Five On It: September 2009's Essentials

Welcome to our September installment of Five On It, the most essential five breaks and sample sources of the past month compiled in one easy to access section.

This month began with a classic in our look at Organized Konfusion's self titled debut album, the breakdance anthem 'The Mexican' from Babe Ruth's first album 'First Base'. In our second look at 'Organized Konfusion', we mentioned the huge drum break at the start of Herbie Hancock's famous 'Chameleon' from 1973's 'Headhunters'. Check out the link to 'Chameleon' - I don't think you'll find a cheaper download for the full album length track anywhere else! The David Axelrod produced album 'Release of an Oath' by the Electric Prunes covered here has the other-worldly 'General Confessional', which made its rounds as a digger's dream find in the 90s. From their 1968 debut album, Kool and the Gang's 'Give It Up' has been used numerous times in hip-hop sampling, sampled by Dr. Dre among others. Finally, during our producer profile of Mark the 45 King, we mentioned his use of the cut 'Soul Power 74' by Maceo and the Macks - a stirring J.B. inspired cut with a notable heavy sax solo that has seen its fair share of sampling in the past.

The Lowdown:
Babe Ruth 'The Mexican'
from 'First Base' (1972) (MP3/Import CD)
Herbie Hancock 'Chameleon'
from 'Headhunters' (1973) (MP3/CD)
Electric Prunes 'General Confessional'
from 'Release of an Oath' (1968) (MP3/CD)
Kool and the Gang 'Give it Up'
from 'Kool and the Gang' (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Maceo and the Macks 'Soul Power 74'
from 'Us!' (1974) (MP3 not available/Import CD)

Bonus Cuts:
Babe Ruth's 'The Mexican' was a building block for b-boy sets in the early days of hip-hop, but it was also a building block for one of hip-hop's earliest crossover hits: 'Planet Rock' by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. Many people instantly think of Kraftwerk when 'Planet Rock' is mentioned, but a lengthy instrumental riff is lifted from 'The Mexican' as well. Another bonus download link: the 'Planet Rock' instrumental version!