Move Mothafucka Move


DJ Spanish Fly – “Smokin’ Onion (Remix)
DJ Spanish Fly – “Get Buck
DJ Spanish Fly – “Shoottriggaman

from I’m Da Nigga (underground, 19??)

The mp3 dorkosphere got Memphis on lock. While most other underground tape scenes remain largely undocumented online, huge chunks of the Memphis catalog has attained permanence in the rabbitmegauploadshare circuit with great regularity for the past few years. I assume we can thank some paypal fat not flat German dudes for obsessively ripping undergrounds from Triple 6, Tommy Wright, Al Kapone, etc. and I’d encourage anybody with the knowhow to find and explore some of these tapes.

DJ Spanish Fly may one of the craziest (and earliest) to emerge from that scene. I’ve been sitting on this and another tape of his for a while and I had completely forgot about it until I was listening to this pause tape from a couple months back and I was like shit yeah this shit bangs. Crawling, unbalanced pre crunk/screw styles spliced together out of seven minute triggaman loops and primitive NWA and Marvin flips. It’s the exact off kilter sound that lo-fi impresarios like Madlib and Dilla were striving to emulate. Except built for getting buck at the club instead of getting wine and cheese at a headwrapian art show.

Fly was a mainstay on the Memphis scene dating back to the 80’s and apparently still holds down the late night slot on Hot 107.1. There’s a very detailed bio up on his Myspace. He has a new record that supposed to be coming out sometimes soon and will appear on the forthcoming Three 6 album. Fader ran a piece on him a little while back in their artists pick their heroes issue, at the behest of Project Pat, so I guess I’m sort of playing catch up. There’s a PDF of the issue here.

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17 Comments, Comment or Ping

  1. Mike G

    Damn, that shit is tight! You can definitely hear the influence on Project Pat and 36. Awesome!

  2. r8r

    Noz, I have alot of those Memphis tapes converted like that 196 clique – Crusafixex….gr8 post

  3. That Fader piece was really fun to write, whenever Lex Records ends up putting out the Spanish Fly reissue I’m going to post the full Q&A. Pat also shouted out Rodney O and Joe Cooley (”They could have been the mayors of Memphis!”).

  4. jackson

    i like that post what wtf is it with the reference to madlib an dilla being on some bougie shit? they are/were about the 2 most aloof smoked out mfs thats been in music… they aint on some art gallery bullshit… good post that had to have a sour taste at the end, lame.

  5. noz

    “they are/were about the 2 most aloof smoked out mfs thats been in music… ”

    aesthetically they do/did not make club music, for the most part.

  6. crimson

    The beats on these bang. I’m not feeling the rhymes though.

  7. rexisaplace

    headwrapian, HA!

  8. jackson

    noz that doesn’t mean they are some heads that are into burning incense n talkin about their new poetry books.. hell you know what the dilla lade is?

  9. caf

    “headwrapian” lol. Genius.

  10. noz

    “hell you know what the dilla lade is?”

    dilla’s failed lemonade brand?

  11. Lee

    Please post more mp3z — you’re our only hope.

  12. Kid Slizzard

    Man, I love Spanish Fly’s “oh word”… no one else seems to squeeze quite so much power out of sparse 808 cowbelling

  13. Whattup Moz… thanks so much for creating your site, because it has inspired me to personal greatness in my own life, and newfound levels of excellence in the rap music I now listen to.

    http://marlostatus.blogspot.com/2008/03/dj-spanish-fly-199x-2003.html

    my DJ Spanish Fly megadrop is here. Mostly complete, excavated from a post from a wacker prervious blog. Hope everyone enjoys it, because it’s pretty frickin’ amazing.

    For my money, “Goin’ to Mr. Zs” has some of my favorite tracks and a productions. Was/Is there still a “Mr. Z’s” in existence?

  14. Jay F.

    Yes, I believe Mr. Z’s still exists in several locations in Memphis.

  15. william

    just saw this…nice post…
    I still love “smokin onion” after all these years…

    I go to memphis every now and then…
    Mr Z’s still exists, but is a shell of what it used to be…
    they dont sell tapes or even CDs anymore….
    strictly speakers and car sudio stuff…

    its a shame…

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