These records are easy favorites of mine, both probably making a list of desert island discs. Interestingly enough, they are also these artists' only releases, at least with top billing. Who knows if this is because they burnt out too quickly, they were difficult to work with, or they simply couldn't get anything else released for one reason or another, but this is it, at least as far as known releases go.
For starters, let's talk about Mr. R. Dacosta, better known as Uptown. His sole release, at least as a solo artist, is the amazing Dope On Plastic. I first heard this in Liam Howlett's Dirtchamer mix, and I knew I had to find the whole cut from that moment forward. It's got an amazing beat that simply grabs the attention of anyone within it's range. It's shown up from time to time on hip-hop comps and mix-tapes, but the original release has never been available in any format other than vinyl, and apart from a European repressing in 2007, it's long out of print. The title cut is produced by CJ Moore and Dante Ross. I'm not very familiar with CJ's work but Dante is a very well known producer, even if he's best remembered as Dante The Scrub on De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising. Simply put, Dope On Plastic is a certified classic although it may be best known to NY residents circa 1989.
Dope On Plastic wasn't Uptown's only jam, as evidenced by It's My Turn, the single's other featured track. It's not on par with Dope, but it's worth checking out, even if it's only to hear Uptown spitting a different set of verses. That track is produced by Bobby Simmons, best known for his work with the Stetsasonic crew.
The original single, while not featuring any remixes, was generous regardless as it contained the regular tracks alongside the instrumentals (labeled Dubstrumentals) and acapellas for both. Brilliant stuff!
The only other known recordings by Uptown are his appearances on Buckshot LeFonque's Breakfast @ Denny's and the DJ Premier remix of Music Evolution, as well as another DJ Premier remix of Omar's Keep Steppin'. Now, I know who Buckshot LeFonque are/were (Branford Marsalis PISSES ME OFF!) but I'm not at all familiar with Omar, so if anyone wants to shine some light on his work, or more importantly this remix of Keep Steppin', it would be greatly appreciated!
The other feature here is DJ Mink's Hey! Hey! Can U Relate?, featuring vocals from The K.I.D. and Carruthers, together known as 2wice The Trouble. Simply put, it's a banger!
I've tried to do some research on Mink and 2wice, but I've turned up little to nothing so far. Apart from Can U Relate, Mink's only known production credit is for the track Soul Tip by Blue Eyes, another such release and individual I can't find much of anything about. Can U Relate, though, I know a bit more about.
Intended for release in 1989 on FON Records, Can U Relate received a promotional release crediting the track to Mink featuring 2wice The Trouble. It doesn't look like that release ever became officially available for purchase, but it was then picked up for release via Ozone. It finally saw release in 1990, although the only images I can find seem to hint it may have also been a promotional only release. Finally though, a certifiably available version was released that same year on the mighty WARP Records, which credits that label's co-founder, Rob Gordon, with programming, mixing, editing and co-producing the track. A remix was provided by Mark Brydon and Parrot, the instrumental of which ended up on the b-side and the vocal version on WARP's Pioneers Of The Hypnotic Groove compilation. The original version (labeled Hard Rap) has shown up in mixes and on compilations occasionally, but again, it's largely unknown apart from DJs, people familiar with the style and clubbers in early nineties England.
Both of these releases are classics, but neither are easily available, at least not in their complete forms, so I'm posting them here. I don't have an original copy of the Can U Relate single so the version posted here is someone else's rip, although the rip of Dope On Plastic is from an original test pressing I own. I'm also posting the A-Sides of each release in case anyone just wants to check out the main tracks, but you should really grab the complete releases as they're simply awesome! Enjoy!
Uptown - Dope On Plastic
01 Dope On Plastic (Vocal)
02 Dope On Plastic (Plastipella)
03 It's My Turn (Vocal)
04 It's My Turn (Acapella)
05 Dope On Plastic (Dubstrumental)
06 It's My Turn (Dubstrumental)
DJ Mink - Hey! Hey! Can U Relate?
01 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate? (Hard Rap feat. The K.I.D. & Carruthers)
02 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate? (Hard Instrumental)
03 Hey! Hey! Can U Relate? (Sunshine Dub Instrumental)
BONUS: Hey! Hey! Can U Relate? (Sunshine Remix)
Individual Tracks
Uptown - Dope On Plastic
DJ Mink - Hey! Hey! Can U Relate?
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