Top Ten Tapes – # 08 – Manuva

Welcome back to the important issues of life !

It took me a couple of days more than usual to continue the series – partly because I didn’t want to oversaturate you with Tapeking-posts, partly because it was a hard decision which tape to write about next.

But the decision had to be made and once again I choose a release from Carpet Bombing, our favorite German Tapelabel, as they succeeded to unite a lot of different types of DJs and types of music on a very high level (not like “Tapekings”, the ones that stole my name and abused it with publishing legions of low-class cassettes).

Okay, we were talking about the musical variety of Carpet Bombing. A variety that reaches from classic Rap-cassettes, to very experimental Groove&Break-mixes to atmospheric Instrumental-Tapes.

Enough praise to that label for now, time to build the bridge to the post’s actual theme:

Do you remember last years HHK-show of Hezekiah, Dave Ghetto and Mystic ?

And do you remember that they were supported by a DJ-crew, called Waxolutionists (who didn’t have much to do but are nevertheless one of Austrias best and most famous Turntablists) ?

Very good. But this post is not about the Waxos, so please think back further, back to the HHK 2005, when they had an own showcase with their band and a MC, called Manuva.

The same Manuva once made one of my alltime-favorite tracks together with the crew from above, entitled ‘Nachtschattengewächs‘, and is the rapping-half of the crew Total Chaos.

Now the bridge is nearly built, because when I once was in Munich and visited the towns biggest and realest HipHop-store, the Mighty Weeny, I bought the Dj Adlib-Tape together with another one – this one just for the sake of its cover for I didn’t know the “DJ” or the artists on the tape back then – and here we go:

Manuva – “Moonwalker“

Big ups, that’s the great school of tapecovers ! Simple letters, classic picture – reduced to the minimum.

When it comes to the music, the 90-minute-mix is divided into the Bright- and the Dark-Side of the Moon, again taking up the motif of the title and the cover. They start with some Apollo13-samples and a “P-p-p-premiere”-like voice which announces DJ- and tapename. The mix itself is rather fluent and well-balanced than technical and innovative, no backspins or juggles but a lot of smooth and long transitions – a very well fitting choice if you ask me.

Manuva made a very good job in combining classic instrumentals from Necro, Bahamadia etc. with kind of unconventional stuff like Jazzanova, Dj Krush and even the Rainer Trüby Trio.

The Tape is still available on HHV and I can only recommend to buy it !

Tracklist:

1 -	The Intrudas – Think Fast
2 -	Kazi & OhNo – You anna Take This
3 -	Quasimoto – Bad Character
4 -	Que D. – Cash Flow
5 -	Declaime – Thankfull
6 -	Declaime – Reason
7 -	Bj Bigby – Alive
8 -	Phat Kat – Microphone Master
9 -	DJ Krush – Sonic Traveler
10 -	Kid Loco – Calling Adventura King
11 -	Phanatix Beats – Big World
12 -	Troublemakers – Black City
13 -	Nuspirit Helsinki – Orson
14 -	Will I Am – Controll Tower
15 -	Waxolutionists – Mum Remix
16 -	Jazzanova – Love And You I & Me
17 -	DJ Sat One – Babyblak
18 -	Bahamadia – Cheap Chicks
19 -	Will I Am – Lay Me Down
20 -	Mos Def – My December
21 -	Yesterdays New Quintet – Too High
22 -	Jazzanova – Y
23 -	Rainer Trüby Trio – Donauschlinge
24 -	Mr. Scruff – So Long
25 -	I Sands – Check The Clock
26 -	Mood – Wanna Battle
27 -	Necro – Underground
28 -	People Unsder The Stairs – OST Remix
29 -	Manuva – The World Needs You

That much for today, but don’t worry, I’ll be back for more soon. I also got a little surprise in the making, so stay tuned ..