Ultimate Breaks & Beats Production Tools - Product Demonstration

This is a product demonstration I put together for the Ultimate Breaks & Beats Production Tools release, dropping February 1st on Get On Down.

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Richard Sisco Has Passed Away (Cold Crush Brothers + More)

Richard Sisco, an important man involved in the early and fundamental days of the hip hop scene, has passed away. As told in Jim Fricke and Charlie Ahearn's amazing book, Yes Yes Y'all, Sisco was "The first MC to perform with Charlie Chase and what would become the Cold Crush Brothers. He produced many flyers for hip hop jams in the late '70s and early '80s and briefly teamed up with Wanda Dee."

If you've seen Beat Street, you've seen Richard Sisco -

I strongly urge anyone interested in the origins of hip hop to check out Yes Yes Y'all if you haven't already. Sisco is one of the many pioneers to share his memories of the scene in the 70s and 80s. I'm glad he had a chance to share some of his memories. Here's two short excerpts -

On the first MC...

"Kool Herc had his MC - Coke La Rock - but if you want to say the first "rhymer," Cowboy definitely was the first guy in the Bronx that put it together. He used to go on like, "A one-two, y'all," and "Yes yes, y'all," all that kind of stuff, and then he'd start to say a little rhyme. That was the first… We said, "That's funky, man, you checking that out?"

On Performing with Charlie Chase...

"Charlie (Chase) started DJ-ing, and being hip to the Black thing, he started playing these records that Kool Herc was playing. That was around '77, '78, when it really started getting pumped. There was a jam over at the Monterey Community Center on Thursday nights. We used to rock it with live DJs - Dizzy Diz, Mighty Mike, DJ Ray, Kool DJ Ron, and a few of the other kids. With Charlie Chase, we said "Yo! We gotta follow him. He's the man to watch."

Here is audio from December 26th, 1980, where Sisco was rocking as a DJ on the bill with the Super Sonic 4 MCs (Ricky Dee, Vicious Cee, Dwayne Dee, Ice Ice and Lil Sha Rock) and Cool Clyde. Listen and download below. Rest in peace to Richard Sisco!

Side A -



Side B -



Download link - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3973E4NV

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Tom Scott with the California Dreamers - "The Honeysuckle Breeze" Remastered

I recently had the opportunity to remaster Tom Scott's debut album, The Honeysuckle Breeze on Impulse! (the exclamation point is part of the Impulse label's logo, but fuck it, I think it was a great enough opportunity to warrant an exclamation point in this sentence).

Convoluted opening statements aside, I'm a fan of this record. It's fun telling my mother I remastered a project by an artist she is very much familiar with. If you're a hip hop guy / gal and aren't familiar with this sax-heavy LP, I'll give you a hint as to why it's a very important one:

I reminisce, I reminisce, I reminisce, I reminisce…

If my hint sucks, you'll hear what I'm talking about at the tail end of the video, when the Get On Down logo flashes. If that still garners a blank stare, the oracle known as the internet will give you the answer. I wonder if Tom Scott had any idea of the staying power his rendition of Today would have all those years ago when he posed aside this "radioactive area" sign. Something tells me he did... just look at the outfits.

Judging by the way I've seen a variety of people react to hearing this record, I think it's a release you'll either really dig or not want anything to do with. For those intrigued, here's two of my favorites-

Enjoy your Wednesday, my friends.

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DOWNLOAD: Will C. on WTBU's Midnight Marauders

Here's the audio from Sunday night's appearance on WTBU's Midnight Marauders. It was a good time… shout out to the whole Midnight Marauders crew for having me! There is a good amount of discussion here about the album that is in the works, including a sneak peak live performance of a track tentatively titled Stay Awake. We also delve into some of what went on behind the scenes for the creation of Evil in the Mirror, Down the Dial, Pabst Raps! and more. Check it out, check it out, check it out, check it outttt -

DOWNLOAD HERE:

WTBU's Midnight Marauders feat. Will C. (11-21-10)

OR HERE:

WTBU's Midnight Marauders feat. Will C. (11-21-10) - Alternate Link

OR LISTEN HERE:

Let us close out with a majestic shot of BU...

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Life After God (Moe Pope & Rain) - Foolish feat. Reks (New Video)

Here's the brand new video for Life After God's Foolish feat. Reks. Directed by John Graziano 

and produced by Tall Boy -

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Boston University Radio x Will C. - Midnight Marauders THIS SUNDAY 10 PM - 12 AM

THIS Sunday night I will be appearing on Midnight Marauders, a Boston University radio show. The show airs 10 PM - 12 AM, so be sure to tune in. I'll be talking about some stuff I've been working on and will probably play a few tracks. I can't guarantee it won't be awkward.

Listen live via the WTBU website HERE

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"80 Blocks From Tiffany's" Out Tuesday!

