Words by DJ Autograph
In August of last year Large Up ran a feature on iconic Brooklyn dancehall don Screechy Dan. The piece detailed Screechy’s story from his arrival in the U.S. until the present day. Reading this story and witnessing Screechy perform on many occasions had me thinking to myself that Screechy is such an insanely talented artist, and that wasn’t really fully conveyed though his records.
Kenny Meez of Federation Sound and I were having a conversation earlier this year while working on the Ward 21 Still Disturbed mixtape when we came up with the idea to do a Screechy Dan mixtape in collaboration with our extended family Safari Sound. It took us a couple months to get started but, when we did, the vibe was undeniable.
Each recording session with Screechy yielded a unique vibe and energy that listeners will hear and feel once they listen to the mix. The mixtape is divided in to three segments, one for each sound and each of the segments showcase different elements of Screechy: his comedic side, his ability to flex on contemporary beats and of course classic Screechy. The one commonality through all three segments is the sound effects, which were all done by Screechy.
The recording sessions also yielded two “freestyles” that aren’t on the mixtape and a bunch of sound effects. Check out the freestyles below and stay tuned for the collection of sound effects which will be released next week.
Screechy Dan: My Story will be available to stream/download on LargeUp August 14th.