Dubble D & Rakim 'Soul Squelch' (greg wilson mash-up)

Dubble D & Rakim ‘Soul Squelch’ (greg wilson mash-up)

110 bpm

Previously limited vinyl only 2006

Having just done a blog post about Ralph Lawson’s Basic Vision, where he celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the seminal UK club night Back To Basics (see: www.gregwilson.co.uk/2011/11/back-to-back-to-basics), I thought it might be timely to share this mash-up, where I run Eric B & Rakim 1987 Hip Hop classic ‘I Know You Got Soul’ over Dubble D’s ‘Squelch’, a track that was on the album ‘Reachin’ Out’, issued via Ralph’s 2020Vision label in 2005.

I always associate this mash-up with my first appearance at Manchester’s Electric Chair in February ’05, because I put it together as my opening track specifically for that night – the juxtaposition of Mancunian, Dubble D (aka Danny Ward), a contemporary artist, with Eric B & Rakim, who evoked my 80’s Hip Hop connections with the city, struck the past / present balance I’m always eager to find. However, given Ralph Lawson’s association with Dubble D, there’s also a crucial Back To Basics connectivity.

So it was fitting that ‘Soul Squelch’ was eventually made available on a limited DJ 12”, the first issued on the 2020Vision affiliated Redux imprint, in 2006, alongside another 2020 related mash-up of mine, ‘Chocolate Factor’, this time combining Random Factor’s ‘Circuit Semantics’ (2004) with Chocolate Milk’s ‘Who’s Getting It Now’ (1982) – the release was topped off with an edit of Boogie Corporation’s ‘Dirty Rip’ (alias ‘Hardcore Boogie’). Apart from putting together the edits, I also came up with the label name, which was borrowed from the 2001 ‘Apocalypse Now Redux’, an extended version of the classic 1979 movie, one of my all-time favourites (interestingly ‘Apocalypse Now’ is also referenced by PBR Streetgang, also from Leeds, also part of the re- edits movement – it’s the codename for the boat that takes Willard up the river on his mission to assassinate Kurtz).

Redux, which continues to thrive today under the stewardship of Andy Whittaker and Tristan da Cunha, had it on their blog as a free download back in May, and Dubble D also made it available via his SoundCloud (see: http://reduxrecords.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/dubble-d-rakim-soul-squelch-greg-wilsons-mashup-free-download), but it’s completed its download quota now.

You can hear it kicking off the Electric Chair mix here (exclusive content – you must be signed in to access):
ELECTRIC CHAIR MANCHESTER 26.02.05 (greg wilson live mix) by gregwilson

Greg Wilson – November 2011