Author Archives: dex digital

MIXTAPE 75 – BACKPACKER / SUMMER IN LA!

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MIXTAPE 75 – BACKPACKER / SUMMER IN LA!

Hell yeah. It’s summer, therapist and you know what that means: pool parties, approved less clothing, see and college rap music. There is definitely a Los Angeles sound within the college rap/backpacker rap subgenre – if you’re into categorization – and this show is all about that. Perfect, fun summer music – download this one, grab the chucks and dickies, and bump it.


And while you’re on the computer, don’t forget to join our facebook group!

Tracklist:

Giant Panda – One Time. I remember being really excited about this release when I got it a couple years back, and for good reason – it’s hot. I actually was supposed to catch them at a quasi-legal show under a bridge in some weird back alley somewhere in LA, but there was sound trouble and one of the neighbors snitched, so the promoters moved it to a club and what do you know, I was all like 19 and stuff and it was 21+. So I went home. Dope record though. myspace.com/giantpanda.

Oh – did I mention that a summer episode went down last year, too? Check it out here.

Aesthetics Crew – LA Opinion. LUKE SON WHAT IT IS. I met Luke, one of the members of AC back what, two years ago?, and he told me that he was in this rap group called Aesthetics. He never let me hear any of it, but I kept hearing about them, and seeing stickers on freeway onramps. Like 1.5 years later, dude decides to send me a couple LPs and the CDs and what do you know, it’s nice. Last I heard they were working on some new material. Look for it in like 2015. myspace.com/aestheticscrew.

Shout outs and respect, by the way, to Nasty Nes.

People Under The Stairs – Eat Street. Even if you don’t like rap music, this pretty much lays some of the more infamous food joints in the LA, on some tourguide status. The Roscoe’s was an obvious, but I must say I prefer their waffles. Gus Jr also gets the stamp of approval. I actually interviewed Thes One of PUTS a loooong time ago on this very hip hop podcast – check it here. myspace.com/peopleunderthestairs.com.

Crown City Rockers – B-Boy Remix (feat Planet Asia, Zion I, The Grouch, Chali 2na, and Mystic). In a scene full of me-too groups that are trying to do this whole live instrumental hip-hop thing, Crown City Rockers stand out as one of the few groups that take it beyond gimmicks and really put some soul into the art form. Plus they’re nice people. I first met them at a show we threw at UCR back when I was still doing that stuff, and they basically did the damn thing. And all you producers should definitely take a look at their site, where they’ve uploaded all of the acapellas for Earthtones – for free. Shouts to Rashad and everyone at Basement for getting this one to me. crowncityrockers.com.

intro cut: Sunny Outside (In LA…) by Voice.
outro beat: Soul Slam by Alf-Alpha.

So that’s this week’s show. Hella busy around here – don’t forget about the video podcast! Artists, VJs, whatever – holler at me, and everyone else – let me know what you want to see on the show!

MIXTAPE 74 – JAZZ EDITION

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MIXTAPE 74 – JAZZ EDITION

Sorry for the slacking last week – actually I wasn’t slacking, sick I just got hella (yes hella) busy. I’m caught up on my email, prescription summer is coming, there’s hella (yes hella) new things in the works around here, and I am definitely feeling things right now.

Notes from the show:

Yes Gs and Es, there is now a Mixtape Show Facebook Group. Click here to join, add your favorite episodes to your profile, network, promote your tunes/movement/whatever, or just talk rap music. You can even grab episodes to play on your profile (shouts to Numair)!

The Video Podcast. I am now making this official. I am slowly assembling a team of people and this shit is really going down. The livest hip-hop audio podcast is about to become the livest audio and video podcast on the webterfuge. Please believe me. If you have videos – indie artists, labels, whatever – now is the time to make me aware of them. I’ll post an official solicitation soon – but for the time being, get ready.

And now, the tracklist.
(intro: Herbie Hancock – Chameleon (Jeremy Ellis remix)

E da Boss and Nick Andre – Things Change feat Nebulus. I have been meaning to put this one out for so long it’s not even funny. The mixtape is definitely nice. Nick – do you guys still like me out there? Let’s build. slepton.net

Hell Razah – Project Jazz feat Talib Kweli and MF Doom. I’m not sure who produced this one, but it’s quite good. Even Talib, who I have been absolutely not liking recently, comes correct on this joint. Shouts to Erin for the link on this track. myspace.com/razahrubies.

O.C. – Point of Viewz (snippet). Wow, where have I heard this? myspace.com/ocdaphenomenon.

Quasimoto – Seasons Change feat Madlib. Damn, I forgot how hot this record was. There’s not a lot of artists out there that can get away with some of the weird things that Madlib does with his records – I remember being really frustrated with “Another Demo Tape” because I didn’t want to hear that lady singing about cleaning kitchens or whatever the fuck tomfoolery Mad put in there, I wanted to hear people rap over the goddamn beat because it was hot. This joint though – consider it a preview to the Summer Mixtape, 07 edition. myspace.com/lordquas.

MF Doom – Deep Fried Frenz. MM..Food was a pretty ridiculous album. I remember reading somewhere that Doom had made beats by just taping shit off of BET Jazz commercials. myspace.com/mfdoom.


Lords of the Underground – Lord Jazz Hit Me One Time (Make It Funky).Yep. Kinda the alternate/b-side version of the version whose instrumental you hear in the outro. myspace.com/lordsoftheunderground1.

So there’s this week! And I meant it about the video podcast thing – any ideas, holler at a ballar in the comments section.

