Hep Hop Excursion (Day Return)

Side 1 of a one stop tip top trip hop mixtape, compiled circa July to September 1996. Try saying that with a mouthful of muesli. 63 Sundays ago, I posted Side 2; now you can belatedly complete the set!

 

As with the previous side, this selection is skewed towards acts from or based in my birthplace Bristol; the final third features remixes by Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead.  

Red Snapper open up with a track from their second release, The Swank EP, although like many I first heard this on the Warp Records compilation of their first three EPs, Reeled And Skinned. Red Snapper were originally active between 1993 and 2002 and cane together again in 2007. The band released the rather excellent Live At The Moth Club album a couple of days ago.

In 1995, Saint Etienne teamed up with Étienne Daho to record and release the Reserection EP, featuring several previous singles and B-sides, reworked and translated into French. Jungle Pulse is a version of 1991 single Filthy, Daho replacing Q-Tee's original rap over a Hendrix sample and some appropriately dirty beats.

The Charlatans were no strangers to the art of the remix, with several collaborations with The Dust Brothers/The Chemical Brothers under their belt. Van Basten provide a rather fine remix of Feel Flows. Named after Marco van Basten, up there in the lists of the greatest footballers of all time* and who had retired at the age of 28 the year before this remix appeared. Whilst van Basten was born in Utrecht in The Netherlands, Van Basten the trio - Gary Everatt, Gary Webster and Martin Reilly - hailed from Milton Keynes.

As before, several of my favourite chanteuses, appear here with standout tracks: Plavka, Neneh Cherry and Beth Gibbons.

When I posted Side 2 in August 2022, the UK was experiencing an unprecedented heatwave, with temperatures of 33°C; no chance of that in October 2023, as the island recovers from the passing of Storm Babet. 

 

1) One Legged Low Frequency Guy: Red Snapper (1994)

2) Jungle Pulse (Remix of Filthy): Saint Etienne ft. Étienne Daho (1995)

3) Move Ya (Bedouin Ascent Funky Fix): Rising High Collective (1995)

4) Feel Flows (Van Basten Mix): The Charlatans (1994)

5) Blow The Whole Joint Up (Decks 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Mix By DJ Mek): Monkey Mafia (1995)

6) Manchild (Massive Attack Remix): Neneh Cherry (1989)

7) Boundaries (Tricky Mix): Leena Conquest & Hip Hop Finger (1994)

8) Sour Sour Times (Remix): Portishead (1994)

 

1989: Manchild EP: 6

1994: Boundaries EP: 7

1994: Jesus Hairdo EP: 4 

1994: Sour Times EP: 8

1994: The Swank EP: 1

1995: Blow The Whole Joint Up EP: 5

1995: Feel The Fire/Wanna Move Ya EP: 3

1995: Reserection EP: 2

Side One (45:06) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two here

* as I was writing this post, the news came in of Bobby Charlton's passing. Another of the greatest footballers of all time. RIP Bobby.