Download Side B – 45:45, 104 MB

320kbps, 44.1kHz stereo, normalized

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An overdue read-through of the Fantazia Rave Archive tells me what I’ve always inferred from this tape – that the Vibealite parties are by-ravers-for-ravers affairs with only the most accommodating and positive ingredients stirred into the mix.  Between the relentless tempo of the music and the frequency of shoutouts by the clever MCs the chemistry between the DJ, MCs, and crowd is palpable.

Credit where credit’s due, now.  I’m ripping my rave tapes slowly because the majority of them feature such obnoxious, parroty MCs that I can’t bear to listen through them anymore.  Not so, here.  This is one of very few mixtapes where the MCing is every bit as impactful as the DJing.  The names “Peta Pan” and “MC Ice” are bigged up a few times but I can’t tell whether those are the MCs present – their humbleness is unprecedented. (update – DJ Brisk himself confirmed by email that the man the with the most airtime is MC Destruction)  Rhymes are rarely repeated and are many verses long, and voices are clear as a bell thanks to ideal recording at the event.  Press play on the player above to hear an excerpt of some top-notch freestyle lyricism.

The music in this mix is so ideal for MCing that I don’t know whether to call it the focus or the backdrop of this tape.  The tunes are nearly all vocal-free but not-overly-cheery celebrations of chord progressions; melodies that feel meaningful.  It’s a lovely fusion of English and Dutch fundamentals where strategic pauses between sounds imply complexity.  The beatmatching is outstanding and the mixes are concise, often cutting over early during percussive intros to leave the MCs more room to flourish.  This is progressive happycore tuned precisely to my favourite bandwidth – that grey area between hardcore and gabber.

Now, I created the Demodulated Mixtapes blog for the dual purpose of sharing my old rave mixtapes and relaying my personal stories about them, and I do have a story about this tape.  A long story that covers a jubilant yet difficult span of my life.  It’s probably the best rave story I could tell.  I’m not telling it here.  It’s too personal.

Hold tight Pukka Dawn Steve for my favourite happycore tape of all time.

Oh yeah, and it’s Brisk on side A and Stu Allen on the flip.

Download Side B – 30:14, 55.3 MB

256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Stereo rebalanced, normalized, treble boosted

Preview

This is a white label tape simply labelled “Clarkee”. The case lists “1996″ on the spine of the J-card.

It’s primarily chugging hardcore with percussive progressive minimalist techno-style arrangements, with some acidcore and bleepy little melodies thrown in for good measure. The 4/4 is pretty dependable throughout, punctuated by distorted 909s. If the audio range weren’t so full I’d suspect nearly the entire mix was comprised of hard techno tracks pitched up to 45.

There is a certain je-ne-sais-quois about this mix that really makes it stand out. It’s not just any hardcore mix. The regularity and monotony of the beats and patterns might be a turn-off for some, but I find myself really losing myself in the rhythm as I listen. The sound is really unconventional and relentless, almost like the caffeinated love child of Hardfloor and Robert Hood.

This is one of very few Clarkee mixes I’ve heard, but it’s enough for me to call him one of my favourite hardcore DJs of all time. I just love the direction he takes. It has a great mood and doesn’t fear to stomp all over uncharted territory. Definitely one of my favourite mixes.

Please leave a comment to tell me whether you enjoy this mix!

Download Side B – 46:23, 84.9 MB

256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Normalized

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Another extremely solid mix by R.A.W. from Los Angeles.  This one is similar in many ways (chiefly its subtle, smooth mixing) to Turntable Psycho but without the intricate post-production.  No Darkness is markedly happier as well, featuring several uplifting piano and vocal tracks interspersed with some more percussive darker jungle.  Certainly my cup of tea but perhaps too scattered for some.

To my great dismay I found this tape to be rather crinkled and mangled in places – probably because I’ve carried it around with me so many times in and out of a case.  Luckily only one side seems to have come out a bit muffled.  I did all I could to restore the sound quality but it ain’t much.  Be sure to listen to the preview to determine whether this is a dealbreaker for you, but if you stick with it you’ll find some fine selections here (particularly some notable pop music remixes) with some highly skillful transitioning.  Enjoy!

