2015 VDAY MIXTAPE - LOVE

Band / Artist:
Sunny Side Up,
Low Leaf,
Eric Serra,
Dive,
Hot Mouth,
Frank Guerrero,
Ivan & Alyosha,
Mr. Meeble,
Cruxshadows,
DJ not-I,
Blur,
Pet Shop Boys,
Nightmares on Wax,
Grant Cornish,
The Kleptones,
Texas Paul Sutherland,
Toadies

Year: 1994-2013
Genre: Ska Revival, Indie Dance, Nu Disco, Industrial, Electro, Latin Dance, Acoustic, Goth Rock,  Mashup, Breakbeat, Hip-Hop, Easy Listening, Southern Rock, Alt Rock

My Review:
It's here, it's eclectic. I like it. Enjoy!

Password; Howdy

Ser.aph - LOVE (2015 Mixtape)

2014 VDAY MIXTAPE - LUST

Band / Artist: 
DMX Krew,
Nine Inch Nails,
Andy Iona,
Die Warzau,
Wobbly,
AVAN LAVA,
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult,
Robotanists,
Crystal Waters,
Scooter and Lavelle,
Plumtree,
Snake River Conspiracy,
Hiroyuki Namba,
ST,
White Flashes,
Tobacco,
NEVADA BASE,
Cosby Sweater,
Paper Weights

Year: 1934-2013
Genre: Industrial Rock, Electronica, IDM, Jazz, Synthpop, Indie, Electro, Chillout, Alternative, Hip-hip

My Review:
LONG AWAITED, WITH MANY REQUESTS. I mean.. I think people like these? Whatever, if you dig them, leave a comment to let me know so I'm not just wasting my time. I made this one last year and the next I finished up this year.

Jam on!

Password; Howdy


Ser.aph - LUST (2014 Mixtape)

Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip - The Abstract & The Dragon

Year: 2013
Genre: Hip-Hop, Rap

My Review:
There are a ton of reviewers who already gave this their breakdown, so I'm gonna keep this simple.

Fresh stuff from Busta. He's still out there making work, and now he's working with Q-tip on this new mixtape. Good Shit.

Just like you'd expect, this isn't exactly the same as his old stuff,  but it is a mixtape, so its retro as fuck in some parts, even racing back to the very early style before the end. Busta Rhymes and Q-tip finally got together and made some shit happen. It was really good to hear them back on the scene.



Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip - The Abstract & The Dragon

Chance the Rapper - Acidrap

Band / Artist: Chance the Rapper
Year: 2013
Genre: Mixtape, Rap, Alternative Hip-Hop, RnB, Chillout

My Review:
You have heard about Kanye a thousand times this year, and then he has been blowing up on tour and all... But was any of his new stuff really good? I'll let you argue about that one on your own time, but I will say this. You sure as hell didn't hear enough about Chancellor.



You may wonder why I mentioned Kanye at the start of this. It wasn't to bait the search engines. I just wanted to say that I loved "808's & Heartbreak", and it was a steady play for me, but I think I just got a replacement.

 Chancellor (or Chance the Rapper) is this dude that has been low on the attention scale, and that makes me sad, because he really is good, and he's a total bro for giving this away for free. Here is his website. http://chanceraps.com/

Enough Crap, you can find out more about the guy on his site, and you should grab this album. Also some guys are selling his album too, but he sees no money from it, and he hasn't been able to do anything about it since his stuff has been released as mixtapes. Fuck those guys.

Chance the Rapper - Acidrap

Fissunix - Heavy Metal Mashups Vol. 2 “Louder Than Hell Mix”

Band / Artist: Various Artists, Fissunix
Year: 2012
Genre: Metal, Mashup

My Review:
So I'm back again with something to break out of the chill and sad music that I seem to have been picking for the past few weeks. I guess I'm doing a decent job of shaking my blues, but Heavy Metal mashup tracks will definitely help with that.

This is a compilation, or a mixtape, depending on which you want. I like hearing the original tracks separately a lot of the time, so I have my collection. I love that first track. It amuses me to no end, and also, I can totally rock to it while laughing. Heres the tracklist, I'll let you figure out what songs are mashed for each one.

Fissunix & DJ Schmolli – HairBangers
Dan Mei – Last Ride Of The New Shit
Mad Mix Mustang – 2 Minutes To The Middle Of The Night
Loo & Placido – Antisocial Pigs
Bassnectar Remix – Seek and Destroy
Dj Schmolli – Cold As Superbeast Prometheus
Wax Audio – South Of The Grapevine
Loo & Placido – Black Sab System
Wax Audio – Master Of Doin’ It
DJ Morgoth – Ace Of Spades Feels Good
Dj Schmolli – Rock Of Ages
Dan Mei – Rolling In The Fire And Flames
Tinylightsbelow – Psychosocial Baby
Fissunix – Birth of the Cannibal
Dan Mei – Coat Of Arms Of E.T.
Fissunix – Over wasted years
Fissunix – Grid it up
Wax Audio – Chemical Diver
Dj Schmolli – Cold As Superbeast Prometheus

So I will say that I am not a big fan of every track, some of it is pretty take-it-or-leave-it, but I'm still happy getting some fun metal mashups, people don't mash metal songs nearly enough.If you like any specific track, go check out that artist, because I'll bet you can find some more by them that you enjoy.

