Whilst the practice of releasing mixtapes between albums to maintain relevance has become a common practice in recent years. British DJ and producer, Chris Read is turning tradition on its head and releasing what many might describe as an album between mixtape releases.
In January 2008, Chris released a mix album entitled ‘The Diary (World’s Greatest Rap Megamix)’, a stunningly intricate 800 track mix chronicling the genre’s landmark recordings in order of release from 1979 to 2007. Quick to gain support from many of the world’s best respected DJs and taste makers (including Andy Smith (Portishead), DJ Food (Ninja Tune), Ollie Teeba (Herbaliser), DJ Format, Plus One (Scratch Perverts) and DJ Yoda), the mix was described by some as one of the greatest hip hop mix albums of all time. With tens of thousands of downloads and radio broadcasts in over 30 countries, the mix has achieved cult status and continues to receive attention via the web.
Just over a year later, with work on ‘The Diary Volume 2’ underway, Chris is releasing ‘The Diary Volume 1.5 (20 Years of The Remix)’, a tribute to the innovations in production and beat making over the last two decades. One iconic hip hop track from each of the last 20 years, remixed paying tribute to the production style and sampling trends popular at the time of the original release. From the James Brown influenced style of the late 80s, to the jazz sampling trends of the mid ’90s, to the iconic and distinct sounds of DJ Premier and Jay Dee, all the cornerstones of the genre’s development are touched upon.
Download options;
To download all tracks (mp3), tracklist (PDF) and artwork (jpeg) in a ZIP FOLDER click here (right click, save as)
To download ZIP FOLDER with higher quality mp3s via RAPIDSHARE click here (left click, follow instructions)
“This CD just shows how much Chris Read knows about historic Hip Hop production techniques – It’s just a shame he wasn’t producing this stuff during the eras that he’s covering as we would probably rate the man as being up there with Paul C, Pete Rock, Premier and all! – I can’t think of another Hip Hop CD I’ve played so much in years!” (Andy Smith – Portishead)
“Chris continues the rap anthology concept of his super-dope ‘The Diary’ megamix in the shape of a remix project, re-lacing acapellas from 89-2009 with historically accurate beats. ‘The Diary 1.5′ serves as a great platform for Chris to showcase his ample beat-making skills whilst referencing those who’ve inspired him.”
(DJ Woody – Former World ITF Champion)
“Crazy! This is Rap History in the making. Chris proves his production skills on this one to the fullest. A wonderful and refreshing journey through all eras of hip hop. Double thumbs up!”
(Marc Hype – MPM Records / Former ITF Champion)
Related links;
The Diary (World’s Greatest Rap Megamix) on Myspace
Artwork by Welikeourjob
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Be Sure to Check here for more downloads from Music of Substance and the orginal Diary Megamix
http://www.musicofsubstance.com/html/mp3-downloads.htm