80 Blocks From Tiffany's will be officially out on DVD this Tuesday, November 23rd! The past couple of days have been good as far as press... I'm happy to see a variety of blogs, newspapers and magazines covering the DVD release. Anthony Boryga put together a wonderful article for the New York Times that went up today. Check it out here!

80 Blocks in New York Times

Here's a couple other articles:

80 Blocks in New York Amsterdam News

80 Blocks in New York Press

80 Blocks in Black Book Magazine

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7L & Esoteric - "Retrospects" Video

Get ready for action! The new video for 7L & Esoteric's "Retrospects" (from 1212) has arrived and it does not disappoint. Tension mounts!

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More Freddi/Henchi

Here's some more clips from the upcoming Freddi/Henchi and the Soulsetters album, "Crown Princes of Funk: The Last Set." The tracks that appear in the video are Piranha, Cartoon People and It's All Downhill.

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7L ES "Retrospects" Video Stills

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Maestro Fresh-Wes - "The Black Tie Affair"

Maestro Fresh Wes' sophomore album, The Black Tie Affair, will be getting a much needed proper re-release on November 23rd! Check it out -



Yes! The into to this album (Hors d'Oeuvres) gives me goosebumps! Check out the original video for Conductin' Thangs below-

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Water Ice (Visual Remix)

Here's a visual remix I put together for Water Ice (With A Gaseous Center). The original version appears on Evil in the Mirror. This remix is exclusive to the video! The only question is, what happened to the second verse? Gasp! Double click the video to open in Youtube and view the lyrics.

Become a fan of Will C. on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/willcmusic

Follow Will C. on Twitter - http://twitter.com/willcwillc

"Evil in the Mirror" on Itunes - http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/evil-in-the-mirror/id318451188

"Evil in the Mirorr" on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Evil-Mirror-Will-C/dp/B002DHME5W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288723280&sr=8-1

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The Beatnuts on 2xLP - 11.23.10

November 23rd will mark the release of The Beatnuts' debut album on 2xLP! I've seen the finished product and it's looking excellent, substantial, heavy, high quality, deluxe... all that!

Superbad, superbad, superbad, superbad...

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7L - Music To Be Murdered By

Happy Halloween!

Recently, 7L dropped a new Halloween mix, Music to be Murdered By. He handed it to me last night, but things were getting a little out of control so I wasn't able to properly express my gratitude. 7L's knowledge of music is so vast that he can make a specialized mix like this and have it be better than any other DJs' on the planet. Download it over at Fully Fitted and check out my favorites below.

MUSIC TO BE MURDERED BY

"The following is a mix of horror soundtracks, library records & some straight up suspenseful music. One of my main hobbies is collecting foreign movie soundtracks. With Halloween coming up, I figured now would be a great time to get some use out of them. Enjoy!"

Sample A -

Sample B -

"You took off your gloves to touch her, didn't you? Didn't you, you son of a bitch? You touched her with your bare hands!"

KNOCKOUT!

Sample C -

Sample D -

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Freddi / Henchi and the Soulsetters!

I had a chance to work a little bit with Hadley Murrell on the upcoming "Crown Princes of Funk: The Last Set" CD, a career retrospective of one funky ass group - Freddi / Henchi and the Soulsetters. Check out this television appearance they made in the 1970s, and learn a little bit about the collective's history below!

To underground DJs and other discriminating urban hipsters, Freddi/Henchi and The Soulsetters are well-known as ‘The Prophets of Funk’ responsible for their all-time classic Dance album full of infectious early 1970s monsters. In Colorado, frontmen “Freddi Love” Gowdy and “Henchi” Graves earned over three decades a reputation as an indefatigable, Boulder-based musical party act popular on the state’s college circuit.

But the roots of Freddi and Henchi actually stretch back to the desert city of Phoenix, Arizona, in the mid 1960s. It was there that group members first established their exciting stage presence through live shows at long-gone local night clubs. And under the guidance of producer Hadley Murrell, they created their fun-loving recording identity as the good humored Crown Princes of Funk.

"Crown Princes of Funk" is a historic package that hopes to help make sense of the sometimes confusing Freddi/Henchi/Soulsetters back catalogue, which between 1964 and 1975 included records on multiple labels under varying names and with assorted spellings.

"Crown Princes of Funk: The Last Set" Available 11.23.10 on Wind Hit

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Will C. x Get On Down - Recreational Man

Last month, Get On Down commissioned me to put together some visuals for the latest Keys Open Doors event, which featured DJ Riz, The 45 King and The Bladerunners. It was quite the night! Hearing "This Cut's Got Flavor" booming out of the speakers was perfect. Anyways, I'm hoping you'll enjoy this a little more than the people who had to watch it on loop for an ennnntiiiireee night. They didn't get to hear the beat I synched the footage to either, so let's call this one a world premiere!

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It Has Arrived - Will C. x Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/willcmusic

"Like" this page or I will be as startled and pissed as this Dad if you wake him up-

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BlackBook Magazine Feature On "80 Blocks"

Check out BlackBook Magazine's new feature on 80 Blocks From Tiffany's HERE

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Zodiac Extension (Video)

Zodiac Extension (from "Evil In The Mirror" )

Crank this shit up and get busy!

