This is the first week in a series entitled, "The Mix Machine". In the future weeks to come (every Thursday) I'll be sharing classic mix tapes, limited edition 12" megamix singles/albums + current mashups and massive mix meltdowns.
DR. DRE - '85 LIVE!
Rodium Swap Meet Mix Tape
1. Dr. Dre - '85 Live! - Side 1 (30:39)
2. Dr. Dre - '85 Live! - Side 2 (30:41)
From 1985-1988, while living in San Diego, I used to hit the Kobey's Swap Meet at the Sports Arena downtown. This is one of many mix tapes I'll be sharing that I used to pick up for $5 a pop. They are known as Rodium Swap Meet Mix Tapes. I can recall hundreds of tapes to wade through, and it's no fishing story - it was an avalanche of cassettes to satisfy my boombox. Mixes by Dr. Dre, Tony A., Battery Brain, DJ Jam, Unknown DJ... and the list goes on. I never did make it to the Rodium swap meet in L.A. - but there were more then enough in San Diego to dig through and I'm guessing that the tapes after being dubbed (whereever the DJ's origin was) were sent out to a number of flea markets on the west coast where they would sell like mad.
MP3s encoded at 320k from cassette with no processing.
If 1980s electro/old school hip hop, freestyle and miami bass sounds make you duck for cover, jump past these posts - cause we'll be featuring a ton of the material weekly!
If you have an old mix tape to share, drop me a line, and we'll see about getting it up to share with others.
And to sing along with The Bar-Kays... Let's Have Some Fun!
rad! BRING IT ON!
Posted by: peter | September 04, 2008 at 12:32 PM
i still have Dre's "86 in the Mix" on cassette that i've had since 1986. it's buried in an old box. i actually bought it at the Slauson Swap Meet...
Posted by: Scottie D | September 04, 2008 at 05:52 PM
nice scottie! i have that one pulled out for next week.
Posted by: Listener Fodder | September 04, 2008 at 08:35 PM
Amazing! I'm really, really excited about THIS series.
Posted by: brad ford | September 05, 2008 at 08:16 AM
hey-
yeah b
so "86 in the mix" is goin up there?
Lookin forward to this myself.
Posted by: mister caz | September 06, 2008 at 04:02 AM
niiiiiice, i used to get mixtapes from kobey's swap meet too. i have a dj tony a tape called 88 boomin bass (or similar; it's got a green cover). it's got eazy-e and tone loc freestyles. i think it's got a jj fad freestyle too, haha!
Posted by: eric / sneakmove | September 11, 2008 at 02:17 AM
oh, also, do you remember anything about a san diego rap group called DAM posse (DAM stood for def audio masters). the dj at kobey's who used to run the booth i used to get tapes from was one of the producers in the group. they were dope. i had their tape and a t-shirt of theirs too. they were somehow affiliated with most desh and lpsd, if i remember correctly.
man, seeing your post about kobey's takes me back! i still hit it up once in a while when i visit san diego. i always find myself heading first to the aisle where that old hip-hop tape booth used to be, hoping that somehow those dudes will be there again with their soundsystem ready to turn me on to the hottest new music. sadly, there's a couple selling knockoff sunglasses there instead these days.
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Posted by: eric / sneakmove | September 11, 2008 at 02:32 AM
eric - i can still navigate in my mind to where the booth was, and the music was always playing... but alas, the last time i was at kobey's was 1988. 88 boom n bass is going up in a couple of weeks (dre/tony a mixed) and yea, the freestyles on it are classic! i don't remember dam, but i'll bet i bought tapes from the dj/producer of the crew.
Posted by: Listener Fodder | September 11, 2008 at 01:02 PM
this is beautiful/
thank you/
much
Posted by: brian | September 16, 2008 at 12:09 PM
I have the original "you be ilin!-funkyfresh!-ricky ricks going off!-goin' off-breakdown-fove-o-dope beats!-criminak-808 volts-slippin-panic zone-hard action pack rap attack" All in the og cases with the colorful covers on tdk tapes. I would buy one evry week till dre and battery brain etc were no longer supplying us with that REAL TRUE MIX TAPE SHIT. THE REST OF MY PRICELESS COLLECTION WAS DESTROYED BY A VERY HATEFULL AND CRUEL EX WIFE
Posted by: Lorenzo L KING KAS | September 21, 2008 at 11:33 PM
Sides should be reversed. Hip hop rap was always side 1, electro/funk side 2.
Posted by: Benovite | October 16, 2008 at 02:14 PM
Shit My collection should be put on line
Posted by: Julian G | March 09, 2009 at 02:04 AM
Wow!! I remember my big brother buying these tapes at The Rodium years ago. Where can I download more?
Posted by: Dj Louie | June 16, 2009 at 10:03 PM
wow, thanks for this. amazing blog, blowing my little irish mind
Posted by: Louis | May 04, 2010 at 09:47 PM
eric - i can still navigate in my mind to where the booth was, and the music was always playing...
Posted by: game bigone | March 26, 2013 at 05:09 AM