Soopastole Vinyl & CDs

Review: Limited white vinyl repress.DJ Soopasoul's last mash-up was an inspired affair that saw him perfectly fuse tracks by Philadelphia Soul legends MFSB and the Beastie Boys. Here he takes a similar approach, placing the rap vocals from the 1995 hip-hop classic 'How High' atop a suitably funky, lolloping beat crafted from clavinet-heavy sections from Stevie's party-starting floor-heater 'Superstition'. It works remarkably well on the A-side vocal mix, and those who'd not heard either track would be convinced that there was no mash-up antics going on. Over on side B you'll find an instrumental mix that showcases Soopasoul's editing skills; minus the vocals, is a fine re-edit of the Wonder-ful jam.

Review: DJ Soopasoul is back on his own Soopastole Edits label, this time paying tribute to the more great funk sounds and killer drum breaks. The artist is well versed in subtly reworking the classics, bringing them up to date and adding his own unique flavour. He opens this limited 7" with 'Damn Right I Hit Em Up' which rides rough over a tight bass riff, with biggie's raps up top and a big beat pumping the vibe. Flip it over for the instrumental version, which strips it right back to the bare essentials.

Review: This is a much warranted reissue of another gem from the one and only DJ Soopasoul that finds him work his favourite artist, the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown. Interestingly, the legendary artist doesn't actually feature all that much on the A-side vocal mix of 'Boston Drop', with Soopasoul limiting his involvement to a few excited yelps, grunts and instructions to the backing band. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, because the musical accompaniment - which can be admired further on the tight, DJ-friendly instrumental take - offers an enticing mixture of hard, sun-bright guitar licks, heavy drum-breaks, handclaps and chunky bass.