I decided to put some visual accompaniment to "Zodiac Extension." Things just got weirder!

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"80 Blocks..." Coming November 23rd!

80 Blocks From Tiffany's will be released November 23rd! I'm excited to see that some blogs are already showing it love! I've seen samples of the finished product and it does not disappoint. The hard cover book the DVD is housed in is amazing (shouts to KARMA for the ill design as always)!

The reprint of the original Esquire magazine article by the late Jon Bradshaw, titled Savage Skulls, is quite a juxtaposition to the film. Although shocking in its own right, the film allows the viewer to witness the camaraderie of the youths featured in the film, as they crack jokes and sometimes even play things up for the camera. However, the article touches upon situations the film can not. I say "can not" because no gang members were foolish enough to do some of the awful things they indeed did in the presence of a film crew. The article, however, depicts some truly heart breaking and terrifying situations. If you cop the DVD when it's released, I urge you to not be intimidated by the length of the article. It is quite the article!

I don't know if I've already said this in a previous post, but shouts to David Hollander (Wax Poetics) for putting together a wonderful forward to the book and organizing the bonus features! You're the man!

Now that I'm (somewhat spontaneously) typing out some shout outs, I can't leave out Gary Weis, the Director of the film, and Joan Churchill, the Director of Photography. Aside from creating a work of art back in 1979, they were also essential in making this re-release possible! Victoria Allen and Carolyn Pfeiffer-Bradshaw are two wonderful people who helped us make the reprint of the Savage Skulls article possible. Everybody at Broadway Video, your willingness to facilitate the film's re-release gave me a great project to work on!

I haven't had an opportunity to ramble on about what went into making this release possible as much as I've been hoping to, but most likely I'll be able to post up some pictures of the finished product in the near future. In the meantime, here's some links to other sites discussing 80 Blocks...

HipHopDX

Peace Magazine

Brooklyn Ski Club

Digital Soul Experience

From SpineTV.net:

"A loose, unobtrusive, and, given the lawlessness of the organizations, rare glimpse into brutal South Bronx gang culture, 80 Blocks captures a struggling community driven on tension in which emotions run dangerously high, populated by what Churchill terms 'people about to burst into violence.'...'There’s no actual mention of hip-hop in the film, yet it’s one of the most hip-hop films ever made.'

[says ego trip’s Jeff Mao].”

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Seeerious, Seeerious... Get On Down Announces Upcoming Reissues

Get On Down just announced three of their upcoming reissues and they are all bangers. Breakwater's 1980 Splashdown, Kleeer's Intimate Connection, and Faze-O's Riding High. If these don't ring a bell with you, be sure to check out the below video. You might be surprised at what you hear!

These three remastered albums will be available November 23rd. I like your style Get On Down. I've been wondering though, where the hell are the members of Breakwater on their album cover? It looks like the deep end of a swimming pool, but those benches for them to sit on seem very uncharacteristic of a pool's deep end. I'll leave it at that and remain confused.

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Nothing Will Get Me To Watch the 2010 Scream Awards

Not even this amazing remake of the Back To The Future trailer...

Word to Marty McFly, and word to Marty at JTTS for hipping me to this!

Nothing beats an original...

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Wildman Steve and DJ Riz - WBAU 90.3 / Keys Open Doors Thursday!

This Thursday at Boston, MA's Good Life marks the return of the Keys Open Doors event. These nights are always very memorable and I'm sure this week's will be no different, as the line up includes DJ Riz, 45 King and The Bladerunners! If you're in the area you should definitely check it out. Over at the Bladerunner Blog, DJ 7L had a chance to catch up with DJ Riz and hear a few stories. Head over there to learn a little bit about how to obtain a key and also to check out side A of a Wildman Steve & DJ Riz WBAU 90.3 radio tape.

Here is side B of that same tape -

Wildman Steve and DJ Riz show - WBAU 90.3 (1992?) -

This undated cassette is probably from 92-ish. At one point Wildman Steve is talking about some cassettes he has for giveaway, which include tracks by Redman, Public Enemy, and "a group called Onyx."

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The Poetry of Reality

My friend just told me she was shown this video in science class today. Maybe it's time I go back to school. Now, I understand that the "auto tune news," "auto tune sports" etc thing is overdone, but for some reason this one hit me in the heart. Maybe it's because I like science so much.

I will regret this post.

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1982 Album Listening Party In NYC

If you're in New York on October 19th, I guarantee you'll have a good time at the 1982 official album listening event. I just attended the Boston listening party the other night and it was great. Statik Selektah & Termanology have a chemistry that can only exist if you're musical colleagues AND genuine friends. You'll enjoy hearing their "behind-the-scenes" commentary on the new album, which by the way is HEAVY. Thugathon ya'll!

Shouts to Water Country

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