B-Boydom. Flawed comic genius” – Seven
“Goddamn. This is 100% of that hip-hop shit. Go play in the traffic” – ATM
“Lo-fi raw genius with real ’83 venom. Keep an eye on these clowns” – DJ
“Sounds like a 15th generation dub from the T-Connection circa 1981 with some killer trashcan percussion à la 23 Skidoo” – Wire
“The freshest, most unpretentiuos, lo-fi, graf-writers-getting-it-right-by-getting-it-wrong music odyssey you will hear until his next release. Get” – Muzik
“Something to be commended in an age of dollar bills and fur coats. This is one to watch”
– Record Collector
“Slugtrails on the wax, drizzle on the jeepster and tea in the pot while the two beat-boys downgrade fidelity. Fresh” – Bizarre Magazine
“Deep, surrealist Brit-Hop. Check the rhymes and see if you can work out what the f*ck the Kid is on about” – Mix Mag
“Rougher than a crocodile’s nad sack. Inventiveness to the fore and well worth tracking down” – Ministry
“Truly creative. Grab yo’self a ladle. Shit is piping hot” – Knowledge
So, a decade on, here’s a free download for your audio delight + bonus track, ‘Squirrel Hunters’ (Midfield General Remix) taken from the limited run 7″ of the same year.
