BARELY BREAKING EVEN

These items date from around the 1997/98 period and relate to Barely Breaking Even, a record company that was formed by 2 DJ's - Ben Jolly & Pete Adarkwah.
They had been promoting club nights under the BBE banner since the early 90's but in 1996 they started releasing records on the BBE label.
The item at the top is a letter they sent out that had information about their mail order service. This letter was accompanied by a further 10 pages of record information, including forthcoming releases, and they also chucked in a 12 page CD sized colour brochure to go with it.
I already had a few BBE records in my collection so I used their mail order service to catch up with some that slipped through the net.
One of the albums I bought via this route was their "Let The Minstrels Play On" release, a compilation of jazz/latin fusion tracks from the Muse label.
The review under the letter was part of the mail order details, and the LP cover (double vinyl) is out of my racks at home.

DEPTH CHARGE MIX TAPES

In the 90's, Depth Charge in York was one of the record shops I used be in contact with to indulge in their hip hop mix tapes.
The above items are a few bits & pieces that have survived from that period.
On top is a typical ad for Depth Charge that appeared in Hip Hop Connection magazine in 1997. These ads would be updated monthly and had their Mail Order details. You can see in this example that they say they have "Loadsa New Mix Tapes In - Write For List", which is exactly what I did!
The stuff under the ad are all dated 1994 - starting with a photo showing an example of the kind of mix tapes I purchased from them.
Next is a postcard I got from Depth Charge main man, Gary, explaining that there was a bit of a mix up with the 5th "Dream FM" tape in the series and that they were being replaced with a new "Slammin' Jams" series. This info pertains to the 2 tapes in the photo.
Under the postcard are the tracklist details taken from the covers of the Slammin' Jams and Dream FM cassettes, with Greenpeace doing the biz music wise.
Unfortunately, Depth Charge didn't manage to keep going very long after the 90's, and eventually closed down just a year or so into the new millennium.

COLORS MOVIE AD AND ALBUM

The top item is an ad that appeared in Blues & Soul magazine in 1988 for the movie "Colors", with the Odeon in London being emphasised in particular.
Under it is my vinyl copy of the soundtrack of the film, showcasing hip hop acts such as Big Daddy Kane, Roxanne Shante, Kool G Rap, MC Shan, and a few others.

NU YORICA STUFF

Here's a few items pertaining to an album called "Nu Yorica!" released on Soul Jazz Records in 1996 and is a compilation covering a variety of Latin music styles coming out of New York in the 1970's.
At the top is a promo postcard.
Under it is a playlist from the UFO posse in Tokyo showing that the Nu Yorica album was being dipped into at Club Blue.
Next is 2 reviews of the album - first one from Straight No Chaser magazine and the second one is out of Birmingham Vibe mag.
Finally I have put up my double vinyl copy of it showing the the cover details, including the inner gatefold info.

PARTY ROCKIN' PRODUCT

I'm amazed that this record wasn't, and still isn't, more well known on the underground dance scene.
Touch magazine's rave review on top is an accurate description of this rare gem, and although the music is from the UK, it's right up there with the best of what was coming out on Nu Groove, 8-Ball and New Breed Records in the USA around then.
In fact, DJ Smash at NewBreed in New York had this on his playlist at the time, the chart above published in Straight No Chaser in Autumn 1992
I bought the 12 inch vinyl EP in Bristol in '92, this also being the city where the record originated.
The graphic design accompanying it reminds me of the early work of Trevor Jackson, although there is no mention as to who did the artwork.
And the record still sounds as fresh now as it did back then!

SISTER RAY AD - 1994

This ad for London based record shop, Sister Ray, dates back to 1994.
It contains music styles like techno, experimental electronic, ambient, dub and beats - releases that were out around that time.
One of the albums on the list is the one above, a compilation I've plucked out from my own collection called "Trance Europe Express 3", with the trance pun title, a nod to Kraftwerk.
This was a 4 x vinyl LP that also came with a book loaded with info about the acts that appear on the album.
The album review is from Wire magazine.
Pleased to mention that the shop is still going strong too!

PROMOTING DR. OCTAGON IN 1997

A few bits & pieces of promotional material I have from 1997 for Dr. Octagon.
The top item is a postcard sized sticker featuring the Octagonecologyst album cover on one side with the details of the album and its instrumental counterpart on the flip side.
Under it is a round sticker alternative.
Next up is a promo page from Dreamworks Records in L.A. giving the lowdown on Dr. Octagon members (Kool Keith & Dan The Automator) and the creative process that went into the making of the album.
Following that is a press release from SKG Music detailing a few facts & figures about the release, accompanied by some rave reviews from various publications.
Underneath that is a review of the album's first appearance in 1996, taken from UK's Straight No Chaser magazine.
Finally, I have put up my vinyl copy of the Dr. Octagon LP that was released on Bulk Recordings as a limited edition in 1996 - with Pushead doing the cover artwork.

SCRATCHMO POSTCARD

Can't remember if I got this postcard from a magazine or a record shop but it dates back to 1988.
It was a promotional card for an artist going by the witty name of Scratchmo, but who turned out to be pretty much a one hit wonder.
His name was a modern take on old time jazz star, Satchmo, and the postcard above shows Satchmo on the photograph but has the Scratchmo record details on the flip side.
He released a single on the 4th & Broadway label (Island's dance dept) called "Play That Thing", which was an upbeat jazz sampled dance instrumental.
It was a bit too commercial sounding for my tastes however, so I never bought it, but the record didn't slip through my net completely as I do still have a copy on a home-made compilation tape I did back then featuring various dance tracks recorded off John Peel's radio show!

SCRUFF STUFF

When I was in Cardiff in 2002, I spotted these posters on a fence and so snapped them in the passing.
The one on the left was for 2 club nights taking place at Cardiff University Students Union.
Room 1 was a Silent Running event featuring Roni Size & Dynamite MC as guests, with Tom & Focus the residents.
Room 2 was the Hustler Showcase night with guest DJ Yoda, and resident, Money Shot.
The bar had Raeph Powel & Max Looker spinning the grooves.
The other poster was for Mr Scruff's 5 hour set at the Coal Exchange which was part of his Trouser Jazz tour. So taking that as my cue, I have raked out a few bits an pieces relating to Mr Scruff in 2002.
Under the picture of the posters is an ad from Big Daddy magazine containing the dates from a tour he did earlier the same year. All UK based gigs except for the Sonar festival in Barcelona.
Next is an ad for the "Trouser Jazz" album that was published in Straight No Chaser magazine.
Underneath the ad is a promo 12 inch jigsaw for the same album that was dished out to various music biz connections, and featuring his own cartoon artwork.
Then there is an album review for Trouser Jazz that appeared in Straight No Chaser.
Finally, I have plucked out the album itself from my own collection, which was released on Ninja Tune.