2009 Bushwick Series - Da Dysfunkshunal Familee Unreleased


Golf by 2004 was spending half his time in London and the other half in NYC digging for wax to sell on Ebay under the user id Bruceforsight. He'd been hittin up some NICE collections in the rotten apple, one belonging to Rawkus owner Jarret Meyer one to D&D studios, but in the summer of 2009 he was reintroduced to Evil Dee and Mr Walt of Da Beatminerz through Bronx digger and MC/Producer Nobs. Golf cut a deal with Da Beatminerz on their record collection and in the process picked up a bunch of Shadez of Brooklyn deadstock (which we still have copies of!!! peep the store!!!).


He was also introduced to Crazy Dj Bazarro, producer of little known Brooklyn Hip Hop crew Da Dysfunkshunal Familee. DDF had released two records in 1994 and one in 1997 and had guested on the Fondle'em Fossils album on Def Jux records. Apart from those several releases and some elusive demo tapes from the late 80s there was little of their music commercially available.



 

Golf was given free reign to choose from both previously released material and unreleased cuts. He chose 3 tracks from the incredibly rare early EPs as well as 3 other unreleased tracks from the shelved 1994 Da Dysfunkshunal Familee LP. The limited vinyl release was sold through underground Hip Hop forums, Diggers With Gratitude and Vinyl Addicts, as a preorder-style release, a phenomenon which will be explained in further detail on the Chopped Herring Records website in the near future. Following on from the Civilized Savages EP and as part 2 in the Bushwick series, Chopped Herring Records will release another Da Dysfunkshunal EP of unreleased material from 1996 entitled Mixed Emotions '96 Demo EP in the coming weeks.
 
 
 

 
Da Dysfunkshunal Familee's significance in the New York Hip Hop scene should not be underestimated. They had been making Hip Hop music since the late 80s and ran parallel (and often in competition) to Da Beatminerz' produced projects such as Black Moon and Smif n Wessun. While Black Moon were recording for Nervous Records, Da Dysfunkshunal Familee were dropping wax independently on Crazy Dj Bazarro's own label using their connections in the NYC music industry to get their voices heard. It is only now that they are getting props they were due 20 years ago. Read Crazy Dj Bazarro's own breakdown of the tracks released on the Civilized Savages '94 EP below for an insight into the workings of Hip Hop's lost heroes.
 
  


                        Words from Crazy DJ Bazarro producer of Da Dysfunkshunal Familee:

“You guys have me being very grateful and excited that you love a sound I made up in a cold basement with no real equipment..It almost bringing tears to my eyes because of the memories I had recording these songs. You guys have kept the music alive and resurrected me as a producer to try to keep that same sound alive..90's style...I appreciate all the support and compliments..All I can say is Wow!! So since im here and taking time out working on the new Dysfunkshunal album "FAmily Reunion" i'll brake down some of the samples I used to create the songs on this ep...

When I made Ill Rhyme Skillz I had no equipment I was in the basement putting the whole track in my head..The basslines comes from a record Chicago made I forgot the name of it..When I filtered the bassline it sounded like DWYCK from GAngstarr...I liked it and felt this track had to have all kind of sounds on it.. So I took the Nice & Smooth horns from their record and reversed the horns on the sampler...When I make songs I'm usually going at other producers to make a answer to their hit records... When Dysfunkshunal FAm and Black MOon didn't get along..My answer to WHo Got The Props was New Ruff Flava...not in a dis way..just saying "yo my crew is here and we got beats too"....didn't mean to fall off subject....lol but back to Ill Rhyme Skillz...I looped Substition real short made it grimey..sample a piece from the same record leaders of the new skool used and made it hollow..U can hear going in and out...With the scratches, I just did random in and out scratches while the song was playing using Funky President....I met Uneek that same week..and that was the first song she got on with us..I met her over the telephone..she spit two lines and I said "yo u down right now,, come to the studio"...

The "Set It OFf" track was suppose to be us introducing Rebel Rhyme to the airwaves and let people know his solo album was coming..That session nobody showed up except me and Rebel Rhyme...but when u book studio time back in the days it was no canceling. So Rebel Rhyme wrote two more verses while I laid the beat down. We only had 4 hours to knock it out... I sampled the loop from a Stephanie MIlls record,, Nas used it too...I wanted to add a horn to it...So I took a slice from All NIght Long by the Mary Jane Girls... looped a break beat and Latifah voice..I don't like the way the engineer D-mechanic had a reverb on all the tracks...I was mad ass hell...but when I went home and played it....I couldn't believe how ill and different the record sounds from other records...I didn't have pre-production..all this was coming from my head right in the studio...So people from this day ask me "what made u use that horn" I just say it sounded like it was suppose to go with the beat...lol

"Far From The Average" this record was our answer to "All For ONe" by the Brand Nubians...not dissing..Just the track was saying the name of our group a little..I looped Grand Puba and sliced a piece of JaMes's Brown record..that was it...we went in the studio and had fun....I liked that loop back then cause no one ever touched it..

Savage Life was my answer to Pete Rock's Jump Around remix by Everlast....The basslines sound a little similiar but different records... I looped a dirty break beat and we went in the studio drunk and wilding out on that track...I just switched up the Pop Life record by Prince and made it a hook....I remember I heard Funk Master Flex playing it on hot 97 back in the day...I couldn't believe it..

"Im in Da HOuse'... My boy RJ had the loop just sitting around for months and I hate when a dope loop is not being used..I said let me get that, I wanna use it for the album..stop wasting loops before somebody else use it...He said take it and I ran to the studio with the fam. I put the loop over Skull Snaps..took the hook from the World Famous Supreme team...Migraine made up the hook...I like this joint..it was like our 3rd song we ever recorded..we was having so much fun in the studio..it was our escape from the world..

"Keep Me High" shit We loved to get high..so the hook said it for us..from Slave, Just a Touch of Love. Me and Finsta was messing around with records at the house...Finsta played the Sly Family Stone record and I said "you heard that" he said what? I said "we going to the studio this Saturday...that loop iz crazy....I just hear things different and it can be from the same record somebody else looped....

Now I'm getting asked about the Mixed Emotions album that was never released...some of those songs would make a great ep...stay tune. thanks again....thanks also to chopped herring records... Make sure ya'll check out www.dabeatminerz.com radio show all week...there u can here new dysfunkshunal joints being played...and we got shows archived....take care....”



Check back for the third part of the Bushwick series coming soon on Chopped Herring Records....