Ashley Beedle

The '70s were chocked full of amazing records that will never be remembered. That's why it's good to have DJs like Ashley Beedle, who consider it their privilege to go digging deep into dusty old record crates and pull out long-lost gems that otherwise would have never made it to our ears. Most of this compilation's material comes straight out of the disco/funk era. Its certainly been 20 years since anyone has grooved to the Moog freak-out of "Stan's Theme" by Stan Ivory & His Omnificent Orchestra or spun around to the DJs only 12" disco mix of Rare Pleasure's "Let Me Down Easy." There are a few more obvious records, including classics by Chaka Khan, Gil Scott, and Freddie Hubbard, but none are as exciting as the rare hip-hop of "J-Dub's Theme," produced by none other than Hank Shocklee of Public Enemy/Bomb Squad fame. While all the records included clearly sound their age, its not hard to make the connection between these songs of old the more contemporary work done by Beedle with his Ballistic Brothers group. While the shelves are full of records that mix jazz, disco, proto-house and hip-hop into their sonic stews, it's nice to hear the basic ingredients all by themselves. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide