DJ Spinbad - Rocks The Casbah (‘80s Mega-Mix)
The late, great Spinbad puts together an epic ‘80s dance mix that showcases his superior skills.
Spinbad was regarded by many of his peers as a supremely innovative and influential force in the DJ community. When he passed in 2020, everyone from Clark Kent to Jazzy Jeff poured out their love and admiration for him and his “elite” techniques. In a tweet, A-Trak remembered Spinbad like this:
A-Trak: Spinbad really gave a lot of DJs their style. A lot of DJs do what they do because of him. In the mid 90s you mostly had turntablists on one side and mixtape/club/radio DJs on another. He brought skills and creativity (and humor!) to mixes in a whole new way.
The most famous showcase of this is his 1995 mixtape Rocks The Casbah (The ‘80s Megamix), where he—along with featured DJs A.Vee and and JS-1—seamlessly run through countless ‘80s dance floor classics with pristine precision. Renowned NYC club-rocker and former Mass Appeal editor DJ Soul called this tape and the follow-up “two of the greatest mixes ever recorded.” A-Trak added that the tape “changed the game.”
Though his legacy spans well-beyond the hip-hop community, including his legendary mix shows on NYC pop radio station Z-100 and tour runs with Moby and comedian Russell Peters, Spinbad always brought a highly-respected sense of skill and creativity to his work that will forever be embraced by the truest of heads.
Stream Rocks The Casbah below, and stay tuned for more 50 TAPES posts as we celebrate the release of Do Remember! The Golden Era of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes, out now via Rizzoli.
DJ Spinbad - Rocks The Casbah (‘80s Mega-Mix)