MIXTAPE 73 – SOULTRONICA 4 – THE ESCAPE

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MIXTAPE 73 – SOULTRONICA 4 – THE ESCAPE

After landing on the surface of Andromeda-13 in search of his cyborg partner Brothertron, approved Dex Digital contacts the ship’s computer (Cosbotron) in order to get coordinates on Brothertron’s last known location. Shortly after receiving those coordinates, valeologist Dex Digital is ambushed by a group of invisible space aliens native to Andromeda-13 – possibly the same beings that captured Brothertron.

Soon, Dex Digital awakens in deep within the aliens’ compound. He discovers that he is trapped in a cage suspended from the ceiling by a rather weak chain, and is accompanied in capture by Brothertron and an alien that appears well-versed in 21st Century Ebonics. Will our heroes make it back to their ship alive? What will happen to their new alien companion? And where did this alien dude learn to talk like that? Find out in this episode of Soultronica…

Be warned – none of this will likely make sense unless you’ve heard the rest of the soultronica series.

Tracklist:

intro – a ghosteo beat.

Ammon Contact – A Satellite’s Return. Special shouts to J.R. and Carlos Nino for linking me up with this jam. This one’s off of New Birth, which (from what I know) is the debut Ammon Contact record. There’s another one out, though, so check it.. AC on Ninjatune.

4Hero – Take My Time feat Jack Davey. Yes, vocals contributed by the singer of J*Davey. 4Hero has been around forever in this whole Nu Jazz / drum n bass thang, and this new soultronicaesque sound that they’ve got going on is hot. I might be sneaking another cut in off of their latest album – Play With the Changes. Shouts to JC of Milan Records for making the connection on this one. myspace.com/4hero.

interlude – Nicholas Cicero – Muerto 6.

The Big Payback – It’s You. The meandering opening cut on the second release from the Japan-based Circulations label. This song is not even the half of it, ladies and gentlemen. I think the artists on here are NY/France based – what they’re doing on a Tokyo label I don’t know, but I’m not complaining. Shoutouts to Dai again for getting this to me. myspace.com/circulations

Sa-Ra – Hey Love. Yeah, it would have been nice had I put this one out before the album come out, but hey, things happen. Doesn’t change the fact that the cut is nice. I still have some more on deck, so stay in tune.. sa-ra.net.

Ammon Contact – Omniverses 2. Probably my second favorite track off of the New Birth record. Check these cats out.

Glass Candy – Rolling Down the Hills [no vocals edit]. No offense to Ida, but I just couldn’t fuck with her vocals (at first – they actually grew on me after a while). Johnny Jewel, on the other hand, is a recent discovery (to me – he’s been doing his thing for a minute) and I dig his weird retro coked-out production. You can find the original on the Glass Candy myspace. myspace.com/glasscandy

pre-fight interlude – Josh Ivey

outro music – ripped from the Nintendo game Xexyz.

that’s this week’s jumpoff. And again – if you’re new to the series, you might want to step back and listen to Soultronica Vol 1, Soultronica Vol 2, and the recent Soultronica Vol 3.

MIXTAPE 72 – BEAT TAPE VOL 3

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MIXTAPE 72 – BEAT TAPE VOL 3

At long last, allergist it’s the long-awaited threequel to one of the original concept/spinoff series on this hip-hop podcast – the Beat Tape. Keeping in tradition with recent developments on the show, this tape is all over the place – stylistically and geographically. Three continents, multiple subgenres and inspirations, and just damn. I guarantee at least three rewinds on this episode or your money backTM

Intro – DJ Umoja – Ieidc. Words – my father. I wish I was kidding.

1’05 – Super Smoky Soul – Good Night. Straight out of Tokyo. The Light Smoke EP is the first release on Circulations Japan, and it goes hard. Please check this. Shouts to Dai. myspace.com/circulations

3’40 – DJ Cam – The Sound of The Streets. Now on to France. This joint coulda easily showed up on Episode #68. myspace.com/djcamrecall

5’20 – Iain Haywood – Smooth. And over to the UK. Oh, come on. It’s cute. myspace.com/12pads.

6’35 – Alf-Alpha – 22 Year Old. Back to southern CA. I had this on replay for a very long time. Cut is cute as hell, and I want to call the words/scratches clever, but it’s a little beyond that. I hear dude has an album out. You should check it maybe. myspace.com/alfalpha

10’00 – Gil Scott-Heron – Is That Jazz (excerpt). I have no qualms about jacking things from YouTube. The bassline on this thing is ridiculous.

12’00 – Suburb - untitled. I’ve been sitting on these joints for far too long. Suburb is sort of the truth. Check him out. myspace.com/suhburb.

13’25 – Suburb - Cornelius Brothers flip. See above.

15’30 – Unagi - The One Revisited. Cut is hard. unagi442.com.

18’05 – Disrupt - International Karate Championship. Jahtari, the Leipzig, Germany-based label has been doing their thing for a minute now. This was their first release and you know I am fucking with it. jahtari.org.

20’40 – Disrupt - Events Occur In Realtime. This is an exclusive given to me by the Jahtari kids themselves. jahtari.org.

22’05 – J Dilla – Make Em NV (instrumental). Yep. jdilla.org.

23’20 – 9th Wonder – Track 07. Off the marginally infamous “Black Album Rejects” beat tape that floated around forever ago. myspace.com/9thwondermusic.

This is clearly the best beat tape episode yet, and it has nothing to do with me. Thanks to all the artists for contributing tracks, and I was serious in the outro. I want to know what you think about this. Let me know.

ps – in case you missed the first two in the series, check here: beat tape vol 1, and vol 2.