N.I.C.E. Vinyl #7, 8, 9, 10 and more

It's been a while since I've done a N.I.C.E. Vinyl post and I've got a lot of new vinyl rips to share so I suppose now is as good a time as any. That said, these aren't all vinyl rips and the ones that are break a major rule, specifically no use of automatic declicking. No matter how clean the record is or how long I work on it, old hip-hop vinyl seems to be noisy and it's ridiculous to spend hours manually declicking it, especially when iZotope RX does a fantastic job even with the settings adjusted rather lightly. So, here are six very out of print releases for your listening pleasure, five of which are in FLAC and V0 MP3 formats. Enjoy!



Uptown - Dope On Plastic
FLAC
V0 MP3

This is taken from a 1989 Tommy Boy test pressing, although that's probably more or less a white label issue, though some white labels are test pressings so who knows. Anyway, fresh rip and contents are the same as the standard release.



Too Poetic - Poetical Terror / God Made Me Funky
FLAC Side One
FLAC Side Two
V0 MP3

Also taken from a 1989 Tommy Boy test pressing with identical contents to the standard release. R.I.P. Poetic.



KMD - Nitty Gritty
FLAC
V0 MP3

Taken from an Elektra US white label promo. Contents identical to standard release. This is a special release because it contains a remix of Nitty Gritty with Busta Rhymes as well as the original version of Plumskinzz which was edited into two tracks to remove MC Onyx's verse when it was released on the incredible Black Bastards. Zev Love X of KMD is better known now as MF Doom, just in case you didn't know. R.I.P. Subroc.



Trilogy - Good Time
FLAC
V0 MP3

Taken from an Atco US white label promo. This is an odd record as it's basically a Robert Clivillés and David Cole produced hip-hop single. That's the Clivillés & Cole best known for C+C Music Factory. This is a party record but it could probably could have passed on some more serious hip-hop mixes at the time of it's release. I had the cassette single for this when it was originally issued although the mixes here are a little different, though discogs lists the contents of the standard vinyl release as identical to this one. I guess you could call this poppy hip-hop but it's still pretty kickin'. The Mighty "D" Mix sounds almost like a rough mix, what with the clicks in the left channel from when the bass is supposed to kick.



Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 - Jazzy Sensation (Greatest Beats)
FLAC
V0 MP3

I mentioned this disc in the recent Steinski post. This is an officially pressed promo CD issued in advance of Tommy Boy's Greatest Beats compilations and contains the only official pressed reissue of all three of Double Dee & Steinski's History Lessons after the original Tommy Boy and DD&S vinyl pressings. The versions here are extremely crisp though they sound like they may have been mastered from vinyl. Nonetheless, this also contains the DD&S remix of Jazzy Sensation which was an exclusive, promo-only release at the time as there was no way to clear all those samples. It's since been reissued as well, simply under the name Jazz, on Steinski's What Does It All Mean? retrospective compilation. The original 12" version of Jazzy Sensation is included as well.



DJ Mink - Hey! Hey! Can U Relate? (FON Records Version)
V0 MP3

I'm not uploading the FLAC for this because it's sourced from a set of low-quality MP3s. As to why I'm sharing transcoded MP3s of this, it's because I can't find another version of the FON release of Can U Relate anywhere, two of the mixes don't seem to have been released elsewhere and I've cleaned these tracks up considerably, although there is still a lot of cracks and pops to be found. The biggest fix is a giant skip during the Hard Mix of Relate which I patched by borrowing an identical portion of the track and swapping it out. It's seamless to my ears so I hope it will be to yours as well. If anyone wants the lossless version just let me know, though I don't think you'll be gaining anything from it.


One more important thing, just in case you're wondering why some of these labels have little marks over some of the text, I got two of these 12"s from a radio station I worked at when they were getting rid of tons of their old nineties hip-hop vinyl. Despite them giving them away, I figured they wouldn't want their name mentioned so I tried my best to remove them from the labels. Funny thinking back on that, I got an incredible promo/test pressing of the first Ultimate Spinach record from that same box of trashed vinyl, though I think I traded it for a New Order 12" I thought was rare at the time. Turned out not to be all that rare unfortunately.