O Wang M J 5 Mixtape Cover
Welcome to February, and more importantly welcome to Mixtape Monday. We've got for you what might be the most well-balanced roundup of the year, with the world premiere of exclusive psychedelic throwback sounds from Jayjo, fresh work from Gilles Peterson, Chairman Jeff Mao and genuine Chicago house beats courtesy of Glenn Underground. All that, plus neo-African dance, choice hip-hop courtesy of Dope Folks Records, and a beyond-strange set from Brooklyn newcomer Maxo. There's something for everyone in the pages that await, so raise it up in the name of versatility and enjoy. The mixed-up goodness has only just begun.
Imported all the way from Portugal, Jayjo's psych-rock-centric Golden Sands mix is a reminder that innovative beats can come straight out of the past, from far beyond the typical boundaries of hip-hop. (Jayjo's own group, the Miami-based soul outfit Ketchy Shuby, is not to be slept on.) This mix first hit the airwaves via Lisbon radio station Radio Oxigenio last weekend and is replicated here in full. From Mirtha Y Raul's burner of an opening track all the way through Strawberry Alarm Clock and Question Mark's vintage psych stylings, its a mix full of weird and wild sound--who could ask for anything more?
Tracklist:
Mirtha Y Raul - "El Sueño De Andria"
Kaleidoscope - "Colours"
Elia Y Elizabeth - "Allegriá"
Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Barefoot In Baltimore"
Tim Maia - "Ela Partiu"
Freshwater - "Satan’s Woman"
Tirogo - "Float"
Question Mark & The Mysterians - "Girl (You Captivate Me)"
(Cover art by Underdog)
When our good family at Okayafrica publishes a new mixtape, it's our duty to stop, look and listen. The latest in their now-legendary Africa In Your Earbuds series comes from the wild minds of Cape Town, South Africa rap collective Dookoom. In a crisp 38 minutes, their new mixtape shines bright, beat-heavy light on many of Cape Town's underexposed and underappreciated acts. "This mixtape was inspired by the people of Cape Town. There are so many good artists on the Cape Flats who are still learning the craft. So basically I dedicate this to them… so that they keep chasing their dreams...I’m very humbled by the opportunity to share a little bit of my Africa. SaLoot," Dookoom's DJ Roach told Okayafrica when he delivered the mix. You can read a little more about the mixtape here, but we suggest pushing play asap.
Tracklist:
Archetypes - "Blunts and Stunts"
Dookoom - "Pielle Yt"
M.ILA ft BonZaya - "Me"
Cream - "Hip Hop is terug"
Scally Wag & Isaac Mutant - "Laanie Rot"
Youngster - "Mother City"
Hemelbesem feat Lee-Ursus - "Kennis Geewing"
The Royal Rebel feat Bonzaya, Blackson, Postman - "Blaze 5th"
Rashid Kamalie - "Ballade van a Enkeling"
Dr Kapnoudis ft Kay Kinetic - "Ons Willit Hehhh"
MC Pote, Chella83 - "Tha Cypher"
Stahlbard, Dr Kapnoudis en Isaac Mutant - "Subwoofers en Speakers"
Various - "StaanVas"
It was only two weeks ago that Gilles Peterson blew the roof off of Brooklyn with a 5 hour DJ set for the ages--but this man never rests. The BBC's soul, funk, hip-hop and jazz luminary has gifted us with a brand new mixtape, this one loaded with obscure sides from the defunct jazz label Strata-East. If it's a little Gil Scott Heron, Pharaoh Sanders, Stanley Cowell and Mtume you desire (or if you're not familiar with those names, but still love top-notch jazz), this is the set for you. For a deeper glimpse into Gilles Peterson's genius, read our new interview with him here.
Tracklist:
Music Inc – "On The Nile"
Gil Scott Heron – "Peace Go With You Brother"
Clifford Jordan – "872"
Billy Harper – "Soulfully, I Love You/Black Spiritual of Love"
Mtume – "Invocation"
Charles Rouse – "In His Presence Searching"
Cecil Payne – "Girl You Got A Home"
The Piano Choir – "Nation Time"
Milton Marsh – "Monism"
The New York Bass Violin Choir – "John Coltrane"
Brother Ah – "Beyond Yourself"
Stanley Cowell – "Travelin Man"
Harold Vick – "Stop And Cop"
Gil Scott Heron – "Your Daddy Loves You"
Descendants of Mike and Phoebe – "Chick Chick"
Billy Parker’s 4th World – "Get With It"
Composer’s Workshop Ensemble – "Sub Structure"
Charles Tolliver – "Wilpan’s"
Jayne Cortez – "How Long Has Trane Been Gone"
Pharaoh Sanders – "Prince of Peace"
Cecil Mcbee – "Voice of the 7th Angel"
Dick Griffin – "Jakubu’s Dance"
Billy C – "Both Sides Now"
Lest you forget, the focus of this weekly mixtape roundup is and always has been hip-hop, and the latest set from Dope Folks Records is pure rap gold, through and through. With its emphasis on rare and criminally slept-on artists from across the nation, DF's new mixtape is a dose of old/new synergy. Cuts from Mic Rippa, Tha Alkaholiks, Will Vill, Black Sheep and many more are in the new label mix. The samples are tough, the raps are thorough--what more could you ask for? Get to it.
