The 45 King

Armen b/w Ella - Jole

scum stats: limited to 500 colored vinyl copies, part of a 5 x 7" set

Starting off the new year with this gem included as part of my secret santa present. Ace store manager Molly listened closely to me rambling about limited edition 45's from Detroit pressed at Archer Record Pressing, made some calls, went above and beyond the call of duty and landed with this absolute GEM.

The 45 King was an esteemed hip hop producer, originally renowned for his ability to make beats from obscure 45s. He did Jay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" and Eminem's "Stan" so dude's CV is legit.

This particular single comes from a series he did working with tracks from Detroit's Westbound Records as a source, specifically multitrack masters from the Ohio Players and Junie Morrison. The a-side is named after Westbound impresario Armen Boladian. I'm not sure who Ella and Jole are.

Regardless, these instrumental tracks are exquisite heavy funk, absolutely primed for someone to rap over them (have they?). Could vibe to this all night long. The material just hits a sweet spot, harder to find every day, that puts a smile on my face and makes me happy to live in a place and time where such things are able to happen.

CHECK IT OUT ON BANDCAMP HERE