In 1999, the duo of DJ T-Rock & Squashy Nice formed in Atlanta. Squashy Nice is an accomplished beats producer, and DJ T-Rock is a scratch-master responsible for battle records on the likes of Bomb Hip-Hop Records, Stereo-Type, and Replicant Music Trading Corp. Together they released three party-ready instrumental hip hop albums for New Zealand’s Why Records label. Now based from coast-to-coast (Squashy Nice in New York and DJ T-Rock in Los Angeles), the duo has joined the Cold Busted family for their fourth album, the satisfying seventeen track Back To The Essence.
Showcasing the variety and breadth that Squashy Nice’s beats and samples and DJ T-Rock’s scratches can provide, the tracks on Back To The Essence swerve from party rockers to soulful, thoughtful numbers featuring vocals from New Zealand vocalist Miss Glue. Among the standouts are the opening “Hit The Breaks”, combining harmonica, ’60s style fuzz guitar, heavy beats, and some crucial vocal scratches; “Let Them Be”, with Miss Glue’s lovely vocals providing a counterpoint to acoustic guitar cut-ups; and “Watch The Clouds”, featuring gentle piano, a loungey string section breakdown, and wistful vocals from Squashy Nice. Back To The Essence should be ingested whole, as its plentiful tracks radiate fun, funk, and good vibes. It’s like a virtual block party dropping down wherever its cuts are playing.
released June 16, 2017
Mastered by Misjah@24Mastering
Design by Vitamin D
Executive Producer, Derrick Daisey
All works registered with Some Cutz Up (ASCAP)
Beats by Squashy Nice / Cuts by DJ T-Rock:
Hit The Breaks
Back to The Essence
We Don’t Have to (Go Through Changes)
Gyro Genius
Takin’ It
Pretty Girl Crooked Smile (Slick Mix)
White Boy in New York
They Don’t Know
Beats and Vocals by Squashy Nice / Cuts by DJ T-Rock:
Watch the Clouds
Say What
Word Usage
Beats by Squashy Nice / Vocals by Miss Glue:
Let Them Be
They Own Your Soul
Beats by Squashy Nice:
Satisfied
After it Rains
Beats and cuts by Squashy Nice:
Get Loose Now
Relax
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Tim (Tummy Touch / East Village Radio NYC): yes !
Dimitris Tentinis (mister T.) (Cold Busted): Fantastic LP!Love it!
Apostolos Argyris (The Zuzu Club): This was really unexpected.A great surprise.I heard it over 3 times to decide which is my favourite track.They all where lovely and with every listening i got more confused.It's Funky it's jazzy , GYRO GREAT has this awsome great break beat comming from tha Acid jazz age. Back To The Essence is a perfect title.
Azaxx (Tru Thoughts / F*CLR music / Howlin / Buried Treasure): Hit The Breaks is a BOMB !!!
Tom Strauch / Dogu (Ancient Astronauts / Switchstance Recordings / ESL Music): Love the fat grooves
Andreas Kinzl (Aromabar / INFRACom! / Play.FM): rocking, grooving and chilling
Herbert Bachhofer (Shantisan) (Salted Soul / One Note Samba Radio Show on superfly.fm): I love these crispy beats- "Let them Be", "Takin It" and "Pretty Girl Crooked Smile" are the winners for me!
Belabouche (Midnight Riot / DiscoDat / FKR Records / Spare Change Disco / Magic Wand / JDP Disco / Paper Disco): Really cool release
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi / BigBeatTastic Radio Show): AMAZING Release - Thanks for sending! Rory Hoy
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s / Unherd Radio Show (Digital DAB Radio / Colourful Radio)): Some lovely moments on here.
Alejandro Ramirez (Stereo 77) (Plimsoll Records): 'Hit The Breaks' is dope.
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show - Impact Radio, Cruise FM, The Jazz UK, others): An all round very cool album,we are very digging Miss Glue's vocals !
DJ Wash (Funk the System / Butter Music): the 1st one is tight!
Green Street (Cold Busted / Nocturnal Recordings / Str8 Busted Podcast): love it!
Barry King (Starpoint Radio / Nuwave Radio): GOOD VIBES
Kid Loco (Flor / Tromolo Records): Great beats. Love "Hit the tracks"
DJ Nova (Rodon FM 95 / Nova Planet Radio Show): Solid Cold Busted architecture under strong vocal tunes and samplers full of soul and pop attitude. Feelin’ more along others the old school hip hop funk sunshine vibes of ‘’Takin' It’’. I found release’s artwork really amazing as well.
Frank (All Good Funk Alliance) (Funk Weapons / Super Hi-Fi / Fort Knox Recordings): Well rounded, excellent production, unique tunes, strong breaks. Great!
Andy Riley (Inland Knights) (Toka Project / Drop Music): all cuts great
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp Music Radio Show / Radio
42.com /
netmusique.com / Ibiza Global Radio): good stuff, thanx
Laurent N. (12 Monthly Radio Shows: Nice 102.3 FM, House Nation Radio,
Westradio.gr, Buddha-Bar Podcast): TOP stuff & tracks. Will play & ALL MY SUPPORT !