Tracklist:
Omniscence - “Represent” from Raw Factors Pt. 3
Young Zee - “Everybody Get (Q-Tip Remix)” from Musical Meltdown Pt. 2
Example ft. D-Rose of Flow Factory - “D.T.S.” from Progressions: The Austin St. Suites
Rast RFC - “Back in the Daze” from Across West 3rd Street
Tha Alkaholiks - “Mr. Troublemaker” from Alkaholiks E.S.P. Demos
Mic Rippa - “96 Creamhunt” from Mr. Mic Rippa
Deep in da Circle - “Star of Da Show” from Deep Waters EP
Ras Kass, Vooodu!, Almighty Arrogant, Saafir - “Handle the Truth” from Pre-Soul On Ice Demos
Sim City feat. Roc Marciano - “Sole Progression” from Killed By Def Vol.3: SIM-E
Will Vill - “Outshine The Sun” from The Arrival Pt.1
Black Sheep - “Give it Up” from Early 90’s Rarities
DJ Stitches & Rhyme Valore - “These Are the Dayz” from Another Sleepless Night EP
Courageous Chief - “Like That” from The Birth of Popa Chief
Monsta Island Czars (Kamackeris) - “Mad World” from The Come Up
Snafu! - “Blunt Smokers” from Blunt Smokers 95-98
School Dayze - “Put Me On” from Killed By Def Vol. 3: SIM-E
Darc Mind - “Lyrical Blunt” from Antediluvian Vol.2
Warriors of Shaolin - “Network the Knowledge” from Killed By Def Vol. 4: THE WHITE SHADOW
Divine Beings featuring Black Thought -“We Can Get Fly” from Whatever Tracks
One of our most favorite mixtape makers on planet earth is Jeff "Chairman" Mao. His unbeatable series of throwback(ish) jazz, soul, funk and hip-hop got a fantastic update late last month with the release of "Modern Heat," a mix dedicated to the cause of getting warm despite the bitter winter cold. Clearly Mao has the dancefloor in his sights with this set, which features plenty of disco, boogie and funk. If for some reason these cuts from Numero Group, Social Lovers and more. The clavinets and slicing drums are so on point, you'd swear the 70s never ended. It's a testament of Mao's brilliant ear and knack for bringing the very best material. Put this on and boogie down--spring is only two months away. Check out artwork images of each track in the mix, and ready a full description, here.
Loaded up with even smother, rarer hip-hop than the last mix, Frenchman DJ. P's "Shutter" mix is an exercise in tasteful selections, bringing underground heroes like Kankick, Statik Selektah, Lord Finesse and more under the same sonic roof. Like all our favorite mixtapes, P's set is an all-vinyl affair, and so those gorgeous flickers and hisses you hear are coming straight from his personal collection. Enjoy the gritty drums and jazz samples, because we sure as hell are.
Tracklist:
Hassaan Mackey – "What U Got" (feat. Asheru, Grap Luva & Kev Brown) (2014)
Kankick – "One Reason Why" (2014)
Pete Flux & Parental – "The Calm" (2014)
Statik Selektah – "Carry On" (feat. Joey Bada$$) (2014)
Lewis Parker – "World On My Shoulders" (feat. Jacky Danz) (2013)
Quasimoto – "Planned Attack" (2014)
Klaus Layer – "Into A Sky" (2013)
Lord Finesse – "Electric Impression" (2014)
Anteek Recepies – "Little Stories" (2014)
Kid Tsunami – "The First Letter" (feat. A.G.) (2014)
Damu The Fudgemunk – "Live On Because" (2013)
Audessey & A Cat Called Fritz – "Solid Ground" (2014)
If it's sweet, sweet vocals that you seek, seek no more--throwback mix king O. Wang of Soul-Sides has spun a divine all-Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 tape. In his own words, a mix of "obscure-ish" MJ and Jackson 5 songs put together in 2009 memorial of the King's passing. In a brilliant description of the mix, Wang put it like this:
Anyone who has every DJed any party, anywhere knows that when everything else fails, you can always put on some MJ and it’s like Insta-Party. As a fellow DJ wrote, “MJ has always been the most “guaranteed go-to” artist for DJs in the history of DJs.” True that.The thing is…it’s so easy to get the party started with MJ, it’s like an unfair advantage over the audience. It’s so easy that I’ve usually avoided playing anything too obvious by MJ simply because…it’s too easy.
