Put that shh on wax! vol.1

 

This pic has been taken to illustrate a reissue 

that might never see the light of the day. 

Bonus point if you get the song reference

These last years (let's say 10 last years), hip hop vinyl reissues have blown like never before, particularly the ones focusing on indie-rap. Lots of factories began to put out offers for super limited pressings, and so a batch of newborn one-person labels have seen the light of the day all at once, with very varying results as to the final products. 

I'm not too interested to discuss which ones are the best, the worst, who has the nicest artworks or the craziest price tags.

The interesting part of this, as an avid collector myself, is the wide range of albums being put out, with now micro-labels even specializing in niche markets, like mob music or such. Lots of never heard before materials are reissued, lots of quality, and more and more great albums of the late 90es-early 00es that wasn't put on vinyl for various reasons are now released, one by one. 

I started my micro-label in 2002 as the realization of a teenage dream and with in mind the 'business model' of labels such as Subversiv*Rec in Germany or 24/7 in Sweden. I was so broke back then that I only released a handful of releases in the span of almost 20 years (with a 7 years gap in between), with very limited success (aka I lost money on most of them) even though I always took it as a hobby more than a business.

One thing I always had was a list of the albums I loved, that were never released on vinyl and that I might one day put out on my label. A good chunk of them thankfully has seen the light of the day on other labels ever since (for instance Sach "Seven Days To Engineer", or more recently the Atban Klann one), but still some of them are ignored. Maybe it's too much of a commercial suicide? Maybe the sound quality is too bad? Maybe the artist are asking for too much?

I decided to put some of that list out, by pointing the feasability of such reissues. Probably because I know I won't be able to do it myself, and also because I'd secretly hope that it would kickstart having some of them released in the future.

It'll take a few posts to put the full list, here's just the first 10.  You're more than welcome to post your dream LP reissues in the comment section.

(And, like always, sorry for my half ass english :))

So, in no particular order:

01- Awol One & Daddy Kev - Souldoubt (2001) + Number 3 On The Phone (2002)

Awol One might be one of my all time favorite mc and this is my favorite album of his, so needless to say this one is ranking high on the list. Although he did worked with other producers none of them was a match like Daddy Kev. Awol is charismatic, doesn't really sound like another mc. His style is of writing is at the same time straight forward and subtle with a twisted sense of humor. Punchlines for ages. I just love it and I think it did age pretty well.

This one seems relatively doable, and would deserve a full 2LP reissue with maybe bonus beats at the end from the Shit That Never Dropped EP (same era).

I know he released a 12'' for 'Rhythm', but for this personal classic, a 12'' with 3 tracks ain't nearly enough.

For the little story, a few years ago I came close to do that reissue, but it folded when the guy that was supposed to fund it suddenly disappeared for no reason whatsoever. I was too broke to make it on my own. Needless to say I was pretty bummed.

Number 3 On The Phone, same combination, would be another one worth seeing a 2LP reissue.

02 - Noggin Nodders - Demo 93-94 (1993/2019) 

I just posted it. This demo is great and the world needs more Motion Man, period.

Kutmasta Kurt released it on tape recently so he probably has the masters ready somewhere. With the batch of rare and unreleased stuff put out by Threshold Recs I still have hopes this might happen one day.

Edit 09/2022 -> This one was finally released on vinyl in the summer of 2022! 

03 - 99th Demention - RSP Student (1998)

There's only 2 99th Demention albums and they're both very good. RSP Student is this crazy concept album where the members of the groups are students in a retarded class. Super far from today's woke standards but also pretty hilarious. Z-Man is still one of the most charismatic MC ever AND he makes the best album covers.

04 - Log Cabin - LA Experimental (1995)

.. Because, what the hell. Basically, the unicorn, the Himalaya of the list. 

