Filed under: Speaker Smashers,Steady Bootleggin'
Written by: Robbie Ettelson
Outside of tapes of actual old school parties and park jams, there isn’t a lot of vinyl that really captures the feel of hip-hop music in the 70′s and early 80′s. The classic Bozo Meko live bootleg version of “Flash To The Beat”, recorded off the sound system at the Bronx River Community Centre by Afrika Bambatta, is one of the few exceptions. It’s worth noting that Flash didn’t actually use a DMX for this performance, but in fact was rocking an ancient Vox percussion device that may have looked something like this:
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - Flash To The Beat (live) [Bozo Meko, 1981]
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The Oberheim DMX!
I knew this machine inside out. This is like looking at a baby picture.
Comment by Ausar 09.22.06 @i remember reading bozo meko in liner notes for a flash greatest hits cd. still one of the silliest names in the hip hop annals.
Comment by dj balagan 09.22.06 @Classic! I have this 12″.
I still need the original of ‘Spread Love’ the other dope Bozo Meko.
yo I read in Can’t Stop Wont Stop that the actual recording doesn’t involve any beatmaking device, which made the session seem awkward for the other members. When done live Flash was actually using this machine. Excellent discovery
Comment by Jon Clark 09.22.06 @Yeah, the version on Sugarhill doesn’t have the beatbox and is nowhere near as good as the bootleg.
Comment by Robbie 09.22.06 @How about the B-Side to this bootleg, Fusion Beats? Or some more Bozo Meko stuff in general.
Comment by bedouin 09.24.06 @This is great. What I REALLY need to hear are some tapes of the park and club jams form the late 70′s and early 80′s. It would hit the spot perfectly to actually hear DJ’s like Jay, Bam, and Flash cutting up breaks and funk in the original context. MC’s on top would be a bonus…
Comment by BeatRabbi 09.27.06 @i remember hearing this when i was about 4 or 5 years old in harlem new york and it blew my little brains completely away i can never forget that sound.
Comment by p f 12.02.06 @Leave a comment
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