Trotter (Royal Soul Records): Love it, great feeling on the tunes, deeply recommend !!!
Pathaan (Globetronica / BBC / Songlines Music Reviewers): NICE !
Robert Jan Meyer (Minus 8) (Compost / Stereo Deluxe / Radio 1): Very nice!
SimonG (Deep South Audio) (Volcano Radio / 0fm / MyHouseYourHouse Radio): Yummy scrummy .. cold Busted have magic in dem bones .. what ever direction you turn your head Cold busted have a dope sampler / full album of floor stacked goodness. Hit The Breaks .. Classic meets New .. floor ready blues breaks .. winner Let Them Be such a nice summery Cruise along Gyro Genius has a sorta DJ Food buzz going down .. dope scratchin as well .. They Own your Soul = blissfull vocal and subtle beats .. Nice Takin It more surf rock beats that have a summery vibe Pretty Girl Crooked Smile good retro vocal sampler making for an infectious groove .. Thanks Watch the clouds has a sorta nextmen buzz .. very dope .. YES PLEASE for the full release .. as ever Cold Busted knock it out of the park ... Essential Release
Enne * (Electunes / Karmaloft Music): nothing i play actually but "they own your soul" is amazing !
Jamie Topham (CD Pool UK | JT MusicMedia | Summer Soulstice): Cool cross section of big beats, jazzy sounds, sweet vocals & esoteric flavas... All the tracks sounding strong to me, so hard to pick out a fave, but I'll go with the set opener "Hit The Breaks".
Ross Wakefield (Part-Time Heroes / Hideout Sessions Podcast / Wah Wah 45s): Some nice moments here.
DJ Moneyshot (Solid Steel Radio / Jalapeno Records): "Our kind of beats! Hit The Breaks is straight tough party fire from the get go to let go. Any 45s coming?" - DJ Moneyshot (The Allergies)
DJ Pippi (Aluminium Records / Valenostrum): Great Material!!! Thanks xx
Brandon Bass / Luv Boutique (Hub City Music Group / Aspect Ratios on KMET Radio Denver): They Own Your Soul = The HOTNESS!!\
Basement Freaks (Jalapeno Records): badass
DJ San Gabriel (HipHop Don't Stop / liveDEMO / Jam FM / YAAM / Data MC): yes
Mark Devlin (The Sound Of Now (weekly show on OX105FM) / Black Sheep Magazine (editor)): Will have its uses.
Aroto (Aroto - Instrumental Hip-Hop Radio 24/7): Nice beats with very good production
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show (RTR 92.1 FM - weekly) / Liquorice.tv): !!! Muchas gracias for this release. Cold Busted keep bringing the heat and this release is crazy hot! Not one weak track on here - not one. So much variety and originality throughout that you could let this LP play from start to finish and you'd have one heck of a soundtrack to party to. Absolutely brilliant
DJMarkCooper (Bedford Falls Players / Cosmic Moonbase / Solid Gold / Bloxbox Records / Endemic Digital): Nice!
Sound Fusion Radio (Sound Fusion Radio): Great Collection of tracks.. :)
Marco (Radio 105 "In Da Klub" / Tendenzia Radio Network / Gold Paradise Milano): love this track ,all the album very good ,in my set.
Doc Proof (Funkanomics / FM4): Dope beats, love it !!
Clairvo (Tilos Radio FM90.3 / Freelance Reviewer): WOOW, can't find words!! album of the year so far!!
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio / What Is Hip): Great EP
Jon Wesley (Music Goes On Radio Show (weekly on KNSJ FM) / Insomniac / Machine Friends): THIS IS GREAT! I've been a fan since Mama Said (Wear You Out). These songs are excellent. I like the soulful melodic stuff just as much as the b-boy breaks. I''ll play them all. Definitely going to play something from this on my radio show tonight. Please send AIfs!
Robert Lochmann (The Jazzmadass Radio Show on Radio X / soulsender.de): sounds great
Bart Ricardo (Farris Wheel / Gourmand Music / Frequency Spectrum / Herbal Essence): thanks! good stuff!!
Jay Scarlett (Sounds Supreme Radio Show - bi-weekly on BR Puls Radio / Beatdimensions): Rock on!
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel (weekly on 2SER 107.3 FM, Sydney)): Another solid release, thanks as always. Will play these on show here and out. Really liking the og vocal work on these, great production too.
DJ Krimi / Radio Krimi (Radio Krimi / Le Cabanon (Pub Dancefloor @ Chamonix)): Wow !! Claque !!
Kiss FM Ukraine (Kiss FM Ukraine): Nice release, thanks!
Morphosis (The Hong Kong Ping Pong Club / NSB Radio / Ghetto Funk): Gyro Genius is one of the best things I've heard in a long time, v nice release
Nori (Wax Poetics / Posivision mag / MSN Beat culturte): Sounds sweet!!
Mountain Chill Radio / KRKQ (Mountain Chill Radio -KRKQ- 95.5 FM - Telluride, CO): Solid breaks. Love the Ennio Morricone references on "Hit the Breaks."
ADAM WARPED (Whiskey Pickle / STRANGE DAYS / Hypersonic Radio): Lovely!