(Introduction courtesy of Strictly Kev) For this week’s vintage session we turn the tables over to Solid Steel’s US ambassador: King Megatrip. For those who don’t know, Megatrip has been first a fan, then a show archivist, amassing possibly the world’s biggest collection of past Solid Steels. He has also had guest mixes featured but most importantly he is the creator of the Soundbank, a huge resource of spoken word samples that he has supplied exclusively to us for years. If you listen to Solid Steel then you’ve heard speech from one of over a hundred volumes of spoken word he has collected for us from every source imaginable. This has earned him official Solid Steel membership, always present - lurking in the shadows even if sightings of him are rare. We’ll turn it over to KM himself to explain his choice for this entry…

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Exactly how deep do Coldcut’s cavernous vaults go? Well If this Vintage Steel selection is anything to go by, you’d need a hard hat and a mining canary to detect for gas to tunnel on down there! Welcome to the ‘K mixes’, a truly eclectic blend of quality mind-bending mad mixes you’ve come to expect from the master chiefs down at Ninja Tune. Hip hop, dub, rave, techno, we got it here and a whole lot more. Take it to the jump to get the knowledge from Strictly Kev, and a link to download the second hour. The first is available for your listening enjoyment via podcast at the official home of Solid Steel (06/06/2008 show), so get them on your speakers and invite the neighbours round to the inevitable party that will surely kick off!

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Not much time to spare this time round, but don’t think this entry from the Vintage Steel treasure chest is any less special because of it. Don’t take our word - just peep that deliciously funky tracklist! J. Rocc has been doing his hip hop thing since the mid-eighties; starting out with PSK, he went on to found the Beat Junkies in the early nineties (alongside Melo-D and Rhettmatic) and continues to go from strength to strength by appearing on (and with) the Stones Throw Records hitlist. Hump that jump for some brief words from Strictly Kev and your download link/tracklist. Finally, don’t forget to dial in to the Ninja Tune site for this week’s podcast (23/05/2008 show), featuring J Mountain. Say Ho!

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Cue the atmospheric wild west music in the background as Solid Steel makes it’s last stand! The BBC in their unrelentingly infinite wisdom (note: sarcasm) never really know a good thing when they’ve got it (don’t get us started on the Radiophonic Workshop), and the eradication of Solid Steel from the BBC airwaves is a prime example of this sort of lunacy. Hit the jump to read about the death throes of Solid Steel at the BBC (words courtesy of Strictly Kev) and to listen in on the final British Broadcasted Steel. Parts 1+2 are streamable now from Ninja Tune on the 09/05/2008 show, parts 3+4 downloadable from bosbos.net.

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Summer is just around the corner for most people, so it’s time to put on something… funky! Cue DK, one-half of DJ Food and one totally nice fella with an ear for the tunes. Effectively a 0.5 in the official Solid Steel mix CD series, SSDK01 came across 2 CDs and features some great sounds for you to shake your rump to. If the sun isn’t shining when you’re listening, it soon will be! Part 1 is streamable now from Ninja Tune on the 25/04/2008 show, part 2 downloadable below. But first, a word or two from DK himself.

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Play that beat, Mr DJ! Yet another classic unearthed from the Solid Steel vaults/crates/someplace dark. Strictly Kev and DK take you on a lesson (1,2,3, etc etc etc) in hip hop history as they get together with Double Dee and Steinski for a memorable interview that, even if you think you know your lessons, are sure to be even more clued up by listening in. Rather than stick with a dry format, Kev has patched in all the classic beats, cuts and samples to keep everything flowing nicely. It’s not so much like listening to an interview, more like snatching pieces of a conversation between like-minded types in the back room of the record store where every anecdote will prick your ears up. Part 1 is streamable now from Ninja Tune on the 11/04/2008 show, part 2 downloadable below (in 2 parts, see below for the details). Let’s hand it over to Kev!

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War is bad. Perhaps the only good thing about war is how it inspires people to rise up and make their voices heard, however much some of our nations’ politicans choose to ignore them. Musicians often step into the breach, being in an enviable position to reach people on a wider scale. Strictly Kev covers off plenty of tracks in ‘War Is Stupid’, a perfectly titled mix encompassing the thoughts of artists compelled enough to put their feelings (in this case, about the Iraq conflict) into their music. Part 1 is streamable now from Ninja Tune on the 28/03/2008 show, part 2 downloadable below. Words from Kev after the jump.

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Alien conspiracies! Faces on planets! Unearthed DATs! Yes, it’s all here. A bit of a special broadcast, this one (aren’t they all?) as Coldcut go offworld with the Alien Sphinx. Strictly Kev is your flight director at mission control, take a close read as he guides you through the Solid Sphinx story. ‘Return Of The Alien Sphinx’ is downloadable from bosbos.net, ‘More Than An Alien Sphinx’ streamable via the Ninja Tune site, home to Solid Steel. Blast off in t-minus 3… 2… 1…

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As the opening salvo for the official Solid Steel mix CD series, Solid Steel: ‘Now, Listen’ had plenty of expectation riding on it’s shoulders. Embarking the Solid Steel brand on it’s logical progression, DJ Food and DK expanded on the hap-hazard nature of the selections heard on the radio broadcasts with an outstanding grab-bag of tracks that don’t seem to work when you see them on paper, but make them work they did. Capturing the essence of a classic steel show, the CD was universally acclaimed and stands proudly alongside Coldcut’s Journeys By DJ mix as a benchmark standard in how mixes should work (ie not just shovelling mp3s onto your laptop and hoping for the best). Hitting the road in North America, Strictly Kev and DK took Solid Steel out of the studio and out to the people, live and direct. Read on to hear tales of record buying of credit card incinerating proporations. Parts 3+4 (DK and Bonobo) are available to download from bosbos.net, parts 1+2 (Strictly Kev and Four Tet) are streamable via the Ninja Tune site, home to Solid Steel.

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There are many music producers who would happily sit back and operate behind the scenes, never revealing their true identity, determined to retain a shadowy persona to let the music speak for itself. This was an automatic given for early DJ Food contributor Patrick Carpenter. Whether intentional or not, using his initials (PC) caused a slight problem.. being mistaken as the computer that Coldcut built their tracks with! Reassuringly, Patrick is more man than machine - so sit back as Strictly Kev guides you through a great Solid Steel show featuring PC from 1999. Parts 3+4 are available to download from bosbos.net, parts 1+2 are streamable via the Ninja Tune site, home to Solid Steel.

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