Top Ten Tapes # 1.1 – Dj Olleck’s Better Days Series

Welcome back to the final chapter. The first place of the Top Ten Tapes will be dedicated to three different Djs in three different posts, so you better readjust your epicness-scale and cancel any appointments in the nearer future. And now, sit back and enjoy the show!

The first Dj to whom the first place is dedicated is Dj Olleck from Hannover. He is what you could call an institution in the German Mixtape business, not only because he started making them very early (around 1997), but also because he kept doing so for over a decade and, as far as I know, is still doing his thing.

Olleck is also one of the five Djs (together with Diplomat, Crates, BK and Ikom) that constitute the cassette-label

L-Bow-Productions,

saying of themselves to be “the last Mixtape Label in tradition of Tape Kingz & Co” and being one of the handful of names that can still be relied on to bring you even in 2008 a new tape from time to time.

One of their most remarkable releases, and also one of the latest, was a five-dj-tape in tradition of “The Five Deadly Venoms” called

5-20.

You can still order it, and many other L-Bow-Tapes, at Hip Hop Vinyl. So if you feel like giving some support after having digested this post, then you hopefully know now where to do so.

But back to Dj Olleck. My first contact with him and the whole L-Bow-thing happened when I bought the first tape of his Better Day Series more or less by coincidence. Those were the times when I was still doing my apprenticeship and drove to work every day with my little run-down Mazda 121, the same one mentioned in the 5 Deadly Venoms-post. Lacking a decent stereo-system but having been blessed by one of its couple of former owners with a cassette-deck I used to keep it real on a daily basis by pumping all kind of oldschool-rap over a single makeshift bass-speaker that was lying in the foot-space of my shotgun-seat during rush-hour. So yeah, having been a fan of the classic Mastertape-releases of PF Cuttin, Evil Dee and all those other guys, I was really surprised but also delighted to find the same kind of music on a German-Dj-tape. Over the weeks I became what you could call a fan of Dj Olleck and his mix-tapes and I soon bought the other two parts of his Better Day-series, too.

As the title already implies, the focus of these tapes lies on the rapmusic of the late 80′s and early 90′s. What I always liked best was the good selection of artists and tracks, even if I try, I would not be able to list the countless number of artists and songs with whom I became aquainted with while listening to those tapes, as well as the thorough and meticulous job Olleck did with mixing them. One can find numerous details and well-conveyed ideas during every mix, for example I was never aware that Jeru the Damaja took the sample in the hookline of “Come clean” from “Throw ya Gunz” by Onyx until I heard Olleck do a transition by using that particular line. But now without further ado, I would like to present you the Better Days tapes:

Better Days 1 – A-side:

Spek Intro

Paris Guerillas in the Mist (1992)

Public Enemy Welcome to the Terrordome (1990)

Ice Cube Wicked (1992)

AMG Bitch betta have my money (1991)

House of Pain Shamrocks and Shenanigans (1982)

Public Enemy Fight the Power (1989)

Tim Dog Fuck Compton (1991)

Cypress Hill Now I could just kill a man (1991)

Redman Time 4 some aksion (1992)

Lords of the Underground Funky Child (1993)

MOP How about some Hardcore (1993)

Das Efx Klap ya Handz (1992)

Snoop Doggy Dog Gz and Hustlaz (1993)

Notorious BIG Something Big (1995)

Nas Represent (1994)

Paris The days of Old (1992)

Nine, Smooth tha Hustler Make or Take (1996)

Alkaholiks, Diamond D The next Level (1995)

Showbiz & AG Next Level (1994)

Gangstarr The Remainz (1994)

Group Home Up against the Wall (1995)

Funkdoobiest Rock on (1995)

Better Days 1 – B-side:

Burns Bros. L.A.T.E.R. (exklusiv Track prod. by Spek

Onyx Throw ya gunz (1992)

Jeru the Damaja Come Clean (1993)

Kool G Rap Fast Life (1995)

Krs One Rappas r.n. Dainja (1995)

Keith Murray The most beautiful thing in… (1994)

Public Enemy Shut em Down (1991)

Masta Ace Born to Roll (1994)

Pharcyde Runnin (1995)

Eazy E We want Eazy (1988)

Nice and Smooth More and more hits (1989)

Doug E Fresh & The g.f.C. Keep risin’ to the top (1988)

De La Soul, Jungle Brothers,.. Buddy (1989)

De La Soul Ring Ring Ring (1991)

Pete Rock & CL Smooth T.R.O.Y. (1992)

Lords of the Underground Chief Rocka (1993)

Stetsasonic Talkin’ all that Jazz (1988)

EPMD So wat cha sayin’ (1989)

Eric B and Rakim I know you got soul (1987)

NWA Straight out of Compton (1988)

Ice Cube Jackin’ for beats (1990)

Digital Underground Humpty Dance (1992)

Naughty by Nature Hip Hop Hooray (1993)

Naughty by Nature OPP (1991)

Beatnuts Off the books (1996)

Guru Freestyle (1996)

Better Days 2 – A-side:

The Golden Age Intro

Ice-T I’m your pusher (1988)

NWA 100 miles an running (1990)

House of Pain Jump (1991)

Cypress Hill i ain’t going out like that (1992)

EPMD Crossover (1992)

Naughty by Nature Ghetto bastard (1991)

Arrested Development Tennessee (1992)

Big Daddy Kane Ain’t no halfsteppin (1988)

Eazy E Only if you wanted (1992)

Das Efx Check it out (1993)

Erick Sermon Hittin’ Switches (1993)

Gangstarr Mass Appeal (1994)

A.D.O.R. One for the trouble (2003 Olleck Blend)

Heather B All glocks down (1995)

Mobb Deep Shook Ones Pt.1 (1994)

Channel Live, KRS One Madizm (1994)

Group Home Livin’ Proof (1995)

D&D Allstars 1,2,3 Pass it (1995)

Onyx Last Days (1995)

Junior Mafia Players Anthem (1995)

Better Days 2 – B-side:

God bless the Uninted Stage (Fuck George) Intro

EPMD Headbanger (1992)

Gangstarr DWYCK (2003 Olleck Blend)

Das Efx Real Hip Hop (1995)

Artifacts The Ultimate (1997)

Blahzay Blahzay Danger (1996)

Rakim New York (ya out there) (1997)

Paula Perry Extra Extra (1998)

Redman & Method Man How high (1995)

Nonchalant 5o’ clock (1996)

Paris Mellow Madness (1989)

Method Man, Mary J Blige I’ll be there for you (1995)

Tribe called Quest Stressed out (1997)

Notorious BIG One more Chance (1995)

Big L M.V.P. (Lord Finesse Rmx) (1994)

Mad Skillz All in it (1996)

Jeru the Damaja Me or the Papes (1996)

Smooth tha Hustler Broken Language (1996)

Camp Lo Luccini (1996)

Ice Cube It was a good day (1992)

Better Days 3 – A-side (hard)

Better Days 3 – B-side (smooth)

Big ups to Dj Olleck, for having done this tapes and for contributing the downloadlinks on his Blog.

That much for now, but be sure not to miss the other two #1-posts coming up and to leave some feedback – here or at Olleck’s blog. Peace..