Wednesday, November 17, 2010

DJ Tim Mixtapes!!! (Pirate DJs - SF)

As I stated in the Coming Soon post, DJ Tim's mixtapes were important for me. All throughout the 90s Tim's tapes were sold at the dopest spots (Union, FTC, Fat Beats, Beat Non Stop) and were always packed with the newest, illest records as well as really good exclusive freestyles. I am very pleased to be the guy who gets to present these to the internet as they were a big influence on my style. These tapes were HUGE for my friends and I. I've met lots of other folks who loved them as well. However, in this day of everything ever being available via Google search I was shocked to find that nobody had uploaded any of these! I had a couple of the tapes lying around but it was my search for their existence online that ultimately led me to to the man himself.

Here are some words from Tim Wallen aka DJ Tim:
"Really, who would pick up a tape by DJ TIM? I know that wasn’t the coolest of DJ names by any means. Obviously it was what was ON the tape not the DJ’s name. Jeru kind of nicknamed me Timo & DJ Mind Motion kept calling me that but I just stuck with DJ Tim.
I did try to put together a great package though. It was like putting together a mini album. Good graphics/matching tape color…lots of good stuff on it. Mind Motion designed my logo and I had a couple really good graphic artists (Themba & Guthrie.) Too many mixed tapes back then were just slapped together. I would collect a ton of new songs,advance tapes,dats,test pressings, promo only stuff/exclusives what ever I thought I could use… Then it was like a puzzle. I would have way more songs than I needed then slowly narrow it down to what worked and I could fit on there. I figured most folks have A.D.D and wanted to hear a ton of new stuff so many times I would only put a verse or two and then on to the next song.
After a trip to NYC I usually would be ready to make a tape after lots of shopping & visiting labels A&R folks. No one was really doing tapes out here at that time so I found a niche and filled it.
I would go up to Harlem & 125th or Brooklyn Fulton St to buy other mix tapes at least once a year. I was way more into NYC/East Coast style rap. My favorite mixtape DJ by far was DOO WOP. He could rap great, put a ton of exclusive freestyles out and he had a good ear for the music they freestyled over & what songs he put on his tapes. His raps were kinda funny in a way... He had a sorta sarcastic/chip on his shoulder/smart ass lyrics. I wish he would of put out a full album of him rapping.
I started off making tapes in 92 & 93 then stepped it up in 94 and the best years were probably 95 to 97 although I kept making them till 99.
I was lucky enough to have access to a lot of the best indie labels through my work first at an independent distributor (CRD.) We carried: Tommy Boy, Wild Pitch, Profile, Next Plataeu, Island labels like 4th & Broadway, Delicious Vinyl and many more then later @ Capitol & V2 records. I owe lots to those folks and many more for hooking me up with some great stuff… Like Benny B and other SF DJs. I also owe a great deal to Mind Motion here in SF who let me open some of his DJ gigs. He did my logo & we did a tape together too … and of course his buddy Ivan who hosted most of my tapes. Ivan sounded way better on the mic than me… With him and all the drops I had the tapes never got too boring."


DL:DJ Tim - The Nod Factor 95 - Side A (Summer 95)
DL:DJ Tim - The Nod Factor 95 - Side B (Summer 95)




DL:DJ Tim - Uncut Raw - Side A (Winter 95)
DL:DJ Tim - Uncut Raw - Side B (Winter 95)



"Sway who is on MTV now but was on KMEL at the time hosted my 97 Mentality tape. (posted below)
For my job I had to travel to lots of spots on the west coast & out to Denver and on those trips I would make time to search out the record stores or little boutiques that sold mix tapes & get em to carry mine. That also really helped get em out there. It was a a hustle but a fun one. I had some dude in London selling my tapes. This was way before email & the internet. Lots of phone work too.
I tried to put some west coast joints on the tapes here & there but what I liked and wanted to hear most was NY stuff. I would never put radio stuff on there because what is the point? You would be sick of anything that was on the radio or even a big club song didn’t need to go on a tape. Tapes are for discovering new music not playing the hits..at least that was my philosophy. Giving light to under appreciated stuff. Some of the stuff on there makes me cringe now but others sections & songs of the tapes I still really like & will crank up when listening. I did em on a little Tascam 4 track. I had a sampler that I used mainly for my drops that I bought from Dan the Automator (He lived up the street at the time.)
My CD player in my truck broke recently and I started listening to old tapes, mine and others, and it brings back memories of another era for sure.
I still can’t believe how I got all these guys to come out to my little house in the Sunset District to do freestyles @ my house. MCs like: Mobb Deep, Jeru, Lil Dap, MOP, Black Moon, Helter Skelter, OC, Xzibit, Masta ACE and more."


DL:DJ Tim - 97 Mentality - Side A (Summer 97)
DL:DJ Tim - 97 Mentality - Side B (Summer 97)




DL:DJ Tim - Droppin Jewelz (1998) - Side A (Summer 98)
DL:DJ Tim - Droppin Jewelz (1998) - Side B (Summer 98)



Thanks Tim for sending me the tapes and trusting me with this post. And thanks to my friends Daniel, Talal and Ed who came and picked me up at the house (I was 16) in the Eddie Bauer Edition Forest Green Explorer with Tim's Nod Factor 95 tape in the deck.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Camo UFOs - The Kool & Deadly EP (out now on Top Billin)


Kool + Deadly! The very first Camo UFOs EP is out NOW on Top Billin and available at all your favorite online retailers.

Here's what your favorite DJ's are saying:

“Growing up a junglist, this EP brings back the old school vibes and attitude that is missing in a lot of today's D&B. Heavy release here, definitely a good end of set selection to drop!”
-Drop The Lime

“Big tunes! If you aren't in the know, you definitely need to check this.”
- Z-Trip

"This EP is dirty, in every sense of the word. 59 thumbs up, selecta!"
- Bird Peterson

"Lighter + Airhorn = Camo UFOs. Makes me feel like listening to pirate radio aged 16."
– DJ Yoda

“100% screwface animal style double drop FIRE! Unbreakable like Kurt Rambis glasses.”
- Nick Catchdubs (Fool's Gold)

"The new sound of LA comes in Old School style. UFO's theme takes me back to a time when things were great, and the HavocnDeed remix is a destroyer!"
- 12th Planet

Preview the EP here:
CAMO UFOs - COOL & DEADLY EP by TOP BILLIN

or just go ahead and BUY IT! (please)
which you can do directly from:
TOP BILLIN!
or of course:
JUNO
BEATPORT
AMAZON
iTUNES

As a bonus... get down to our sweet Roni Size vs Mobb Deep bootleg!

Real Paper (Killa Shit) by camoufos

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Coming Soon...


When I was in High School there were no rap tapes I looked forward to more than DJ Tim's. They used to sell 'em at Union on La Brea and me and my boys would go every month to see if there was a new one, turns out he only made tapes every 4-6 months. Always choc-full of exclusives, new heat and crazy freestyles. Very tastefully mixed by Tim and usually hosted by DJ Ivan who I always liked because he didn't scream all over the tapes like S&S, Craig G or Clue.
After years and years I finally made contact with DJ Tim and he was kind enough to send me master tapes of 4 of my favorites... Which will all be posted here soon.

Get excited.