Mission Statement.
In the beginning, back in the mid-1980's, long before house music made the whole world jump up and dance around like lunatics, the underground party faithful had a burning passion for rare grooves, hip hop and classic breaks.
Soon the UK woke up to the idea that dance music might be cool again, and headnodders and dance fans alike began to seek out the tunes they heard in the clubs.
Now widely regarded as the birthplace of the modern dance era, when this nascent scene was still very much just a small network of those in-the-know, only a privileged few had access to the djs and rare vinyl that defined this sound.
In those very early days, the best mix tapes were treated as pure gold dust; copied from friends and fellow music lovers, stretched and worn out through constant listening, some reached almost legendary status, many have been lost to the ravages of time.
"Monster" is a twenty first century take on the classic mix tapes of old...
Focussing just on the meat, this is a dj mix with a difference, made up of the nuts and bolts of the cream of dance music, blended into a head twisting frenetic multi-deck party jam, cooked up with just a pinch of dj jiggery-pokery - not just a mere journey, more a furious headlong sonic charge through the finest and most famous breaks and drops to have hit our ears and moved our feet over the past quarter of a century.
Just about every successful dance act to appear in the last decade and a half has (quite rightly) pilfered from the past at one time or other, and the chances are that much of what they stole and sampled can be found here, either in original format, or as one of the tracks that brought them to light.
Weighing in with over 80 contributing tracks, "Monster" features many of the essential crate fillers that have defined and underpinned the entire modern era of dance music, including some of the rarest and most sought-after cuts from the past, present and future.
With so many different artists represented on this single cd, "Monster" runs at a blistering place, and doesn't hang around for long instrumental solos or lengthy breakdowns - don't expect entire tunes - strictly the bits that bite, mam!
marvin gaye
us3
bobby brown
erik b and rakim
bill moss
kenny dope
depth charge
bassbin twins
bassbin twins
blackbirds
stetasonic
most wanted
average white band
ccs
depth charge
the o'jays
masters at work
jazzy grooves vol 1
us3
skull snaps
sugarhill gang
rockaway three
schooly d
masters at work
the cover girls
fresh four
james brown
eddie russ
fatback band
ian dury
mighty tom cats
aretha franklin
mark the 45 king
schooly d
jackson sisters
urban allstars
deaf mick's throwdown
charles wright
nwa
ripple
patti jo
inner city blues
a different beat
i know you got soul
i know you got soul
sock it to em soul brother
axis
bounty killer
loops
knife and fork
rock creek park
talking all that jazz
calm down
pick up the pieces
a whole lotta love
depth charge
for the love of money
jump to it
blown away
make tracks
it's a new day
rapper's delight
it's your thing
black jesus
give it to me (dub)
wishing on a star
smoke filled thoughts
the funky drummer
the lope song
wicky wacky
reasons to be cheerful
cheeba cheeba
rock steady
the 900 number
am i black enough
i believe in miracles
it began in Africa
clockwork voodoo freaks
express yourself
express yourself
i dont know what it is
make me believe in you
jpr
jpr
melba moore
arthur brown
shades of rhythm
meat beat manifesto
dj mink
steinski
grandmaster flash
dust brothers
chic
black shadow
polo
freak power
nick faber
midfield general
bassbin twins
carl davis & the cco
cheryl lynn
king bee
cold blood
depth charge
meat beat manifesto
slick rick and josie wales
baby huey & the baby sitters
dj food
house of pain
chad jackson
erik b and rakim
the jacksons
cluedo
michael jackson
black machine
rob base and dj e-z rock
lynn collins
4 hero
young mc
the crusaders
beats international
kris kross
the art of noise
hope version one
hope version two
you stepped into my life
rest cure
extacy
radio babylon
hey hey can you relate
lesson one
...on the wheels of steel
bites the dust
good times
sugar funk
italian job
can you feel it?
let me hear you clap...
go off
needle on the record
windy city
to be real
must be the music
when i'm kissing my love
depth charge remix
reanimator
tic toc
hard times
bocata de bonita
jump around
hear the drummer get wicked
i know you got soul remix
i want you back
volume one
billie jean
how gee
it takes two
think
mr kirk's nightmare
know how
street life
tribute to king tubby
jump jump
beatbox
Bringing Monster to your Door.
Unfortunately, due to the financial and legal complexities involved in licencing upwards of 100 tracks for release on just a single cd, it is unlikely that "Monster" will be available for direct purchase in the shops in the forseeable future. However, we are at liberty to provide a number of promotional copies, although a supplemental charge is necessary to cover production and carriage fees:
£10.00 - UK only (Pounds sterling).
€15.00 - rest of Europe (Euros).
$16.00 - USA / rest of world (US Dollars).
To possess your own copy of "Monster", please send a cheque or money order for the appropriate amount, payable to
lastslowdance productions,
together with your delivery address, to:
monster promotion,
lastslowdance productions
p.o. box xxxx
london xxx
england
UK
Please allow 28 days for delivery on receipt of payment (we usually have a bit of a rush on at this time of year).
Customer Promise.
Unlikely as it may be, if you are in any way dissatisfied with your copy of "Monster", you can return it to the same address within 60 days of receipt, and we will refund the costs incurred.
NB - This only applies if you originally obtained your copy of "Monster" directly from lastslowdance productions.
Thank you for your interest.
lastslowdance productions,
london mmiv.
Monster Competition.
As a grand prize, we are giving away all the tracks featured on "Monster".
The rules are simple enough - as well as the 80 odd
listed tracks that are in the mix, there are also numerous small samples, which remain unlisted.
If you can correctly identify all of these extra samples, you win the prize. At the end of every month, if there is no winner, then the individual nearest to the answer will receive a signed luxury edition of "Monster", together with the opportunity to re-enter the competition. The competition is free to enter, although you need a copy of the mix both for your entry number (found on the cd sleeve) and to be able to identify all the samples.
To enter, compile a list containing the original track listing (which you can
download from the site here) together with, in the right order, all the other samples that you can identify on "Monster", plus their sources, and send the list, along with your cd's unique entry number, via email, to:
competition@sonik-systems.com. We will notify you of your entry on processing.
The competition remains open until someone gets the prize; only one entry is allowed per cd (duplicate entries will be ignored), and individuals with any connection whatsoever to lastslowdance productions are ineligible for entry.
Some Useful Hints...
Suggesting samples which we have not actually used in the mix will effectively ruin your chances of winning the prize.
For example, the piece of dialogue featuring Clint Eastwood that appears on the mix is part of the listed Depth Charge track, and not a sample from an unlisted source.
In contrast, the intro to "Can you feel it" by the Jacksons also appears on the mix, but is not mentioned anywhere in the track listing. Therefore, "Can you feel it" counts as one of the elusive missing samples, and should be included in your competition entry.
Avoid repetition: If a track appears anywhere in the track listing, then don't include it in your list of samples, even if you hear it somewhere else in the mix.
For example, samples from "How Gee" are used more than once in the mix, but, as it is in the track listing (thereby representing all of its appearances), it should be excluded from your entry.
If you have any further questions about the competition, please feel free to send them to us via email: monster@sonik-systems.com.
Good luck!
Feedback.
A few copies of "Monster" have already been distributed to some lucky individuals. We asked them for a bit of feedback, and here is a selection of their opinions...
The best 80 minutes of recorded music we've heard this year, or any other year for that matter. Monster indeed! To say that we are eagerly awaiting the next instalment would be a tragic understatement. tk - sydney, AUS
The mix needed a little bit of getting used to - there's a lot going on on "Monster" and it required a few extra listens before I completely got my head around it. May I add that it was definitely worth the extra effort as, since then, it has not left my cd player. Cheers. mn - brighton, UK
I regularly buy compilation cds (about one a week), and your cd presents a bit of a problem. After listening to it, I have come to appreciate how unimaginative most of the other cds are on the market. Sure, the mixing's fine, but there are rarely any surprises on the high street compilations, and certainly nothing as clever or unique as this. Thanks for making something different, and no thanks for making me want to throw away the rest of my cd collection! fa - washington DC
Feedback continued...
While we playlist a huge range of music in our bar during the week, and use djs at the weekends, I can't remember the last time a mix cd consistently created more interest than our live djs. Unfortunately, and perhaps predictably, our copy of Monster has "disappeared" from behind the bar in the last week. Can we have another one, please? eb - cape town, SA
Sorry, but this is just too rich for my blood. Lovely idea, but the mix is too busy, and definitely not what I'd call easy listening. ls - london, UK
If you have heard "Monster" and would like to add your own contribution to this page, your opinions (positive or negative) are always valued here at lastslowdance. Please feel free to drop us an email at feedback@sonik-systems.com with your thoughts, and we will post them onto the site as soon as we can.
Contact and Comment.
Email Correspondence.
At present, we are only operating a simple email reply service on the "Monster" website. We hope to improve on this facility in the near future by providing proper feedback forms and cgi submission, but please bear with us in the meantime...
Please send your
competition entry to:
competition@sonik-systems.com.
If you wish to contact lastslowdance productions with a query about the competition, or about any other aspect of "Monster", please email:
monster@sonik-systems.com.
If you have any suggestions for
"Behemoth", please send them to:
behemoth@sonik-systems.com.
Finally, if you wish to add your own
comments or impressions to the site, or simply just send us your private opinions about "Monster", please contact us via:
feedback@sonik-systems.com.
More Contact and Comment.
Written Correspondence.If you wish to avoid the unpleasantness that is electronic mail, and prefer instead to rely on tried and trusted snail mail, please send all general correspondence to:
In the Pipeline.
Due to the great response we have received for "Monster" (thank you, one and all), we are already in the process of compiling a follow up, with a working title of "Behemoth", for release sometime in the new year.
A wide variety of tracks and artists have already been pencilled in for potential inclusion in the mix:
Lonnie Liston Smith - Expansions /
Gil Scott-Heron - the Bottle /
Reuben Wilson - Got to get your own /
Candigo - Jingo /
Bohannon - Lets start the dance /
- Grace of god /
Fred Wesley - Blow your head /
Gwen McCrae - All this love I'm giving /
Kenny Burke & the Get Fresh Crew - Rising to the top /
Blackbyrds - Do it fluid /
RAMP-Roy Ayers - Everybody loves the sunshine & Running away /
Rhythm Heritage - Theme from SWAT /
Quincy Jones - Quiller /
Herman Kelly - Dance to the drummer's beat /
JB - Don't tell it & Man's world & Pass the peas /
Bo Diddley - Hit or miss /
War - Magic mountain /
Ripple - Funky song & I don't know what it is /
Kool & the Gang - Funky stuff /
Barkays - You can't run away /
Milton Wright - Keep it up /
Fatback Band - Gotta learn how to dance /
Marva Whitney - Unwind yourself /
- Cleanup woman /
Side Effect & Ronnie Laws - Always there /
Love Unlimited Orchestra - Strange games /
Sylvia Striplin - /
Headhunters - God made me funky & Chameleon /
Dawson Smith - I don't know if I can make it /
Bobby Byrd - Never get enough /
Cymande - Bra & Fug...
In the Pipeline continued...
Chic - Cheer /
Tom Browne - Jamaica Funk /
Chaka Khan - Ain't nobody /
Jocelyn Brown - Somebody else's guy /
Rose Royce - various /
Stevie Wonder - various /
various - Mr Big Stuff /
various - Tramp & Champ /
various - Going back to my roots /
various - Love and affection /
Soul Searchers - Ashley's Roachclip /
Trouble Funk - Hey fellahs /
Rakim - Been a long time /
Derek B - Good groove /
De La Soul - various /
Led Zep - various breaks / Izit - Stories & Originals /
Prince - various /
Hardknox - Cos I can.
A few tracks have been deliberately omitted from this list. We can't tell you what they are as they were used as samples on "Monster", and hence are part of the
competition. Sorry.
We are always interested in outside input, so if you would like to add to this list and suggest other tracks for use in "Behemoth", please send your ideas via email to:
behemoth@sonik-systems.com, and it will our pleasure to try and include them in the mix.
Frequently Asked Questions.
How can I get in touch with the "Monster's" creators? Details of contacting lastslowdance productions are on the contact page.
What else are you doing? Please refer to "in the pipeline" for details of future projects from lastslowdance.
The mixing is faultless, but why didn't you use more scratching etc? Thank you, but we felt that a lot of deck trickery would simply take up too much space on the mix - we chose to cram in more tracks instead.
You've trashed a load of perfectly acceptable tunes, how can you sleep at night? That's certainly one way of looking at it, but what with everyone's low threshold of concentration these days, and the pioneering skills of some of the world's more eclectic djs, we thought we might get away with it...obviously not.
Why don't you allow each track to run a bit longer? If we used all of all of the tracks, the mix cover over seven entire cds, so we used just the bones and breaks to construct something special. Please see the mission statement for further details.
Why "bite me?" The web design team were looking glum, so we let them have some fun.
Frequently Asked Questions continued....
The mix is certainly heavy on quantity, but what about the quality? Yes, we packed them in, but we didn't shirk our other responsibilities - "Monster" is as sharp as it gets - put it on and watch the furniture fly.
Isn't the competition rather difficult? Well, yes, but we are giving away a rather nice prize.
My browser's "back" button doesn't appear to work with your website? The "Monster" site is a single page employing JavaScript and DHTML. To navigate around the site, you need to use the links and buttons on the page.
How long did it take to create "Monster"? Not that we were keeping track, but total studio time may well have added up to over 100 hours. More significantly, it takes a lifetime of dedication and sorry addiction to assemble the vinyl used on this mix...
What did you use to put the mix together?
Four Technics 1210 turntables + Stanton carts.
One Pioneer DJM500 mixer.
PC based recording: 16bit stereo @ 44.1 kHz using an AWEGold soundcard and Soundforge software. "Monster" was then edited and digitally mastered within Cubase VST. Beer, cigarettes and pizza came courtesy of our local suppliers.
Credits continued...
lastslowdance productions would especially like to extend their thanks to the following for their overwhelming generosity and enthusiasm:
All equipment supplied by Mr Wu's Decks Emporium - open 24 hours a day, catering for all your turntable needs.
Live scratching performed by Scrappy.
"Monster" was edited to within an inch of its life by the Honourable Sir Josiah Splicealot, our thanks to him.
Website design by
Digsby Wyscher & associates.
The "Monster" sessions were devised and arranged by Litmus as the nights drew in on london, autumn mmiv.
More Feedback.
