hell.o
in case you hadn’t noticed, the blog is currently out of action.
i should provide some form of explanation, but not sure it will be of interest.
basically, my life is stressed out to the max.
both on the work front, and the home front.
a lot of this means that currently my head just is not that bothered about music, new or old.
which having been obsessed about the stuff for over 30 years feels very very strange indeed.
however, today a little ray of hope began to shine.
you see nasty rox incorporated were a band i hooked onto back in ’89 while i awaited the return of age of chance.
the reasons were obvious, but if you have not heard of the band before, here’s a brief summary :
– signed to ztt records in the late 80s
– had well known dj cj mackintosh on the wheels of steel
– had a great name and logo
– um that’s it.
prior to the london based collective even releasing a record, they had a cover story on the nme, and were causing fun.
the bands debut, oh hang on, only single, escape from new york, presented here in all its 8 minute glory, is a blend of chunky rock guitars, dj cuts, glam chants, movie vocals, and a massive sample lift from chuck browns excellent go-go classic, i need money forming the basis of the funk.
the track was massive in its intentions and its impact.
so, when the song turned up on my radar earlier today having not heard anything all day, to say it felt like a breathe of fresh air would be an understatement.
those big drums (on-u sounds keith leblanc was clearly involved as he worked as a sessioner in sarm west back in the day, and the beats are heavy) and the use of big space in the production still hit the spot.
and is that sinatra sample a genuine sample, or a cover/hacked version ?
will we ever know the truth.
as a side note to me posting this, the cd version of album that followed, ca$h, is my top ‘would like to have’ item. i picked up the cassette version with extra tracks upon release, and then a few weeks later browsing our price in leeds saw the cd version. i clearly remember thinking, ‘i”ll get it some other time’. needless to say, those in the ztt collectors world will understand how much i realise that moment was to be one i have regretted ever since, and has been “the one that got away” ever since, as the cd has never been seen since.
i mean, discogs says 2 people have it on cd, and one of those people is cj himself.
so, while i get back to the head pains, and hassle that is life, turn up the volume and hit the link for a huge blast of illegal samples and go-go infected rock music.
now, where’s the pain in that ?
mp3 : nasty rox incorporated – escape from new york
more detail : here