When music resonates with the listener, it captures a moment or an emotion. At its best, it does both.
As a kid, I recorded a lot of those tunes and commemorated those moments on mixtapes that I circulated amongst friends, and every time I hear some of those songs, it is a flashback.
Pipo, an internet hero for cataloguing and sharing a tremendous collection of mixes, made a mix that shot me back in time listening to it this Summer. The year was ’88 and I started the year by turning 12 and ended it winter break of 7th grade, as addicted to hip hop as I could be. These tunes were the ones that converted me. Check it out.
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Delgado: For me, ’88 was a big year and these songs are indelibly marked in my brain. It was my first year of Jr High and hip hop defined the difference between us and the square old folks running the school. Since it was Oakland, a lot of us had very personal connections to some acts on the mix… one classic memory was when my entire PE class got sent to the office for rappin “Boyz in the Hood” as we ran laps. Why did you pick ’88? Where were you and what were you doing back then? How was hip hop a part of your life and community?
Pipo: There is an interesting story behind the mix. The mix was made in the summer of 2008. Prior to making the mix, my wife and I went on vacation to Machu Picchu, Peru. It takes about 14 hours of travel time (planes, trains, etc) to get to Cusco (which is the nearest major city to Machu Picchu). Like an idiot, I left for the airport without an ipod or any reading material. I ended up buying all the wack magazines they have at the airport newsstand to get me through the travel. One of the magazines I bought was the current Vibe issue which was celebrating the 20th anniversary of all the classic albums that were released in 1988. Vibe isn’t anything special, but it was the only thing I had to read so I read the article several times and looked at the covers of all those classic 88 albums like a kid in a candy store. I guess that’s where the idea for the mix came from. Unfortunately, a thousand other deejays had the same idea. That’s why I never finished the mix. I scrapped the mix once I heard all the other 88 mixes that were coming out back in 08.
In terms of where I was back in 1988: I was in the fourth grade playing Eazy-E‘s “Eazy-Duz-it” tape on constant loop in my Sony walkman. Back then, I owned two tapes, Raising Hell and Eazy-Duz-it. However, the first hip hop song I ever heard was L.A. Dream Team‘s “Dream Team is in the House.” There is a part of the movie Scratch where Steinski describes the first time he heard hip hop something to the effect of “it was the music I’ve always wanted to hear but never knew it until I heard it.” That’s exactly how I felt the first time I heard L.A. Dream Team. The way Steinski described it in the movie completely captures my initial attraction to the music and culture.
Delgado: Is there a favorite track on the album or one that really defines that time for you?
Pipo: All the Eazy-E joints.
 I guess I’ve always had a soft spot for Eazy-E. To do this day, I can rap that entire album without actually hearing the music. I remember being all bitter when the Chronic came out and Eazy-E was getting dissed pretty hard by Dre and Snoop. I hated myself for loving the Chronic. The music was simply undeniable, but I felt like I was betraying my man. Ice T’s “Colors” is another standout track. The song was and is so hard that I was afraid of Ice T when I was a kid because of that song. Delgado: You run an awesome mixtape site, called pipomixes (which should really be checked out by everybody who read this). Nowadays, it seems like every “artist” is coming out with a “mixtape” every week—since you spend so much time reviewing, cataloguing, and posting mixes, what are some things that you look/listen for when you come across a new mix? What sort of things make you want to send a mix straight to the trash?
Pipo: First of all, I only post and support REAL mixtapes mixed by deejays. By REAL, I mean a mixtape with actual mixing where the deejay uses two turntables and a mixer. For me, the most important thing is the mixing. I grew up listening to the Beat Junkies running the L.A. radio waves, so they set the standard for me on what a mix should sound like. Believe it or not, separating the quality from the trash is pretty easy to do. Actually, most of the submissions I receive are quality mixes. If I don’t post a submission, it’s usually because of poor track selection or a played-out theme (like a Dilla tribute), more so than poor mixing. I think the deejays who submit mixes to the blog are generally familiar with the quality of mixes posted, so I don’t get too many wack submissions.
Delgado: Obviously you DJ as well, since you sent us all down memory lane with this mix. Who are some DJs that inspire you? Any mixes that you’re worn out trying to emulate?
Pipo: That’s a loaded question. Of course, I’m inspired by all the usual suspects such as the Beat Junkies, X-Men, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Revolution, etc… J. Rocc is the mixtape king. PERIOD. The deejays who have impressed me the most in terms of their live performances are Jazzy Jeff, Revolution, and J.Rocc. I will also never forget seeing the X-Men live for the first time.
In terms of mixtapes, I’ve got to give credit to Neil Armstrong‘s Original series. I think those two tapes set the standard for all of the mixes you hear these days. I think those tapes were the first mixes to really put some production value into a mix. Vinroc’s Reconstruction mix, J.Rocc’s Sex Machine mixes, and Jazzy Jeff’s Roots Promo mix are also some of my favorites. Oh, I almost forgot! J.Rocc’s ACT 3 and 4 are the two greatest mixes in the history of the universe.
Delgado: Lastly, the nerdy question: What equipment do you have in your studio, and what did you use to record this mix?
Pipo:
Numark DXM06 mixer (very slept on)
Ecler Nuo 2.0 mixer (I’ve been using this more lately because I love the analog sound)
2 Yamaha HS80 monitors
M-Audio Fast Track Pro interface/soundcard
Adobe Audition 1.5 (too lazy to learn anything newer)
Those are my tools of the trade. Only my cats could tell you how the tools are used.
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A huge thanks to Pipo, be sure to check out his site, follow the man on twitter, and most definitely check his soundcloud for more dope mixes!
Meanwhile, check out our other Mixtape Mondays features!
DJ Gaffle
Treat U Nice
Delgado Fire Vol. 8
DJ Platurn’s Best Of A Tribe Called Quest
nice interview! Pipo runs a very excellent site, I've been checking it for years! He also posted a few of my mixes, gotta love that!
Most definitely! If you STILL haven't checked Pipo's site, the links are above!! Thanks for the comment & compliment! More good music & interviews (almost) every monday!
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