Fissunix - Heavy Metal Mashups Vol. 2 “Louder Than Hell Mix”

Mixtape

Separate Tracks

K.Flay - I Stopped Caring in '96 (Pt. 1, 2, & 3)

Band / Artist: K.Flay
Year: 2012
Genre: Alternative Hip-hop, Alternative Pop

My Review:

I Love K.Flay. She may not always have a coherent story in her songs, but she always cranks out a great beat, and the lyrics go to some of the most unexpected and unorthodox places. This is a series of mxtape EP's that are the newest collection of work she has cranked out. These take a step away from the “MASHed Potatoes” Mixtape, and is much more from scratch, or at least nothing on it registers as something I've heard before.

The set is made of 3 parts. Made and released one at a time. Each of the volumes has a music video.

The first is subtitled as "I Feel Nothing", started out the set on April 1, 2011.


The second, subtitled as "I Feel Everything", came out on April 15, 2011


The second, subtitled as "Everything is Nothing", polished it off on April 29, 2011.


It was a fast paced release schedule, and all of it comes together to make one great album. Normally I split my time between this and the Eyes Shut EP.

 Alright peoples. Go get the album, and have a good one.


K.Flay - I Stopped Caring in '96 (Pt. 1, 2, & 3)

Free Singles - Danny Brown Vs K.Flay, Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, Goldroom, Voicians, Bro Safari

K.Flay & Danny Brown - Party All The Time

Another track from K.Flay. Good, chill, hiphop with a sound that I enjoy. Not a lot else to say, it starts a little weird, and then gets really good about halfway in. I'm not sure what else to say. If you like K.Flay, then you'll enjoy this. If you don't know who that is, then you need to do a search of the archives.

Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra - Frisco Fog

Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra perform "'Frisco Fog", a futuristic "Descriptive Instrumental" dating from November 5, 1937. From the original 78rpm disk.

This one is neat. Its futuristic jazz,.. from the Thirties. There is a really pleasant improvisation in it, with a sound that I can only describe as oddly wonderful or wonderfully odd. There is a great feel in the winding rhythm of its Big Band orchestra. This one is in the public domian, obviously, because Mr. Lunceford died (of what may have been a poisoning) in 1947. He's buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis, TN. He also has a brass note dedicated to him on Beale St.

Goldroom - Solé Fixtape Vol. 7

Solé likes to get people interested in music. It may be a marketing ploy, but that is completely fine with me. A mixtape is wonderful.

A Bike-Style Company. Join the family at: www.solebicycles.com

THEY SELL FIXED SPEEDS, SO ITS CALLED A FIXTAPE. GET IT? IT'S A PUN. Anyway, Goldroom is a fun DJ. This is a pretty chill dancey mixtape, something that people who are really into the Drive soundtrack would love. You have to "like" their stuff on facebook to get access to all of the fixtapes, but its worth it. If you just cant be bothered though, then you should go here.

Voicians - Ultimate Riot
This has a definite "Prodigy" sound, mixed with just a bit of electro, and a bit of celldweller-style industrial rock on top of it. Its really driving dance song. Maybe a little bit "The Matrix 2010", but thats my kind of dance music.

Dan Voicians is from Stuttgart Germany, a city that I spent a night in with some strangers who were kind enough to transport me from a very rape-space-y train station an hour away that I got left at. I wish I still had their email addresses. I digress. This guy is young, and he has some talent. Here's his facebook. You should look for more of his stuff there.

https://www.facebook.com/Voicians

Bro Safari - That A$$

Its Miami Bass. Its Trap. Its Bounce. It's from a Drum & Bass veteran named Knick. It's got a hilarious cover shot.. Its how I'm ending this singles post.

If anyone has some cool ones they've found, they should definitely share them in the comments. Otherwise, you all have a good weekend.

V-day special: Mixtapes from me

Happy Obligation Day!

I really don't much like Valentines day as far as a romantic thing goes. Because of that I took the initiative another TALENTED AND AWESOME friend of mine did (Hi Eric), and started making mixtapes for people a year or so ago. I couldn't just do one, for whatever reason, so I started what seems to be tradition now, by making 2 of them. All my friends get these, or help me curate them while I'm in the planning part. Since I run a music blog, it only makes sense that I share them here with all the people browsing.

I try as much as possible to bring stuff that isn't very common, or is a really unique version of something that is. I also try to make edits and blends to ensure the songs fit together the best I can, so you have an enjoyable listen, and then I make the artwork. This years sets go as far back as 1993, because I really love to go as far and as wide with the music as I can make it fit. Here's this years haul. They have their tracklistings in the readme files with each one.

Ser.aph - Be Mine (2013 Mixtape)

Running time, 1:15:36   Get it here.

Ser.aph -  I'm Yours (2013 Mixtape)

Running time, 1:11:30   Get it here.

