Wednesday, June 18, 2008

P.D.F. CREW: SWEATIN' JAMES IN THE DESERT LANDS OF ARIZONA

I've been wanting to post this record ever since I came up on it at one of the last SF Bay Area thrifts worth visiting (FYI: no thrifts on the Peninsula have records, waste of time, save your gas, seriously), but I've had a hard as fuck time finding any info out about it. So I ventured out of my record nerd cocoon and hit up some folks with ties closer to the situation at hand.

First, I asked veteran AZ MC Brandon B if he'd ever heard of it. He said no, but threw one right back at me and asked if I'd heard of Killer Pussy from Phoenix. I hadn't. The score was tied at nothing, however thanks to Brandon B I was able to finally hear "Teenage Enema Nurses In Bondage". I think I win.

Then I hit Z-Trip up to see if he had a spare moment to reach back into his 1989 record acquisition brain wrinkle and help me out with some info. His response:

From: Z-TRIP
Date: Mar 16, 2008 5:06 AM

Pure De Fresh.
One of the first Hip hop 12"'s to come out of AZ that I know of.
Got both of the pressings... they did 2 of the same 12"... slightly different mixes...
"Drop the Bass" and "Do It"
Produced by Felipe "Wax Dawg" Delgado.. Same dude who did the Ce Ce Penniston joint "Finally"...
I believe one of the dudes went to Deer Valley High School.
I know a bit more about it, but need to look at the wax to jar the memory bank.

Z

He also confirmed that the copy I have is the 2nd pressing (someone tell Freddy Fresh!) and is apparently the 2nd and final release on Cali's West Coast Wax label (the first being a compilation mixed by Joe Cooley). Either way, Felipe the Wax Dawg (now crafting joints under the name Wax Swagga) was on some dehydrated Paul C with an 808 in the bota bag blasting Public Enemy on his walkman with the the orange foam ear cushions type shit. James Brown loops? Check. Relentless scratching? Check. Don't even mind the rapping, just make sure the Starter is fully zipped so you can do the James till you sweat yourself into kidney failure.

P.D.F. Crew "Drop The Bass" 12", West Coast Wax, 1989

Do It

Do It (Inst)

Drop The Bass

Drop The Bass (Inst)