Archive for the ‘mix’ Category
Shoutouts to DJ Smutlee for putting out a dancehall mixtape that’s actually worthy of blogging. It’s a been a minute.
The London club DJ, mixtape maker, & blend specialist does what he does best on this 61-minute mix, which features a bunch of new jams, a couple tried a true classics and smattering of original mashups. Smutlee has made quite a name for himself in the moombahton scene lately, but it’s good to see that he’s still as keen on the dancehall as ever. Hope y’all enjoy this one as much as I do. It’s on steady bump. Hit the jump for the massive tracklist.
I’ve always been a fan of what Kenny Fresh and his Frsh Slcts website chooses to highlight in terms of being a tastemaking blog. I figured it was an entire crew of writers, designers, DJs and whoever else making Frsh Slcts happen until I met Kenny Fresh (aka Knny Frsh) in person here in Seattle and he dropped a nugget on me that I’ll always remember: “Naw man… it’s just me, that’s why I’m only able to post so often.” Well, nobody truly works alone, but still, there’s a whole heap of good taste in that man’s head and when he decides to post something folks should take the time to check it out.
Roughly a week ago, he dropped a mix of gems that were making him excited a couple of years ago. He enlisted the help of Portland DJ/producer Doc Adam to mix everything and what you get is a retrospective of timeless music that does not deserve to die due to people’s wack ass internet attention spans. Everybody is trying to either be current with the music they highlight or look toward future sounds/stuff that’s super retro. That’s fine. But what about the hot shit from 2008 that DJs act to cool to drop on the dancefloor now cause it’s “old.” Give me a break. Apparently Frsh Slcts agrees. Peep their highly eclectic mixer for free now. Full tracklist below the jump. Fans of Platinum Pied Pipers, Ta’raach, Little Dragon, and SA-RA should consider this mix an audible high five.
Holy chit! I was just talking about it being the beginning of the end of summer and how I needed to max out my enjoyment of the warm weather while I still can. Then, I open up my Twitter, and lo and behold, the perfect soundtrack for doing just that appears before my very eyes – good looks, DJ Chilly. Now that the hard part’s figured out, I welcome you to join me as I grab summer by the cojones and dance my way through the rest of it with some bloodclat estilo y sabrosura to the aptly-titled Ciao Verano mix.
Massive ups to DJ Panamami (awesome name) for the mix and the impeccable timing. Head over to Parlour Magazine for a mini-interview with the mixmaster herself, and peep the tracklist over at Jay Z’s Life + Times.
I got an email last week announcing that Seattle producer Def Dee just signed a record deal with Mello Music Group. Thats the same label that Oddisee, Boog Brown, the Left, Has-Lo, and a few other “newer” artists that have been grinding away in the underground for years are currently signed with and gaining more exposure because of it. Shout outs to Mello Music Group by the way.
Def Dee is a slightly different story because he’s younger than everyone else on the label. Considerably. He’s recently reached drinking age but his beats feel noticeably more polished than one would expect from a 21-year-old, mostly self-taught producer. You’ll hear a bit of the DMV sound in his beats due to spending time under Damu’s wing and you’ll hear some Detroit as well.
Cheap Heat is a collection of cuts that, no doubt, he was working on before the deal and MMG decided to give it away for free. Def Dee’s full-length debut for the label is due out next year. Until then, let this tide you over.
We here at LxNxM have a lot of love for the music coming out of Southern Florida. We started as a bi-coastal blog and remain so at heart. So it’s good to see that DJ Guilletine has recently dropped a podcast dedicated to rising hip-hop talent coming from the 305. And by “rising talent” we mean please don’t expect any Rick Ross, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Trick Daddy, or Trina. Seriously.
Instead, expect a slew of Miami-Dade and Broward County freshness from LMS, ArtOfficial, Lex One, Soarse Spoken, and plenty of others. Any podcast that starts out saying, “We live out here in Hialeah” is cool with me. Check out the freshness right here. Peep the full tracklist after the jump.
Following Tang’s lead, here is a sweet little downloadable ditty from that guy Theophilus London. I really dig this RAC (remix artist collective) version over the album version – the bright, poppy keys, and the airy vocals of Sara Q (of Tegan and Sara fame) make this jam remind me of some of that early Paula Abdul – you know like those video-duets with the totally slept on MC Skat Kat.
Enjoy!
Theophilus London – Why Even Try (RAC Remix) by TheophilusLondon
Apparently, the revolution is being televised after all and Gil Scott-Heron just didn’t have Al Jazeera. That isn’t meant to be flippant, it’s the damn truth. But when the late great Gil Scott-Heron came out with his seminal “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” piece in 1970, it super-charged urban poetry, planted a seed for hip-hop, and solidified his reputation as a musician that deserved to be taken seriously.
I won’t spent much time offering a mini eulogy of the man although he was a huge influence on my life. I’ve played Pieces of a Man on repeat more times than I could possibly count and his other soul-bearing pieces like “The Bottle” and “Home is Where the Hatred Is” showcased his ability to open up his own wounds to the world so that others could heal, even if it meant that he could not. He sort of had that Richard Pryor thing where he laughed about and showcased his own addictions to help others get through theirs. Pryor gets credit for that all the time, Heron never really did.
All of this reminds me that there’s an entire generation of music listeners out there young and old that never paid attention to Gil Scott-Heron’s music at all but will most likely begin now. Just like all the folks who listened to J-Dilla after he passed away. It’s a natural phenomenon. And let’s be real, folks need cliff notes. If you fit that description (and there’s no shame in that) or simply want to hear some of Heron’s best work compiled in one place, Cookin’ Soul has got you covered. Download his latest offering, The Revolution Will Be Televised and listen to it while you delve into Al Jazeera tonight.
It’s about time that I hit y’all with a proper dancehall – in this case, bashment – mix. So, since I’m on this British radio kick as of late, I figure why not go straight to the toppa top source of quality bashment in the UK, Gabriel Heatwave.
Expect to hear some new riddims, exclusive material and a few soon-to-be Spring/Summer anthems. We also get a little sneak preview of the upcoming Energy Bashment Mix, which should be out any day now is out now (download via thehypelifemag).
Download the whole damn thing here Check out the massive playlist after the jump
I’m always going to have a soft spot in my heart for South Florida rapper Brisco. I wrote my first Gen F in FADER magazine on the guy and watched him go from a hungry artist riding Rick Ross’ coattails to a certified music entity in the South that a lot of folks in Georgia, Alabama and Florida come out and support.
He did take swings at Gucci Mane and Waka Flaka, so maybe one can cross Georgia off that list, but Brisco’s music still goes hard to a sizable audience regardless of if you’ve never heard him before. He was signed to Cash Money for awhile and faithfully reps Poe Boy Records so there’s no doubt that his time will come when it’s destined.
As for now, check out his OG Kush Vol 2 mixtape that dropped yesterday, which showcases where Brisco’s head is at lyric-wise and how much weed he smokes. I purposely didn’t post this mix yesterday so that it wouldn’t get caught in the fog of a kajillion weed anthems that came out on 4/20. Wiz Kalifa, Beans, JRandall, and Jamaican dancehall demon Red Rat make appearances. Download it now.
