Tony touch dj stretch armstrong dj mix photo square
It's too hot to sweat the introductory pleasantries, so let's get right into Mixtape Monday. This week packs a HUGE 3 hour-plus collaborative set from DJs Stretch Armstrong, Tony Touch, Clark Kent, D Nice and Rich Medina, plus new work from DJ Big Jacks, team Soulection, Chile's DJ Dacel, and Damu The Fudgemunk. It's the dog days of summer out there, and that means music is all the more necessary as a means of keeping cool (and sane). Happy Monday, one and all; the beats drop now.
You better hydrate and put on your marathon running shoes for this one. New York DJ legends DJ Stretch Armstrong, Tony Touch, Clark Kent and D Nice linked with Philly stalwart Rich Medina for one of the most impressive, star-studded turntable cooking sessions in recent memory. The aural insanity went down at the SoHo fixture Santos Party House, giving way to a three hour-plus session of beats sourced from the far reaches of hip-hop, soul, funk, R&B and so much more. This group refers to themselves as "The Originals," and all it takes is a few minutes of listening to know why they've more than earned that title. Educate yourself and satisfy your soul all at once in this incredible live multi-mix. And you don't stop.
When Damu the Fudgemunk makes a move, those in the know drop everything and listen. The producer and DJ has already made a massive impact despite being only 31 years old, and on a recent trip to St. Petersburg Damu threw down a positively brilliant live set, which was captured on high-quality video for posterity to revel in. The sound isn't directly from the boards, so you'll have to put up with a few ambient noises here and there--but is that such a bad thing? Expect to hear plenty of rock-solid breaks, funky horns and deft scratching from Damu. There's just something about Damu's work--a highly-developed beat-selection skill mixed with the patience to just let the music ride out a little longer than usual. This one's from Russia with love.
A sleeper bit of genius that we just couldn't pass by, DJ Cash Money's "Kicking Flava" set is a demonstration in intelligent design. Beats from Q-Tip, Slum Village, Lee Fields, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Mantronix (we see you, Donuts-lovers!) and so much more. Philly legend Cash Money set this mix down as a proper release a while back, but has just decided to be incredibly generous and upload it for us all to enjoy whenever (and however) we choose.
Tracklist:
Intro - Doing It
Q-Tip - Original
DJ Mitsu* - Stolen Moments
DJ Format - 3 Feet Deep
Ohmega Watts - That Sound
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Sharon Jones - Genuine
Lee Fields - I'm The Man
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Poison
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Mobb Deep - Give Up The Goods
Nas - Halftime
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Main Ingredient
Organized Konfusion - Stress (Extra P Remix)
Trends Of Culture - Off & On
Greg Nice - Can't Nobody Hold Us
Cru - Just Another Case
Light Headed - In The Building
AV8 - Here We Go
Big Daddy Kane - Set It Off
Mantronix - King Of The Beats
Unknown Artist - Interlude
21st Century Steel Band - Heaven & Hell
Liquid Liquid - Cavern
Incredible Bongo Band - Bongolia
Pieces Of A Dream - Mt. Airy Groove
DJ Cash Money - Kool Is Black
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Rodney P - The Nice Up
Kenny Dope - Supa Remix
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Kenny Dope - Budy Bye
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Barrington Levy - Murderer
Frighty & Colonel Mite - Life Is What You Make It
Inner Circle - Bad Boys
Johnny Osbourne - Budy Bye
Dawn Penn - You Don't Love Me
Sister Nancy - Bam Bam
I-Wayne - Cant Satisfy Her
Reggie Stepper - Drum Pan Sound
Cocoa Tee - I've Lost
Artifacts - Dynamite Soul
Group Home - Livin Proof
Smooth Da Hustla - Broken Language
Nas - Represent
O.C. - Times Up
The East Flatbush Projects - Tried By 12
Slum Village - Look Of Love
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Unknown Artist - Interlude
A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
Big L - Put It On
Unknown Artist - Interlude
Ugly Duckling - Now Who's Laughing
It's ain't too hot to dance, that's for certain. DJ Big Jacks is well aware of that fact, and has put together a throwback(ish) set of cuts that gives plenty due justice to the 90s and early 2000s. Get set for Clipse, Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G., O.D.B., A Tribe Called Quest, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, T.I., Missy Elliott, Nas and damn near everyone else to put out a hip-hop record.
Austin-based Lo-Phi got together with WaxPoetics to compose his new "Psychic Landscape" set, a roving 45 minutes of grooves strange and familiar that very much fit his own inventive production styles. From ambient landscapes to 80s programmed drum, Lo-Phi's mix travels the sonic spectrum far and wide, but spends most of its time out at the weird, delightful edges.
Tracklist:
Horoscope – Young-Holt Unlimited
Program Greetings
Intro – Mojoe
Program: Gratitude
What Have You Done For Me Lately – Janet Jackson
Turnkey Tyranny Anti-Turn-up – Busdriver
Program: Still Moving
Do What The Fuck You Wanna Do – Devin the Dude
Aquaspek
Side One – Kent & Durand
Evolution of Man – Binary Star
Program: a Carpenters Interlude
Forest Nativity – Francis Bebey
Breakaway – Big Pig
post hoc ergo propter hoc (for Schopenhauer) – Milo
Program:
Dead (Serious) – Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice
Trying People – De La Soul
Chilean beatmaker and selector DJ Dacel stopped by Soundwaves Radio in LA to talk about his classic hip-hop influences, plans for his new LP Shakti and what it's like to work and grow as a South American musician who loves beats and rhymes. Dacel also threw down a brand new mix while at the station, blending futuristic R&B and hard-hitting beats with a kind of cool, confident verve. It's a set filled with little gems that perhaps only a foreign ear could have caught, so put it on, find yourself some shade and enjoy Dacel as he goes to work.
It's almost too much for an Okayplayer to handle. Arnaud D and The Genevan Heathen are bringing us their 10 VOLUME G-Funk Anthology series, and yes it's loaded with more crackling snares and vocoder than your brain likely has room for. The first three volumes of the anthology have already been made available online, and given that each one is over an hour long, we'll just plan to see you on the other side of some California sunbathing at some point this fall. Here's what D and the Heathen had to say about the mixes:
The 10-volume G-FUNK ANTHOLOGY Mixtape Series, brought to you by Arnaud D & The Genevan Heathen (aka The G-Funk Brothers), celebrates the music genre known as G-Funk: classics, rarities and remixes from gangsta funk superstars, regional heroes and obscure geniuses. While the series focuses on artists from Southern California, expect necessary nods to Mob Music from the Bay Area and mid-90s Down South & Midwest escapades.
True we've already given DJ Clark Kent some shine in this week's roundup, but is too much of the super man really ever a bad thing? One of his classic hip-hop mixes, all the way from 1992, has made its way online and we'd be foolish to not include it in our roundup of essential sets. Put it on, crack a beer and drift all the way back to those pre-Clinton years. It's nothing but Showbiz & Ag, Das EFX, UMCs, Pete Rock & C L Smooth, Organized Konfusion and more gems.
