For the second installment in our Nothing New series, we hand over to Livin’ Proof affiliated DJ Rags to take us all the way back to a point that earned him a Curtis Mayfield record, some pretty pissed of neighbours and a tattoo. It’s another example of what we’re trying to do with Nothing New, because if you know this side of his record collection you must know him real well.

Here’s some words from him to give you some context.

“I didn’t intend it to be, but I guess this mixtape is a collection of “end of the night songs” at a house party.

I used to live in this house in Brixton where we kitted out the open space ground floor with a soundsystem, turntables, 2 amps, bass, guitar, keys and a full drum kit. This lead to some pretty incredible house parties where’d blast music at people till sunrise.

After sunrise. we’d reach for the “old” music to take the tempo down a notch. This is when the randoms and the gurn-heads would generally get confused. This is the kind of music on this mixtape.

It basically meant unless you were our friends or were crashing at ours, you needed to leave.

My housemate bought me this incredible Curtis Mayfield LP from Brixton Oxfam for 50p. It was a tradition to end every single one of our parties with this album and it’s how I’ve ended this mix.

We loved that house. Some of us have the sign on the front door (85) tattooed on us. Some people won’t get it. If you don’t get it and you hear Curtis playing, it means it’s time for you to get the fuck out of my house.”

He also sent us through some pretty dope photos of the parties from this time, in terms of the level of photography matches the level of sobriety.

TRACKLISTING

Stringtronics – Dawn Mists (1972)

Jaco Pastorius – Portrait of Tracy (1976)

David Axelrod – The Human Abstract (1969)

David Crosby – Cowboy Movie (1971)

Bill Withers – Grandma’s Hands (1971)

Peter Thomas – Evening Air A (1975)

Motherlode – Soft Shell (1969)

Joni Mitchell – Blue (1971)

Arthur Russell – This Is How We Walk On The Moon (released posthumously in 1994)

Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side (1973)

Young Marble Giants – Clicktalk (1981)

Can – Vitamin C (1972)

Silver Apples – Lovefingers (1968)

Herbie Hancock – Spank-A-Lee (Live) (1975)

The Headhunters – God Make Me Funky (1975)

Nina Simone – Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter (1974)

Sly & The Family Stone – Just Like A Baby (1971)

Curtis Mayfield – Billy Jack (1975)