And I was thinking: who else comes close to having that kind of power? The only artist even in the conversation is Prince but even then, we’re talking about Purple Rain-era Prince mostly whereas with MJ, you can drop everything from “I Want You Back” (1970) to “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (1979) to “Billie Jean” (1982) to “Smooth Criminal” (1987) and it’s on like Donkey Kong.
But this post actually isn’t about those songs. You don’t really need me waxing poetic about “Billie Jean” or “I Want You Back.” I’m here to dig beneath the #1 hits and offer up a playlist of some of my favorite M-J-5 related songs/covers/remixes that bring out the full spectrum of the artist and group’s styles.
Read a full description of the mix and a very detailed tracklisting over at Soul-Sides.
here's where things get a little...strange. Brooklyn producer and remix savant Maxo recently dropped a solo mixtape over at the Fader and showed the world just how broad his horizons can get. The set embraces futuristic hip-hop, bedroom r&b, techno, and a kind of weird techno glitch sound that conjures up images of smashed Super Nintendo cartridges repaired and replayed through a Technics 1200. Hyperactive in every degree, Maxo seems to have a philosophy of "if it can be warped and made weird, do it," and for the most part that philosophy pays off. Read his full interview with Fader here, and get ready for a dazzling journey--don't say you weren't warned.
Tacklist:
Maxo - "Intro / Evening Of The Tick"
Sharp Eagle Platform - "gramtaer"
Maxo - "Eddy Vancouver"
MINO MINO - "TBH"
Lindsay Lowend - "martian junkyard"
Toby Gale - "Hawaii Wifi Tiger Moves"
Kitty - "285 (Maxo Parasolmix)"
popcorn_10 - "paperhat"
JNTHN STEIN X Brasstracks - "Laced Up"
Maxo - "Bishonen Line"
Guy Akimoto - "What's It For (Maxo Jetmix)"
Maxo - "untitled theme / Outro"
If you house heads have been feeling left out so far this week, worry no more. Straight from the Midwestern hub of heavy beats that is Chicago, Glenn Underground has a brand new live mix up at Red Bull Music Academy. Atop a beat that never quits, Underground threads jazz tones, African-isms, and soul vocals into a house set that's perfect for anyone who doesn't self-identify as a "house head." Put this on and see why Chicago's scene still reigns supreme.
It never fails--LeFtO has once again turned out a stellar set of music. His latest show if packed with new Kaytranada, Marvel Alexander, Joey Bada$$, Stones Throw's Mild High Club and may more. LeFtO is getting ready to put on a massive DJ show with Tokimonsta, Mura Masa and many more, so consider this the warm up round and if you're in Europe, get to Belgium, stat.
Tracklist:
billy gault - "the time of this world"
scoop deville - "poetic justice"
phony ppl - "age of you"
erykah badu - "didn’t cha know (live)"
tokimonsta - "soul to seoul"
kaytranada - "drive me crazy ft. vic mensa"
marvel alexander - "illest nigga"
ihsan al munzer - "the joy of lina (farha)"
guy one - "suro yuama"
mestre laurentino - "lourinha americana"
makaya mccraven - "requests"
hitomi nishiyama trio parallax - "rock out"
saalk - "pillamp"
up high collective - "nightways"
flako - "kuku"
sun people - "you got me (ticklish remix)"
mild high club - "window pane"
your old droog - "loosey in the store with pennies"
joey bada$$ - "piece of mind"
pyrmdplaza - "mantralu"
sonzeira - "bam bam bam (clap! clap! remix)"
sam gellaitry - "the end"
oliver the 2nd - "red roses ft. jeremiah jae & trenttruce"
mura masa - "lotus eater"
j dilla - "y’all ain’t ready"
henry wu - "casper joint"
mike gao - "shoemaker"
sly johnson - "everybody dancin’"
ghostface killah x bbng - "ray gun ft. doom"
baligh hamdy - "gada"
romare - "prison blues"
thatmanmonkz - "sad n blue"
candido - "thousand finger man"
uffe - "my luv was reel"
emanative - "makondi ft. four tet"
life’s track - "velocity"
paranoid london - "light tunnel"
glenn astro & max graef - "titel ft. paul frick"