The thing is, 1/ nobody seems to be really sure who has the masters of this (although I had one lead that led to a certain producer that recorded these sessions, but basically the connection was never made with him - ok that sounds like a pile of crap that I made up, but it's not) 2/ we're not even sure if the sound quality is good enough to do a proper reissue, let alone a vinyl reissue 3/ some of the people that made this tape no longer talk to each other, and it seems not very likely that they would be willing to talk to each other again, even if it just meant to split the money on this. So, a tricky reissue to release, with not a lot of money to make at the end for anyone involved (realistically), unless you put a crazy price tag on each copy, which is still an option, especially these days.

Also, it's worth noticing that one of the best track of this legendary tape is not even on the original demo for what I know (by the way, where the hell that track come from? Is there a full Miscellaneous Minds demo somewhere? Even watching this episode full of Log Cabin insights couldn't give us a clue). 

So why bother? Because, well, that's thee legendary Log Cabin tape, the sort of unique blend between the crazy lyrical styles of LA Project Blowed and the super nerdy/out there content of, let's say, Anticon or some of the Shape Shifters. Tracks about short people and mentally freebasing off of these brainwaves! I mean for the sake of the westcoast underground hip hop history, a reissue should be made; even as a cassette reissue with a crappy sound, just so it doesn't disappear forever with our disk drives and crappy blogs.

05 - Knowself & DJ Moves - Pseudo Freedom In The Age Of Manipulation (1999)

Probably the outsider of the list. I love Knowself's completely abstract style, his voice, delivery and how Moves productions absolutely match this guy's style. Like Awol and Kev, they fit perfectly. 

This album is probably his most 'traditional' (or 'easy to figure' for a new listener), it features production and raps by Sixtoo, Kunga219, Tachichi... I'm not sure if too many people care about Knowselfs music the way I do though, but this one is undeniably a grower.

06 - Hip Hop Kclan - Kclandestine Kclassix (2000)

A compilation of classic HHK material (mostly Ellay Khule & Pterradacto), including many gems such as "Y'All Ready For This" and "Massive Meltdown" amongst many others. Top notch emcee performances recorded over pretty good beats.

This one should be a no-brainer, except for the sound quality. I'm not sure if the original DAT are still available for a remaster but you can't really put this out on vinyl without a serious cleaning. If so it would be an instant classic.

07 - Sub Contents - Demo EP (1996)

This one I would have love to see it happen. Straight dope. A true classic from the San Jose scene, the first demo cassette by Dave Dub & Persevere, produced by Fanatik. Only 7 tracks but all classic ones with a dark edge. 

I reached out to Fanatik, he was interested, but lost the original DAT over the years and I didn't find a satisfying tape rip that was worth putting on wax. Chances are, it won't see the light of the day, or if so probably as a very lo-fi project.

08 - The Dereliks - Change For The Bus Ride Home (2003)

This was a sort of compilation released on cd by Sublevel Epidemic. San Jose again. A beautiful album with the slickest beats. Plus a real 'mainstream/ 90es backpacker rap' appeal.

Believe me, a lot of people have tried to make it happen over the years. I tried twice myself (early 00s then recently), know a fellow label head that tried in the meantime, and am pretty confident other labels have tried to do it as well. Hen Boogie was always reluctant. 

But good news: they recently announced they were putting a 4LP anthology of Dereliks material, so I guess it'll finally happen, hopefully in 2022.

09 - 2Mex - B-Boys In Occupied In Mexico (2001)

Another ShapeShifters classic. I'm not sure why this is not on vinyl already. Ok there's a 12'' out off this album, but come on, we're talking about the most consistent 2Mex album by a guy who have a big fanbase. Beats by Omid, Mums The Word, a batch of solid guest MCs, beautiful songs... and an iconic cover. This would be an instant cope.

10 - Dark Time Sunshine - Believeyoume (2009)

My favorite album by both Onry Ozzborn and beatmaker Zavala, from Portland OR. 

I'm a fool for dark, menacing beats and this one has plenty. Another great MC/ beatmaker combination right there. Unfortunately it came out in a period when the vinyl renaissance hadn't happened yet, and certainly not for this kind of hip hop. But it definitely deserve a reissue now.

To be continued...