The Best Of DJ Rectangle
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Album Summary
DJ Rectangle, the West Coast turntablist titan out of Los Angeles, dropped 'The Best Of DJ Rectangle' in 2001 as a double-vinyl collection that brought together the cream of his battle breaks, scratch tools, and training cuts into one heavy-hitting package. Released during the golden era of independent DJ culture — when cats were pressing up their own wax and pushing it hand to hand at record pools, swap meets, and DJ conventions — this album was a self-contained armory for any DJ serious about their craft. Rectangle had been grinding through the mixtape and battle scene for years, and this release stood as a victory lap and a resource all at once, capturing his signature style of high-energy cuts, tone tools, and battle-ready breaks pressed onto four sides of vinyl for DJs who needed real ammunition on the tables.
Reception
- As a battle DJ and mixtape circuit legend, DJ Rectangle built his reputation through raw street-level distribution and DJ culture word-of-mouth rather than mainstream chart visibility, and this compilation was no exception — it circulated deep within the turntablist underground where it mattered most.
- Among DJs and beat diggers in the early 2000s, this collection was received as an essential toolkit, a testament to Rectangle's technical mastery that earned respect from both aspiring and seasoned turntablists.
- Mainstream music press largely overlooked the release, but within hip-hop DJ circles and battle culture communities, DJ Rectangle's name carried serious weight, and this compilation only reinforced that standing.
Significance
- This album stands as a landmark artifact of early 2000s West Coast turntablist culture, representing the independent DIY spirit that kept DJ craft alive and thriving outside of major label infrastructure.
- 'The Best Of DJ Rectangle' functioned not merely as a listening record but as a training and performance tool — with tracks like 'High Powered Training Break,' 'Training Break 5 1/2,' and 'Master Skill Samples,' it served as a legitimate instructional resource that DJs could use to sharpen their technique on the wheels of steel.
- The album's sprawling four-side structure, packed with battle breaks, transformer tones, and scratch tools, reflects the rich vocabulary of hip-hop DJ culture at its most technical, preserving a style of record-making that treated the DJ — not the singer or the rapper — as the true center of the art form.
Tracklist
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A1 More Effective Cuts And Scratches —
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A2 High Powered Training Break —
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A3 Master Skill Samples —
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A4 Never Get Whipped Classic Battle Breaks —
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A5 Extreeme Disses —
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A6 A Ton Of Battle Break —
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A7 Unskippable Breakdown Scratch —
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B1 On A Stick Scratches —
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B2 King Battle Break —
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B3 Vengeance Cuts And Scratches —
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B4 Funky Battle Beats —
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B5 Hummin' Out Tone —
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C1 Monster Power Scratches —
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C2 Training Break 5 1/2 —
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C3 36 Chamber Trick Scratches —
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C4 Use Your Strength Classic Battle Break —
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C5 New Style Cuts And Scratches —
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C6 Sharp Needle Break —
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C7 Prepare Transformer Tone —
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D1 Stupid Strange Scratch Intro —
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D2 Mixmaster Fiend Break —
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D3 Warning Samples And Cuts —
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D4 Go Off Scratchin Break —
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D5 Different Technique Scratches —
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D6 DJ Name Game Cuts —
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D7 Fresh Classic Tone —
Artist Details
DJ Rectangle is a Los Angeles-based turntablist and mixtape legend who emerged from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the 1990s, building his reputation as one of the most ferocious scratch DJs to ever put hands on a set of tables. His blend of hardcore hip-hop cuts, relentless scratching, and high-energy mix style earned him a devoted underground following and cemented his place as a cornerstone of the battle DJ and mixtape culture that kept the streets fed when the radio wouldn't. Rectangle's work stands as a testament to the raw artistry of the DJ as performer and architect, influencing a generation of turntablists who understood that the real music was in the hands of the man behind the wheels of steel.