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

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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 – 32:09, 73.6 MB

320kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

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I taped this off the radio one night (CHIN 100.7FM Toronto) during the peak of exposure of electronic music, back when you were guaranteed some sort of reputable techno or cousin thereof on the airwaves at any time of day.  No fun story to share about this tape.  DJ Dominik was one of the members of the Canadian Hardcore Collective;  a group of Torontonian DJs who hosted hardcore techno radio shows.  I’d always figured Toronto Hardcore Collective would have had a more impactful acronym but what do I know.

Dominik is unquestionably a well-respected DJ due to his music, his abrupt juggles and cuts, and especially his musical tastes, specializing in Dutch-style hardcore and gabber.  His style has always been very well defined – very Dominik – and no one else in the city had the records this guy had. This mix is a perfect example of what one could expect from the man at a party or club. That is, if he showed up.

I swear, I went out of my way to score tickets to perhaps 6 parties Dominik was booked at, and he showed up for the gig maybe once.  I’ve also got a 4-tape continuous recording of a flustered DJ Frisky who was supposed to do a tag-team show with Dominik but he never showed up, leaving the poor chap with 6 hours of airtime and 3 hours of records.  Other times I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find him spinning to an empty room, unannounced, at some club or event, leaving plenty of space for me to hop around to his bouncy basslines.

Dominik has played for crowds all over the world so perhaps his fairweather reputation doesn’t leave the city, but it’s the second trait that comes to mind after his outstanding skills.  Regardless, don’t let my jaded, fuzzy recollection of trifling nightlife politics muddy your opinion of this mix.  His transitions and beatmatching are terrific, he plays many gems most hardcore heads have never heard, and what you hear here is consistent with what you can expect when you see the man live.  Dominik is one of Toronto’s most admired and accomplished DJs and one of the true founders of our rave scene.

Download Side B – 45:55, 84.1 MB

256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Stereo rebalanced, normalized, treble boosted

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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.

Download Side B – 30:54, 70.7 MB

320kbps, 44.1kHz mono, normalized

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Oi oooooooi!!

Ratpack is the DJ Everson (or Evenson?) Allen ‘longside MC Lipmaster Mark – mainstays of the English rave scene since pretty well the beginning.  The duo had been performing for years (not sure how many) even at the time of this 1993 recording.  They’ve served as frontmen for the UK rave scene and especially for what would be known as oldskool breakbeat hardcore, staying true to this style throughout their careers, and helping bring awareness and popularity to this and other electronic music genres.

These guys are really special to me.  I’ve got a lot of their tapes (all bootlegs as the real McCoy is tough to come by all the way overseas) and am surprised and delighted to be able to say that I actually look forward to this DJ/MC combo.  It’s so rare to find this sort of duo that plays off eachother so well.  I understand these Fantazia events accommodated well over 10,000 screaming ravers so it’s to be expected the mixing is a little on the sloppy side, but the horns and whistles and cheers, and especially the lyrical work of Lipmaster Mark, prove sufficient even on this poorish-quality recording to bring the listener in to this world of noise and excess.  Mark is a joyous, enthusiastic MC who addresses his DJ and his crowd alike, and his gravelly pipes shine through as he sings along or improvises in tandem with what would become oldskool anthems.

This tape is a collector’s piece, plain and simple.  I’ve done my best to restore the audio quality, but check out the preview sample above to see whether it passes muster.

I was handed this tape, as well as several others, by DJ Virus from Toronto, Canada.  He and I traded a lot of music back in the day and I’m pretty sure we left off not having returned everything to its rightful owner, but them’s the breaks if you’ll forgive a pun.

Adam and I hung out many times and I accompanied him to several parties over the years, meeting him by chance at others, and providing him a fortuitous ride home when he had no contingency plan from time to time.  He started out an above-average happy hardcore DJ who has evolved into an outstanding one, playing gigs for perhaps 13 years now or more.  He was a quiet and reserved guy who would sport the fattest pants you’ve ever seen, but seem a little self-conscious about wearing them.  The man’s track selections have always been tight, bringing a flavour of oldskool into the latest hardcore trends (I really dig the resurgence of breakbeats), and he’s worked very hard for all the gigs and respect and clout he’s so rightfully earned.

So this tape rip goes out to you, Virus.  This is probably one of the tapes you loaned me and I never gave back, so better late than never, right?

Download Side B – 47:47, 89.6 MB

256kbps, 44.1kHz stereo

Preview

This is a special tape for many reasons. First and foremost, it was recorded by 2 awesome and versatile Toronto DJs. Second, it was recorded at The SpacE! (aka The E! Space) at 28 Gunns Road which was an institution of the Toronto underground rave scene in the late 90′s. Finally, this mix was recorded during the pre-party for the first Hullabaloo party which became a world famous happy hardcore series.

The track selection is fantastic and the mixing is sloppy. In my opinion this mix really captures the true spirit of Hullabaloo in that its collaboratively mixed arrangement makes for some lighthearted and fun exchanges between the selectors.

The original tape fades out for about a minute and back in again midway through side B which is a real shame since SOS is in the middle of spinning a great trance track. I think they must have changed the DAT or something there. There’s nothing I could do about the fade but I snipped the long pause in post production.

Considering the zillions of times I’ve played this tape I’m astounded at how clear the audio still is. This is a very rare bit of Hullabaloo memorabilia and I’m thrilled to share it with you as my first mixtape submission.

Are you enjoying this mix? Did you attend the E! Space or the Hullabaloo parties? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts!