ION - PORTABLE TAPE TO MP3 PLAYER

Finding a tape player these days can be pretty hard.  I know you can get one from the thrift store or flea market but some people may want something more modern with other functions.  The TAPE EXPRESS + is a portable, handheld USB tape player that works well with all your old tapes.  It also comes with the USB cable and software to rip your cassettes down to MP3 format.  It is a well designed "walkman" style tape player with a slim body.  It is just a little big bigger than a cassette itself.  In addition to transferring your tapes, TAPE EXPRESS + has an audio output that enables you to listen on the included headphones, or connected to your stereo or other speaker system for hours of listening. Reconnect with the music on your old tapes anywhere you go with TAPE EXPRESS +

Cop there from ION AUDIO.

L.O.N.S. - A FUTURE WITHOUT A PAST...

*CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW J-CARD ART

BEHIND THE GURU TAPE

with JUSTIN ELAM-RUFF

(Nephew of the legendary GURU of Gangstarr)

 

PHOTO CREDITS:  ALL PHOTOS ARE COURTESY OF ROBERT GRANA EXCEPT *

We got some great feedback on the post we did featuring the MC KEITHY E. (Guru) Demo Tape.  We caught up with Justin-Elam Ruff at the Beat Swap Meet in Los Angeles and were able to grab copies of the tape which was yet to be released.  It was natural for us to eventually contact Justin to talk a little bit about the tape, his new clothing line and new unreleased material from Guru!
 

 *PHOTO CREDIT:  BUTTONPUSHA

 "My name is Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff and I am the nephew of Keith (GURU) Elam. I reside in Los Angeles, CA and am the founder of The X Label (a clothing line dedicated to preserving Guru’s legacy). Aside from the The X Label, I am an aspiring actor and film writer."

GENIUS/GZA - LIQUID SWORDS

*CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW J-CARD ART

PUBLIC ENEMY - YO! BUM RUSH THE SHOW

PHOTO CREDIT:  STRICTLY CASSETTE

What's good comrades?!  It's the good doctor here again to rant on about another one of my favorite tapes. This week it's Public Enemy's "Yo Bum Rush The Show"!  Released August 26, 1987...which was a Monday -I guess back then they didnt have Tuesday for new releases.  I hit Waxie Maxie's, looking for new hip hop and I look thru the cassettes and I stumbled upon it, not knowing anything about the group, I saw they were on Def Jam - I was sold! Went home and took the tape out and popped it in my mother's Fisher stereo system. What I heard would change my life forever....a engine revving and a slick guitar loop followed by a booming voice, "In this corner is the 98 (1986 oldsmobile ninety eight), subject of suckers, object of hate"!!! These guys sounded like the bad guys, the older niggaz I used to try to hang around as a kid.  Chuck D made the 98 sound like a Maybach then...I wanted one!

REWINDING WITH J-SW!IFT

PHOTO CREDIT (COURTESY OF 1 MORE HIT THE MOVIE)

I can't even begin even talk about Hip Hop without acknowledging my personal favorite group of all time; THE PHARCYDE.  Out of all the tapes that I've ever owned, Bizarre Ride was probably the one I had the most dubbed copies of.  I've bought and lost it so many times over.  I even owned all the cassingles at one point.  Recently, I bought a used copy of it (Bizzarre Ride) off Ebay for a price more suited for a limited edition vinyl of (insert your favorite band here.)   

As a young fan, reading liner notes and credits was something that I longed for when ripping the shrink wrap off a new cassette.  One common denominator that went unnoticed with my first Pharcyde tapes was the signature "Produced by J-SW!FT" line that graced the liner notes.  That was when I realized the name of the man behind the jazzy boom bap that I cherished so much...

Me and the crew were lucky enough to catch up with the busy man known as J-SW!FT for a quick second to rewind back to the early days of his career, overcoming addiction and his new ventures which includes new music and a documentary film called 1 MORE HIT.

CASSETTE LABEL: 100 AKRES

PHOTO CREDITS:  COURTESY OF 100 AKRES

It's been such a trip so far.  As we dive deeper into the world of cassettes, we realize that we aren't alone.  It's always great to find other allies.

A few weeks back, we learned about a newly formed London based Hip Hop cassette label called 100 Akres. After doing our feature on the tape release for JUELS, we knew we had to get in touch with the man behind the label.  After an initial visit to their website, it was clear that these guys plan to stick around.

We caught up real quick with the Producer/DJ/Label stuff do-er known as Fresh Nerd...the man behind the magnetic curtain.

CARRY ON TRADITION CASSETTE

PHOTO CREDIT:  BUTTONPUSHA

Releasing a cassette is nothing new to Drewtradition.  He released a tape in the mid-90's with his hardcore band known as Strife.  Since then, he has dabbled in the world of hip hop production with credits for a few notable rap acts.  Fast forward to now and he is still making magnetically friendly music.  This time he recruited a few legends to accompany his raw funk-driven boom bap production.  Place all of that under the banner of his streetwear shop Tradition and the end result is an album that demands your attention.  Not only will the roster of talent capture your ear but the bang-related beats may require a neck brace.

Strictly Cassette had the opportunity to sit down with the Andrew Strife (Drewtradition) to get the scoop on how the project came together.  Don't forget to download the whole album after reading the feature!  But you should also cop this sick ass limited cassette too.  To get a copy, click on any of the tape photos.

MEMOREX MASSACRE

8 SNIPPETS TO PERFECTION

REWINDING WITH AC THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR

 

PHOTO CREDITS:  COURTESY OF A.C. THE P.D.

I remember when I first saw A.C. the Program Director's tape collection at his old music/art supply store known as the Air GrafX Shop.  His spot was located in the city of Long Beach right next to the World Famous V.I.P. Records off Martin Luther King Blvd. and PCH.  This was when I first became acquainted with the man behind HIPHOPPHILOSOPHY.COM

As the founder, he is a busy man with many trades. He is a DJ first, then a producer, promoter, clothing designer, radio station owner/founder/program director, booking agent and professional A&R.  The elements that separate him as a DJ, and HipHopPhilosophy.com Radio, from any other is that 100% of the music on every mix/radio show he does is new to him, music he has never played before. All 500+ of the mixes/radio shows are dated, recorded and saved.

Hip Hop Philosophy also became widely known for their bold statement T-Shirts. You can see legends including DJ Premier rocking his infamous "HIP HOP IS NOT ON THE RADIO" and my personal favorite "F_CK YOU BITERS..." shirt.  Aside from putting together legendary Hip Hop shows across Los Angeles, he is mostly noted for starting the first 24-hour Hip Hop Radio show and playing music for you to "get down and not sit down..."

Luckily, we were able to catch A.C. for a brief moment to rewind...

BAD SISTER TAPE EXCLUSIVE

ROXANNE SHANTE

Werner Von Wallenrod shared this video awhile back. We really like his series on exclusive cassette only tracks. Make sure you take a second take on this album to catch some tracks that you may have missed.

RUN DMC - RAISING HELL

PHOTO CREDIT:  BANG2000XL

                                                                    

RUN DMC - RAISING HELL written by -DR NYQUIST!?!!

My good comrades at Strictly Cassette gave me an opportunity to write about one of my favorite cassettes, and its Run DMC's "Raising Hell."  The year was 1986 and back then in hip hop, there were no release dates for albums...they just drop without you knowing. Also, there were no leaks but in this case it did leak...sorta.

REWINDING WITH KERO ONE

We had a chance to catch up with Kero One to chop it up about his recent cassette release and reminisce about his tape trading days...

REWINDING WITH DJ RENATO

PHOTO CREDIT:  COURTESY OF DJ RENATO

I was online today and noticed that DJ Renato was posting up some fresh cassettes.  Mostly promos.  I hit him up to see if he was down to talk about them but he humbly replied with "I'm not sure about what to say.."  The next step was easy.  I figured to just let the photos do the talking.  Permission was granted and here they are.  Notice the intro on the Del.  I've never heard it before.  Hmm...wonder what it is...

You can catch DJ Renato droppin' funk breaks all over the Los Angeles scene.  It's kinda hard to keep up with the brother.  You're best bet is to catch him at the Beat Swap Meet in LA.  He is one of the top vinyl vendors at that event and he always has heat in the crates.  Now we know he also has tapes!

PUTTIN IN WORK...

We've been puttin' in alot of overtime to keep the blog up.  We've got so much planned but at the same time, there is so much to do.  Here is a look behind the scenes.  Make sure you sign up on our MAILING LIST to keep up with us!  Stay tuned for more features with some fresh artists as well as some pics from serious collectors!

REWINDING WITH THE EARL

This time we catch up with The Earl.  This Producer/DJ/Beat digger is most known for his production featured on DJ Mark Farina's Mushroom Jazz series as well as remixes for Kev Brown, Pete Rock, and The Procussions to name a few.  His "The Earl - Remix series" that were released on vinyl are also on the top of his resume.  We had the opportunity to drop by, rewind and chop it up about all things ultra magnetic.

A TRIBUTE TO THE PLAYERS

SHARP GF -777

LASONIC TRC-975

THE YELLOW SONY WALKMAN

Here it is...the ubiquitous Yellow Sony Sports Walkman. It's unusual to have a conversation about portable tape players today without mentioning this bullet-proof classic. Sony even inspired other companies to spin off their own "Yellow" tape players. The well built sports series was perfect for the listener on the go. Even our present day tape guru; J-Zone mentions it on his video.

2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR from STRICTLY CASSETTE! 

Make sure you keep up with us.  We've got so much planned this year.  Sign up for our MAILING LIST to get the latest updates and features on everything universally magnetic.  With that being said, go out and make it happen in 2012!

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