For the uninitiated, Peanut Butter Wolf (real name Chris Manak) is akin to an indie hip hop Alan McGee. His label, Stones Throw, has, like Creation in its pomp, become synonymous with consistency and the occasional mad bout of eclecticism. Also like Creation, the Stones Throw logo has, to its followers, become something of a guarantee of quality, with people collecting every release, no matter how rare, and no matter whether they've actually heard it or not. Unlike Creation, I'm struggling to think of a Heavy Stereo equivalent; just about every record I've ever bought on the label is still on heavy rotation chez Flashlight. Oh, and also unlike McGee, Peanut Butter Wolf has a musical output of his own to be proud of; from his early 90s work with the sadly departed Charizma, to his brilliant solo album, 1999s My Vinyl Weighs a Ton. Sadly, Manak's shortest answer of the day comes when I ask what the likelihood of a belated follow up is: "Never". So that's that then.

The purpose of this interview is primarily to talk about Peanut Butter Wolf's latest venture; a compilation of early 80s five boroughs hip hop for the Five Day Weekend label entitled 45 Live. It comes as both a mix CD, and an altogether sexier boxset containing each of the tracks on 7". I begin by asking how he came to be involved with the project?

"About 10 years ago in the late 90s, I got into doing DJ sets of all hip hop on 7". When hip hop was in its golden era in the late 80s, 7" was kind of a dead format for 'dance music' as everyone (myself included) was more interested in 12" versions. But I eventually realized that 7" singles DID exist for a lot of those hip hop classics. Biz Markie even called me back then to trade hip hop 45s as he heard that I was into them. I continued collecting these through the years and last year, I decided to make a poster of all my hip hop 7"s. Then, I did a mix CD and had J Rocc do one as well. We even made a T-shirt and all my DJ friends wore it with pride. From there, I was approached to do the 7" box set. I decided to make the boxset all classic hip hop songs that have never been on 7" before."

The choice of tracks is perfectly balanced, from the obvious (BDP's classic 'The Bridge is Over') to the obscure (the original version of Dimples D's ' Sucker D.J.s (I Will Survive)'. So how, with the wealth of material to choose from, did PBW decide what made the cut? The aforementioned Biz Markie gets a well deserved two tracks (his own 'Make the Music With Your Mouth' and his guest spot on Big Daddy Kane's excellent 'Just Rhymin With Biz') for example. A deliberate move?

"Yeah, I guess having the Biz stuff on there is cool, especially since he'll probably enjoy the box set as much as anyone. And I HAD to put 'The Bridge Is Over' as well as 'Marley Marl Scratch' on there, even though KRS and Shan had major beef on record. For the most part, they were all songs I was into back when they came out, but there were a few more recent discoveries too."

So, growing up in San Jose, did you have access to these songs?

"A lot of the indie stuff was hard to get in the early to mid 80s. The purpose of the box set wasn't really to put the most rare stuff on it though. It was just for me to have some of my favourite stuff available on 7"."

A noble enough reason for me. The main thing that shines through throughout the course of 45 Live's nineteen tracks is the innocence of the nascent genre, both musically and lyrically. It just sounds, even at its heaviest and its most creative, like a fun time. What do you miss most about the era?

"It had more character in a lot of ways because there weren't any rules yet. The stuff back then, especially when sampling started, all sounded so different. But I love the electro rap stuff too. I just did a show with Kurtis Blow, Furious Five, Soul Sonic Force, etc, and it reminded me of how different it was."

PBW's sheer undimmed enthusiasm for music is evident. If he was to produce a follow up to 45 Live, the next volume would, apparently, be an "80s boogie/modern soul" compilation. One of Stones Throw's latest discoveries, the truly brilliant Mayer Hawthorne, could just about fit this bill. Hawthorne's nostalgic yet utterly fresh A Strange Arrangement has recently received a deserved truck load of acclaim, which came as little surprise to PBW: "With Mayer, I kinda saw it grow every step of the way, so it's for me to know what it's like to see it from the outside. From the day I had the 2 songs ('Just Ain't Gonna Work Out'/'When I Said Goodbye') for the first single mastered, everyone I knew was telling me, "this has the potential to really blow up". It's obvious that Manak is incredibly proud of any of his charges' success, and still gets the same buzz from a band he's followed from day one becoming successful that we all do. Unlike us, he's the one that's actually released the records, the lucky git.

So who can you see following Mayer? Who should we be looking out for, so that we can buy their records before anyone else and look extremely cool for doing so?

"You gotta check out Dam-Funk. He really pours his heart and soul out on stage and the crowd gets it. Great DJ/musician/master of ceremonies. And CX Kidtronik and Strong Arm Steady have great stuff too. Of course Madlib always has 10 albums on deck too."

Ah yes, Madlib. It would be entirely remiss of me not to ask whether there is any chance of the long rumoured follow up to Stones Throw's most feted release, Madvillainy, the stunning 2004 collaboration between Madlib and MF Doom. "Next year", says PBW. Woo hoo! That's probably as near to a confirmation as you can actually get, given that the two men making the damn thing are somewhat...errant.

During the wait for the new Madvillain album - which seems certain to be a future modern classic - you could do far far worse than checking out 45 Live and going back to where it all began. You may have some of the tracks already, but as an escapist way of immersing yourself in simpler times it is perfect. It also makes a truly brilliant party album even when taken out of its historical context. Plus, it comes in an extremely pretty box, so there really is no excuse.