Track-By-Track: O/B #09
We take a left turn into the world of slamming tape edits and effects pioneered by a small crew of Latino musicians in The Bronx in the mid-80s. Chep Nuñez, Omar Santana (Hashim) and the duo of Alberto Cabrera & Tony Moran (The Latin Rascals), among others, became well-known for their cut-up versions of hits from the growing freestyle scene. To really understand their technical achievements, check out the article 'How The Latin Rascals Mastered The Mega-Mix', because you won't get a better explanation than that.
Some of these artists would be tapped up by the majors, leading to edits of Duran Duran, Level 42 and even Madonna for a mainstream (white) audience. But none of those big ticket efforts compare to the sheer audacity and inventiveness of the freestyle dubs and bonus beats they were doing on smaller labels like Cutting, to be played by the likes of Little Louie Vega at The Devil's Nest or Funhouse/Heartthrob. Freestyle is actually a very well documented scene – look on RBMA and Hyperreal if you're keen to read more.
This Rascals bonus beat is of a single from Sa-Fire's first album, released by Mercury after the runaway success of her first few singles on Cutting. Tellingly, the bonus beats seems to have appeared only on the US DJ versions of the single, presumably because it was only in the aforementioned clubs that the crowd were ready for such out-there sonics. On paper, this track is a short 3 minutes of manipulated beats and a woman saying 'Ooh, I feel it'. In practice, it's like a bomb going off.
Sa-Fire - Gonna Make It (Rascal Beats) (Cutting, 1989)
(Discogs)
Note: this is an entry in the Track-By-Track series for my mix for O/B.
Track-By-Track is a series that looks back at records you will have heard in my mixes, one by one in the order they were played. Who made them, and when? How did I come across them? And what do they make me feel?