THE SIDEBAR #23: DJ CHRIS READ

Beginning in 2010, DJ Chris Read, in collaboration with Nick Armitage, began to put together a monthly party/mix series called “Classic Material.” 1 The basic concept was that each month, they’d put together a party and a mix celebrating a year in the life of hip-hop music, finishing in 2000. For 14 months, this was one of the things I looked forward to since Read brought great creativity and song selection to each of these mixes. To top it all off, they created special boxsets, including a custom-designed logo, riffing off of hip-hop labels. 2

This month marks the end of the journey, with a special photography exhibit in effect in London. Chris and I spoke over Skype to discuss the birth of the project, how it evolved, and what some of his favorite years in rap music were.


The Sidebar #23: DJ Chris Read
[podcast]http://latinboogaloo.com/sounds/podcasts/Chris%20Read.mp3[/podcast]

Portions of the Classic Material mixes used in the podcast were from the following years:

  • 1988
  • 1990
  • 1997
  • 1996
  • 1994
  • 1993
  1. No relation but I approve.
  2. Besides Delicious Vinyl, I really liked their riffs on Loud and Sugar Hill.