It’s time for a little honesty: I’m on the take. Yes, my man Hunter at Macktronic just hooked me up with a T-shirt from his 7-inch label, Gold Robot Records. And now I’m going to post on the label’s latest release with Meanest Man Contest, due out Sept. 1. It’s shameful, but I’ll do anything for a free T-shirt (a pretty cool one at that).

But seriously, I’d already done posts on Gold Robot’s previous two releases – Panther, Roman Ruins – and I have a little fetish for 7-inch/45 records anyway.

To be honest, I’d never heard of Meanest Man Contest before Hunter tipped me off. The duo consists of Noah Blumberg (aka Quarterbar and formerly of Jim Yoshii Pile-Up) and Eric Steuer (aka Ericsolo). Maybe you’ve run across Quarterbar’s stash of remixes.

Anyway, this 7-inch’s focal point is Throwing Away Broken Electronics (love the title) with a B-side remix by COPY, which can be heard at Gold Robot’s MySpace page.

Broken Electronics balances a dusty, old-school beat with the fractured edge of experimental sampling, a contrast that seems to fit the theme of the chorus: “I’m throwing away broken electronics.” Basically, it’s a jam.

Pre-order the 7-inch here, which has two cover options and includes a code for digital downloads of all four tracks.

Read Hunter’s contribution to Circa 45.

• Meanest Man Contest | Throwing Away Broken Electronics

I had quite a day on Sunday stumbling upon old 12-inch hip-hop gems. A DJ must have unloaded his collection at Zia Records (on Indian School and 19th Avenue in Phoenix), and I came in like a vulture to pick it apart.

Of the seven 12-inches I grabbed (list below), I listened first to the Pharcyde Passin’ Me By single for the B-side I’d never heard: Pork. I already own one Passin’ Me By 12-inch, but it’s an import with three remixes and a Ya Mama remix. So I was more than happy to snag this one for $1.49.

I can’t believe this is from 1993 – 14 years ago. The hip-hop I grew up listening to is feeling very vintage these days. Sigh. Nevermind that I’m turning 30 in less than a month.

Anyway, Pork (it’s what’s for dinner) might not be Pharcyde at its best. For starters, it’s about a six-minute track and the guys seem far less animated than they do on Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. And instead of the witty interplay on Bizarre Ride, Pork (produced by L.A. Jay) follows more of a verse-verse-chorus-verse-verse pattern.

Still, I can have a collector’s/completist’s mentality, so I’m happy to have it in my library now (though I still haven’t figured out the difference between the OG version and the Cosby edit).

Note: Dusty Groove has the cover image of this Pharcyde single.

• The Pharcyde | Pork (OG version)
• The Pharcyde | Pork (Cosby edit)
• The Pharcyde | Pork (instrumental)

My Sunday haul:

The Pharcyde, Passin’ Me By 12-inch b/w Pork (1993).
Ultramagnetic MC’s, Give the Drummer Some 12-inch b/w Moe Luv’s Theme (1989).
OutKast, Player’s Ball 12-inch b/w remix and instrumental (1994).
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, Straighten It Out 12-inch b/w T.R.O.Y. (remix) (1992).
De La Soul, Me Myself and I 12-inch (three sided) with three “but-out bonus cuts” (1989) (I already owned a copy, but for $1.49, I wasn’t about to pass it up).
The Pack, I’m Shinin’ 12-inch b/w Candy (2006, marble vinyl).

And the grand daddy of ’em all …
MC Hammer, Turn This Mutha Out 12-inch (the Mutha Mix) b/w Ring ‘Em (two mixes), (1988).