March 21st, 2012

From Brooklyn to Grenada with JRE

This winter was the second warmest on record in New York City, but global warming shouldn’t be a substitute for the tropics. For that, we’ll have to look to producers like JRE from Brooklyn, who offers up some tuff soca and dancehall with an ear for vocal talent from his homeland of Grenada. He veers away from the glaringly sunny side of things and keeps it a bit edgier with his beats while maintaining that hype inherent in soca rhythms. Below we have the civil rights awareness of Mighty Kage over the Madda Dan Dog Riddim and the sultry voice of Dilecious on the West Indian Riddim, both free for download. Check his Facebook for even more fiyah. (Photo: “Gouyave, Grenada” by Alex Webb )


The Mighty Kage – Police Brutality


Dilecious – I Dont Care

March 21st, 2012

Melé BBC Radio 1 Minimix

Melé delivers a minimix for Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show, squeezing in about as many tracks as is humanly possible into 5 minutes, from Livin Joy to Joy O and of course unreleased tracks from the man himself. Listen below or download here.

March 20th, 2012

Mixpak x Grizzly x Tormenta Tropical

After the madness in SXSW we’re now in Miami for WMC, teaming up with Tormenta Tropical again and London’s Grizzly for another big line-up. Don’t miss out.

Check the Facebook event here and remember Dre Skull will also be supporting Mr Vegas on Wednesday.

March 20th, 2012

Mixpak FM: DJ Tim Dolla

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Mixpak FM 031 is brought to you by Newark’s DJ Tim Dolla. As part of the now 10-year-old Brick Bandits crew, a collective spanning from Philly to Chicago, Tim Dolla has been pushing the Jersey club sound hard, transforming already club-ready tracks into dancefloor bombs.

His Mixpak FM is a quick-fire run through some of his and DJ Fresh’s latest remixes, from 2 Chainz to Watch the Throne and, of course, a Whitney tribute.

You can subscribe to Mixpak FM via iTunes, subscribe with an RSS reader from the Mixpak FM site or download this mix directly.

[audio: http://traffic.libsyn.com/mixpak/Mixpak_FM_-_DJ_Tim_Dolla.mp3]
Mixpak FM 031: DJ Tim Dolla

Tracklist below »

March 19th, 2012

Jubilee – Pop It! Preview

Jubilee’s first EP for Mixpak drops on April 10th and the whole record, complete with Rizzla and 5kinAndBone5 remixes, is up for the listen now.

A South Florida native, Jubilee’s roots run deep through out the EP, housing influences from Ghetto Breaks, Miami Bass, Electro and Freestyle. The title track, “Pop It!,” is an understated party track, building slowly to a mass of 808, cowbells, vocal samples and classic synths that would make DJ Laz proud.

Alongside the title track sits “Overtown,” fittingly named after the Miami area that inspired the bass scene, a manicure anthem with drum patterns that stride through tinges of UK Funky and Dubstep before flying back to Miami on its synths.

As if the bass didn’t already run deep enough in “Overtown,” Massachusetts producer Rizzla intensifies the low end in a remix that swings from hyperactivity to near standstill, spinning round the vocal snippet. Rounding off the EP, LA/SF duo 5kinAndbone5 twist the tune upside down, introducing a futuristic koto riff before building into a Bubblin’ synth breakdown.

Jubilee – Pop It! Preview by Mixpak