BACK TO THE OLD SCHOOL : It's been a long road in the world of Rap/Hip Hop for this Chess Moves character but a journey that has allowed him to learn and absorb all that it has had to offer right from it's creation.He was there to witness the joints as and when they came out, this new sound which was labelled Electro.Fresh was much more than the word it described a brand new movement. This new artform which was tightly linked with Breakdancing and Body Popping swept across the UK like no other, drawing in the youth like it was some kind of religion. Gotta give props to Morghan Khan for backing and putting out the Streetsounds Electro various artists albums which featured the likes of Herbie Hancock, GrandMaster Flash, Davy DMX, Fat Boys, Sir Mix A Lot, Ultimate 3,Awesome Foursome, Craig G, Marley Marl,Roxanne Shante, and so on. These albums played an integral part to his early education.Not really being one for dance himself ChessMoves applied himself to what was considered an important ingredient within the genre, The Scratch DJ. That's what it was all about back in the day and he followed it more closely than anything else. The techniques, the sounds that were used to perform the cuts, the gear required to perform and the parties to play out at.This was back when the DMC was still in it's infancy with battle performances from Dj Cheese and the following year, Chad Jackson which were considered ground breaking.Everything was monitored because firstly he loved it and secondly he wanted to learn.THE NEXT CHAPTER : Having grasped the requirements to perform a cut on time and develop the BPM mix, ChessMoves was introdcued to the various tools available to him in the form of a Boss Drum machine and a Casio Keyboard with 4 seconds sample time on board. These were easy to pick up and especially on the drum machine some nice results were already being laid down, partially because he previously had an interest in drumming/percussion but also because the sheer enthusiasm for it all spurred him on.This was also around the time that certain types of mixes were coming out from the likes of Double Dee,Steinski and Mass Media plus also ColdCut. Cut and paste, chopping samples from music, film, tv, anything they could get their hands on. When "Lessons 1, 2 & 3" came out it was big. They already did "The Motorcade sped" which was essentially basic cuts over a basic beat using samples from the JFK assasination. Plus they had already put out the quite humourous "We'll be right back", which i'm pretty sure has been used in a commercial/advert since. Advancements were made in the DJ world with shockingly stunning performances from Jazzy Jeff, CashMoney, Joe Cooley, Dj Man, Dj Mr Mixx, Dj Supreme, Dj Undercover, Dj Spinbad and our very own World Title holding Cutmaster Swift. As a result of the whole Steinski mixes and with a next to nothing budget for any of the really good samplers available at this time, which basically would have required the sort of fee's to secure a mortgage anyway, other types of mixes were looked into. Something i was shown was the Pause button cassette mixes. You needed a twin cassette deck. The source of the sound cassette in deck 1 and the blank casssette in deck 2. Then it was a case of recording the section you wanted, quickly pause it, or play it back and cue it up, it was helpful to have a counter as well,rewind the source cassette so that it could play or re-play the section you wanted then as it was coming in you'd lift the pause off deck 2 and let it record that segment you wanted then hit pause again and so on. In hindsight and certainly in comparison to how things are done today it was a slow and laborious process but some of the results were quite amazing all things considering and again through the love of it all you simply pushed yourself forwards. A BIT LATER ON : Throughout his learning process one thing was followed with meticulous attention was the shows that were broadcast by Stu Allan on Piccadilly Radio/Key 103FM-Buss Diss.After checking the Electro albums this was the next step in becoming aware of which artists were out there, what label they were on and what sound they were pushing. This is where he learned about such artists like Derek B, Dana Dane, LL Cool J,Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rudd, 45 King,Jungle Brothers,Twin Hype plus a whole stack more. Years down the line ChessMoves was to work with Stu Allan doing club promotions.Around this time DJ spots were done at venues incorporating the methods already perfected on the tables.A side line that was also handled was the release of BPM Mixtapes featuring sought after tracks which for many were only accessible via the radio. These were laid down onto cassette, duplicated with artwork and advertised in magazines.Any area of business in relation to music that ChessMoves was involved in was all self taught.He has proven to be quite resourceful even when working with the absolute basics. If there is more out there to be acquired he will get it. Having done this for a few years and all the while buying up all vinyl the possible, be it all the James Brown tracks right through to all the rap releases, and now making pretty good money the decision