What's That Sound? Evil Knievel

A golden-era bigbeat sample for you this week, from Fatboy Slim favourite 'Evil Knievel' by Ceasefire & Deadly Avenger.

This tune completely rocks dancefloors. It did then and it does now. Relentless tough breaks, raw wah guitar, uplifting vocal shouts, growling bass and a storming main groove.

But where does that groove come from?

Well, in 1972, Quincy Jones worked on the soundtrack to a movie called 'Dollar$', also known as 'The Heist' or 'Le Coup'.

The soundtrack was classic blaxploitation fodder: moody, suspenseful, rugged and funky. The standout tracks were called 'Money Runner' and 'Money Is', which were released together on a 45, and it was the former that went on to become the blueprint for Evil Knievel.

Ceasefire & Deadly Avenger - Evil Knievel


Quincy Jones - Money Runner


Copies of the Money Is/Money Runner 7" still change hands, and the soundtrack to Dollar$/The Heist/The Coup is still available after a re-release in 2001. Neither of them are cheap though. Expect to pay US $15+ for the single and around $30 for the full soundtrack.

Until next time, keep your fingers dusty and your grooves clean.

What's That Sound? Lulu

Just a quick column this week, sharing a discovery I've only just made but that may well be OLD news to the rest of the world.

Remember Lulu? The one your mum liked? Yeah, that's her!

Well, what does she have in common with Norman Cook? More than you'd imagine.

I'll let the videos do the talking.

Lulu - Love Loves To Love


Fatboy Slim - Santa Cruz


Until next time keep your fingers dusty and your grooves clean.

What's That Sound? Scammers

When I heard The Scammers Meet The Great Wugga Wugga - 'Sally's Walk' back in the heady days of the 1990s, I was blown away.

If you haven't heard it you should. Unfortunately there are no clips of it anywhere on the whole worldly-wide inter-wangle.

However, you can preview / buy it at Juno and get a pretty good idea of how much you need it in your life...

Anyway, after hearing that blistering big beat tune, I needed to know where that funky-ass sample came from. Sadly it was a long time before I twigged.

A couple of years ago, after a fiercely fought and particularly costly Ebay auction, I found myself the proud owner of a beautiful piece of wax from the legendary Ultimate Breaks & Beats series.

Midway through side B, listening to a track called 'Let A Woman Be A Woman, Let A Man Be Man' by a band called Dyke & The Blazers, my ears suddenly pricked up.

There it was, as slamming and funked-out as I remembered it from the Scammers record - the 'Sally's Walk' break.

Have a listen, it kicks in around 1.40:



Blinder innit?

You can get it on Ultimate Breaks & Beats Vol. 17, on 'Greatest Hits' by Dyke & The Blazers (1969) and it also appears on a load of different compilations, including Dj Pogo's 'These Are The Breaks'.

Anyhoo, until next time, keep your fingers dusty and your grooves clean.