Download Side B – 45:55, 84.1 MB

256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Stereo rebalanced, normalized, treble boosted

Preview

We’ve got a true classic right here. Though it was released in ’97 this tape almost exclusively features tracks circa 1992 and thereabouts. This is a great era as most genres of techno had yet to branch from the trunk, so to speak, meaning that just about everything was jungle plus inklings of something (or more likely, some things) else.

This is a very solid mix of all kinds of primordeal jungle with near-flawless mixing, some awesome scratching, and some dangerous mashups. What really sets this tape apart is the meticulous post-production work. The concept of using a four-tracker to make mixtapes was explained to me by DJ Shane from LA via IRC which was quite a relief because I almost went nuts trying to find the versions of my favourite tracks from this tape with all the awesome samples superimposed. Keep in mind that this tape was revisited at least once before being published and it will be apparent just how much effort went into this very unique creation.

That’s all I have to say about this awesome tape, except that I’ve got at least one other R.A.W. mix to share (No Darkness). I’d now like to take a moment to recant my tale of the time I saw R.A.W. perform.

‘Twas at the Labyrinth Lounge in downtown Toronto that I had the rare and distinct pleasure of seeing this man grace the decks. He played complex and intelligent jungle with lots of wacky breakbeats and those oldskool chords that make me nuts. However, I’m getting ahead of myself so I’ll start at the beginning.

Having heard that one of my favourite all time DJs, R.A.W. from Los Angeles, would be playing nearby, I rounded up a posse and headed downtown. I got an amazing free parking spot right around the corner. I walked into the venue and was greeted by a representative of the Chills Tobacco Company, asking if I’d like to enter a raffle for a 6 foot bong for a couple of bucks. Why the hell not, I rationalised, and traded a Toonie for half a playing card. The seven of spades or thereabouts as I recall.

So I spent the night bopping around to the great beats of some of Toronto’s finest jungle DJs (and this is a city that knows its jungle). Finally my main man R.A.W. stepped up and totally tore the house down. I didn’t know what to expect, having only heard his old mixtapes and wondering how he’d represent at a jungle party. I’m understating by saying that every track he laid down had me slackjaw-awed. Just as his mixtapes featured tracks with this inexplicable comfortable fit spanning multiple genres, so was his track selection this night.

The music spoke to me that night, saying it was all for me. Every beat, every chord, every snare, just for me. I cannot sufficiently articulate this so I don’t expect you to understand what I mean when I say this. However, perhaps this will give you a clue.

My friends were pooped by 3am and took off, but I was determined to stay for the raffle. Finally, about 45 minutes later, the MC called for the music to stop, produced a handful of playing card halves, and called one out. It wasn’t mine, but no one replied. The MC called out another card. Not mine. No reply from the audience. The third card was the charm – it was mine and I raised my half in the air and approached the stage. I’d won a ridiculously huge and impractical Chills bong with a ludicrously tall red plastic shaft and a green alien head at the base. The crowd applauded.

I was then pulled aside by a photographer from Tribe Magazone – a free Toronto publication focused on the local rave and club scene. I was asked to pose with my new smoking aide and to smile for the camera. I somehow could only oblige one of these requests. The poor photographer took 4 or 5 pictures of me but for the life of me I was simply powerless to curl my lips. I had smiled so much that night that my face was just exhausted and couldn’t muster a grin if my life depended on it. Thankfully the photographer gave up before too long.

On my way out the door I was offered $200 for the bong by a fellow partygoer. I replied in the negative, saying I’d keep it forever to remind me of the night I saw R.A.W. I carried the ridiculous thing out the door and onto Bloor Street, even more thankful at my advantageous parking spot. I went home, stashed it in my bedroom, and had some explaining to do to my parents the next morning regarding my new acquiry.

I now proudly display this piece in my living room and think of this night every time I see it. Perhaps it might have served as more than a display piece were it not significantly longer than the human arm, but the sentimental value alone gets me lifted.