was made to look into some high end gear. Not neccessarily with a view of using these tools as a backbone for a career change but more so for the love of music. Quite a bit of gear has been purchased on the quest to find what he was looking for which ulimately are a good enough specifications, ease of use and sound quality. Apart from sequencers like Cubase or Logic and the other required components like Effect racks, Compressors, and recorders the main area that was constantly being looked into was the sampler. As a result there have been quite a few that have come and gone.They are as follows : EMU SP1200 .KORG TRITON .2X ENSONIQ ASR10's,AKAI MPC 2000, AKAI MPC 2000XL, 2X AKAI MPC60's,MPC3000LE, YAMAHA A3000, ZOOM SAMPLETRAK.In the end ChessMoves settled with the AKAI MPC3000LE & ENSONIQ ASR10 but also uses tools like the MPC60 and MicoKorg in his arsenal. As advised by Juliano Creator. Otherwise more spending would taken place and more samplers would have come and gone.But the reckless spending has stopped now.For the samplers at least, not the vinyl.UP TO TODAY & BEYOND : Always moving forwards, always reaching out and connecting with like minded individuals the associates and clients that ChessMoves now rolls with is vast.HeavyWeights in the game that have already laced many joints. Names that are known have entered negotiations and now projects are in the pipeline on standby.The equipment has been mastered, the knowledge of music structure and theory is on board.The only thing that remains is the actual product itself. Tracks have been done and sent out to some of these established artists in the U.S. and because of this and the appreciation of the compositions, ChessMoves has been accepted as one that knows what he is doing. He knows his game. Many want to know what style or sound he will be bringing and the only real answer to that is there will be slices of everything.You see, each time the vinyl is selected and fed into the samplers he never knows how it will pan out. He never has a pre-planned idea of what the eventual outcome will be. Everytime is like Russian Roulette. He did think about trying to fit into a specific category so that heads would identify his name with a certain sound but the reality is that he can do it all. If you want laid back beats, no problem. If you want hard and aggressive, no problem. Funk, Soul, Jazz, Folk, Prog Rock, Library, OST's all of them offer ingredients and elements that can be manipulated to shape any number of musical variations.Through his vinyl collection he has access to the best of all genres. One thing that stands true though is that if the Head doesn't nod then the joint will get scrapped. Get that Head Nod, feel the beats and the basslines, the stabs and the vocals and we can move on it. All or nothing.Things have been on hold for a minute but some recent changes now mean that progress can now resume and that will lead to releases of one sort or another. Initially there will be a Mixtape to act as an Expose and will be there for promotional purposes. Later on will be the Vinyl pressings. There isn't any rush, he knows that its going to happen regardless. Outside of the Music Production ChessMoves provides full support to and for the endeavours of Juliano Creator formerly of THE CREATORS, whom were responsible for the release of the seminal long player THE WEIGHT. The main source for vinyl that ChessMoves refers to on his samplers are via the website and .. store : WWW.RECORDKINGZ.COM. The selection here is incredible. The Client/Customer list is like a Who's/Who of Hip Hop Producers.MP3's are available so that you can hear whats on the wax.Juliano Creator has also set up a Forum for like minded producers, collectors of vinyl and generally anyone that has an appreciation of good music and ChessMoves actively monitors that providing guidance, hints, tips and generally getting to know others also in the game. Some of the better known Producers have looked in on the forum to see whats going on, to listen to some of the demo's and see whats happening have been Pete Rock and Alchemist just to name two. Check the forum at : WWW.RECORDKINGZ.COM/FORUM.TOP 8 : This is just a reflection of who ChessMoves either has on board as friends or are those that he has some connection with, within the industry. Sometimes other names and faces will be shown as recognition as an appreciaton of input and contribution.FORTHCOMING RELEASE : Juliano Creator -"The Heavy Weight" album featuring : Dilated People, Mobb Deep, Craig G. The Beatnuts, Dj Mr Thing plus many more. On "All City" and "ABB".SENDING OUT THE PROPS & SHOUTS : You know who you are and some of you i am in contact with daily but regardless here's the thanks for being part of the set up in one way or another : Juliano Creator.Caramac. Fresh. Average Man. Boogaloo Gimp. Ollie Rock. Almazul.GRM1.Dj Head.No Sleep Nigel.Harry Love.Dj Mr Thing.Natalie. Emma.Dj Mada. Dj Ad. Rob Swift. CopyWrite. Craig G.Dubstar.Juice.Nomad.Tasha.SENDING MAD PROPS TO ALL CONTRIBUTORS OF : WWW.RECORDKINGZ.COM/FORUMJ.DILLA - JAY DEE - JAMES YANCEY. 1974 - 2006 R.I. POn a last note , in the words of Rakim on the joint PAID IN FULL - "PEACE"[email protected] MyGen Profile Generator