Mixtape Monday: DJ Jazzy Jeff, House Shoes, Mr. Thing + More

This week's episode #005 of Mixtape Monday is a decidedly soulful trip with mixes from DJ Jazzy Jeff, House Shoes, Mr. Thing, Gabriel Valandingham-Dunn, DJ 2Tee, Makefriends, Mister Cee and more. We also have solid tributes to New Edition, A Tribe Called Quest and Stevie Wonder, so get cozy with these melodious sets brimming with jazz-funk, house, lo-fi, classic hip-hop and plenty of digger's delights. A few of the mixes are dedicated to journeys and destinations, which is quite fitting as many people march for justice amidst a storm of controversial policies affecting the lives of people in the United Staes.

If ever there was a reason to spread love and good music, this is it.

Mr. Thing - Vinyl Factory Mix #79: A Tribe Called Quest

Mr. Thing marks the upcoming vinyl release of A Tribe Called Quest’s 2016 We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service LP with a 1-hour tribute mix full of Tribe classics. Thirty-eight cuts deep, the mix also features a laundry list of iconic original samples from Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, Minnie Riperton, Cal Tjader, Funkadelic and Gary Bartz. It’s like butter, baby.

Junior Sagoe & Alex Butler - Makefriends 01.28.17

Junior Sagoe and Alex Butler take over the wheels for the latest edition of the monthly 10 Twenty Radio residency from South London’s Makefriends. The stellar Saturday night set is jam packed with classic hip-hop and soulful beats. The tracklist includes joints from Quasimoto, Gang Starr, KMD, Outkast, Lafayette Afro Rock Band and more.

House Shoes x dublab - MAGIC 01.27.17

House Shoes drops the latest addition to his bi-monthly MAGIC mix series for dublab featuring a monstrous tracklist that runs the gamut from out jazz and classic soul to hip-hop and lo-fi beat tape gems. Appearances include Prodigy, Jeff Lorber, Quelle Chris, Malik Abdul-Rahman, Raekwon, Shuggie Otis, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Hezekiah and more. Shoes also tucks some solid gold skits into the mix. If you didn’t believe in magic before, you will after this mix.

Funk Bastard x Darker Than Wax - In 30 Mix #14

Funk Bastard is back in the driver’s seat for the latest in the In 30 mix series from Darker Than Wax. The boogie laden mix dedicated to happy vibrations features tracks from Damu The Fudgemunk, Giorgio Oehlers, Dudley Watts, Zerosen and X-Ray Ted.

Shades of jazz-funk, smoky hip-hop beats, psychedelic tropical sounds, slo-mo chuggers, boogie and house vibes all sliced up and packed into 30 mins, so I hope this new mix puts that smile on your face wherever you are cuz after all, music is the best medicine. Stay positive and aware in these rather testing times.

DJ Mister Cee - New Edition Tribute Mix

DJ Mister Cee pays tribute to pioneering Boston-bred R&B group and boy band blueprint, New Edition with a 1-hour retrospective that goes deep into the crates to showcase some of their biggest hits and earliest flashes of brilliance. The mix follows the release of the biopic miniseries The New Edition Story, which premiered on January 24th on BET.

DJ Jazzy Jeff x Joe Kay - Soulection Radio #293

Soulection friend and mentor DJ Jazzy Jeff finally jumps into the mix with founder Joe Kay for Soulection Radio #293. Clocking in at close to the 2-hour mark, their set includes tracks from PYREX, Lemzly Dale, Jon B, Drake, Jorja Smith, Saba, Aloe Blacc, Kaytranada, Chris McClenney, ESTA, Stro Elliot, Maségo, Slum Village and Anderson .Paak.

Maiya Norton - The Sweet Spot Vol. 5: Red Light

Inspired by a trip through Europe, Maiya Norton compiled a handful of her favorite tracks for The Sweet Spot Vol. 5: Red Light mix. The 46-minute set is sexy set dense with lush harmonies and warm grooves from Kaytranada, Electric Wire Hustle, Robin Hannibal, Xavier Omar, Kissey Asplund, Disclosure and Boom Clap Bachelors.

I visited Amsterdam and Stockholm a few months back and one of the things I was looking forward to most was the music. Having been a fan of many artists from both areas, London and across Europe, I was inspired to make a mix of some old and new favorites as well as some American artists who blend into the sound. It’s a sexy, sultry mix, aptly named Red Light after the district. Track list below. Enjoy.

Gabriel Vanlandingham-Dunn - Record Breakin Music's Sound Traveler Series #20

Gabriel Vanlandingham-Dunn steps to the plate with a selection of choice cuts from his personal collection for Record Breakin Music’s Sound Traveler Series #20. A funky ride through the black musical canon, the tight set is reflective of Gabriel’s acumen and well seasoned palette. The mix includes contributions from Stanley Cowell, Art Van Damme, Roland Hanna, J Dilla, Dionne Warwick, Sun Ra, DJ Polo, Dali, Joe Roland, Elis Regina and Aretha Franklin.

Recently, I was asked by my dear friend Junior to do a mix for Record Breakin' Music. I'm honored to have known this cat for about a decade, and even more so to provide a few tunes that mean a lot to me. Inspired by David Adams' artwork for the Dali 7" (included here), I pulled out a few pieces from my personal collection that remind me of parks. As it goes, most of these tunes have gotten some serious play while people watching, meditating, and meeting good folk in large, green public spaces. There are some funky jawns, happy jawns, sad jawns, loud jawns, and quiet jawns, but all of these jawns are ones I hold near and dear, for one reason or another. No Logic and no reissues, just wax played at the tempo it was supposed to be enjoyed at.

I hope it moves you.

Best,

Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn

DJ 2Tee - Wonder! Mix

Leeds resident and Weird Jazz Collective representative DJ 2Tee pays tribute to Stevie Wonder with a dynamic mix of some of his most beloved compositions. A comprehensive look at the widely celebrated work of a master, the set covers his output from the "Little Stevie Wonder" era to Inner Visions, Talking Book and more. The cherry on top? The killer covers of Wonder's work that pepper the mix.

Stevie Wonder, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. A child prodigy, he is considered to be one of the most critically and commercially successful musical performers of the late 20th century. Wonder signed with Motown's Tamla label at the age of 11 and he continued performing and recording for Motown into the 2010s. He has been blind since shortly after birth. It is hard to exaggerate the impact that Wonder’s music had on many jazz musicians. This mix aims to highlight covers of songs either written or associated with Wonder and show the breadth of style and content that his music has encompassed. I hope you enjoy the ride and don't you worry 'bout a thing, cause I'll be standing on the side when you check it out!

Shutta Mixtapes x Random Access Radio - Keep On Shining

Shutta Mixtapes dishes a up heaping helping of soul from Athens, Greece with the Keep On Shining mix for Random Access Radio. The 34-minute disco, funk and soul set from SM includes remixes and originals from Larry Levan, Marvin Gaye, Theo Parrish, Moodymann, James Mason, CSLSX, Leroy Hutson and more. As always, everything is exactly as it should be.