If you enjoy them, feel free to re-gift them to your friends or loved ones as well. I'm just happy when other people enjoy things that I do. If you really enjoyed it, and want more, then go check out Valentina and Valentino, from last year.

Any suggestions for songs on next years mixtapes? Leave em in the comment section and I'll work on it.

Also the password is magically delicious.

K.Flay - MASHed Potatoes

Band / Artist: K.Flay
Year: 2009
Genre: Hip-Hop, Indie Electronic, Rap, Mixtape

My Review:

Everything I hear from this girl is interesting. This one starts with a chopped up version of “Under the bridge” from Red Hot Chili Peppers, turned into a great beat for a rap track. A handful of the tracks crib rhymes from the songs she samples, and plays with them to make a more fun narrative. The whole thing is a full length album, sampling some really interesting songs and making out some really solid quirky rhythms to build it up.

Man I would love to hang out with this girl for a day and just talk a ton, she seems like a really interesting person, and her musical edge is so engaging to me. 

K.Flay - MASHed Potatoes

ONE MORE! BONES - Halloween Mix 2012

Band / Artist: BONES
Year: 2012
Genre: Techno, House, Electro

My Review:
ONE LAST THING. I got this one this morning, and I just could NOT help but leave the one last mix on Halloween night. I hope you guys have a great time. Here's what BONES had to say with it.

Crawling into the land of the living on Hallows eve, the creature is back. It took several necessary body parts to create this monster, and so the wait is finally over. Halloween is just the beginning, so get your haunt on for eternity with this one...

Intro - The Waiting Room
VCMG - Aftermaths (Gesaffelstein Remix - Haunted Intro Edit)
Dillon Francis -Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)
Valention Khan - Cigarettes
J-Trick & Reece Low - I'm So Hot
Kenneth G - Bazinga
Crookers - Bowser
Kurd Maverick - Hell Yeah
Disco Of Doom - Brown Acid
Los Ghosts - Musik
Tiger Stripes - Snake Charmer (Botnek Remix)
Novalima - Machete (Savage Skulls & French Fries VIP Remix)
LDRU - Showtime (Craig Williams Remix)
Proxy - Shut Up! (VCO Remix)
Galantis - Tank
FYOR - Thriller On Acid
Boyz Noize - Stop
The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up


BONES - Halloween Mix 2012

JJ - Kills

  
Band/Artist: JJ
Year: 2010
Genre: Synthpop, Mixtape, Bastard Pop

My Review:
So this swedish pop music duo named JJ decided to do something fun, and they made a hiphop mixtape. It's got a flavor of hiphop and r&b with a little rappy bits here and there, and then layered over with some soft dream pop stuff sounding like Royksopp doing punk on one end, and like Die Antwoord on some serious downers on the other end. 

This one falls under what I call “Bastard Pop”, that mercilessly chops up music, and uses the mulched bits to make something all its own. In some cases that can be mashups, and in others it can be something very far away from the originals, like music by Pogo or Dangermouse. Give it a shot.

Also if you like chopped & screwed mixes, then go ahead and download this version. I personally hate chopped & screwed, but my opinion isn't where you find your love for music is it?

JJ – Kills

Bootie RIO - Ponderosa Mixtape

Band / Artist: Bootie RIO (Various artists)
Year: 2012
Genre: Mashup, Bastard Pop

My Review:

So first I'll just gloss over what a mashup is in case you've missed out. Take a handful of songs, and chop them up and blend them into one track. Some are just the vocal track from one song over the instrumental from another, some are remixeswith original material from the mashup artist, some are just insane layerings of 20 different songs that make something totally new.

This collection is a bunch of mashups out of souf amewica, this is just about the closest I ever get to listening to pop. Bootie has 3 different groups now that I know about, Rio, Germany, and the US. As with all of these, I listen through it, and decide which tracks I really want to keep, but if you’re ever throwing a party that will involve dancing, mashups are a perfect choice for the playlist.

Bootie RIO – Ponderosa Mixtape

Raw Music International - Kisumu Mixtape

Band / Artist: Raw Music International (Various Artists)
Year: 2011
Genre:  International, Blues, Soul-RnB, Folk, Hip-Hop, Field Recordings, African, Alternative Hip-Hop, Dance, Reggae - Dancehall, Hip-Hop Beats

My Review:
A "mixtape" of tracks from Kisumu, Kenya. It has a pretty wide range of sounds, from traditional Kenyan folk, to pop and rap, and some instrumental pieces.  I played through it a few times and found probably 2 tracks that rubbed me the wrong way and I didn't keep. 

If you want to know a little about each track, go check out the bandcamp page and click through each track.  this is the excerpt for the first song

Olima is an 83 year old blind Luo blues guitarist. We recorded this song at his home on December 31, 2010. He sings in memory of a deceased lover.

http://rawmusicinternational.bandcamp.com/

This one is a good one for a mix, and adds a nice dimension of flavor into a playlist. It would be nice in a mix for at a summery BBQ or a dinner party.

Raw Music International - Kisumu Mixtape