After a weekend spent protesting in the streets with my friends and family against the mindbogglingly inhumane family separations that the Trump administration’s policies have created, on the eve of this country’s birthday, and just a week before the release of my next “Mystery Trip” mixtape– I thought it appropriate to go back to the roots of what I love about digging for music and sharing it here online. Some of you readers out there have been with me since the Captain’s Crate days (beginning 13 years back)- biggup you know who you are! Back then, broke as a young struggling DJ, I foolishly spent probably 50% of my meager income digging for cool old vinyl, which at the time was often not available on iTunes or YouTube (Spotify & Pandora didn’t exist). I’d rip it and share it with the hope of spreading and celebrating all this great, often overlooked musical artwork and culture from around the world. Well, I know the typical playlist here on Mixtape Riot is quite different from those oldies, and the updates are certainly less frequent, but the spirit is still very much the same.

I think one reason I also began to steer away from those oldies, is because so many new labels started popping up who were doing killer work digging, researching, and properly re-issuing these same hidden gems. Today I am astounded at the amount of rare cuts that I can even find on Spotify, BUT they certainly don’t have everything. And there’s still something about the quality of the MP3 when you can hear the vinyl crackle. So today’s playlist includes some joints ripped from my prized stash, as well as some things that I would never have heard of or gotten my hands on if it weren’t for amazing labels like Soundway, Finders Keepers, BBE, Ostinato, Vampi Soul and so many others…

So today, press play and take a vintage dusty trip through Nigeria, Brazil, India, Iran, Mali, Cape Verde, Colombia, Peru, Turkey, Somalia and Jamaica. Hopefully the sounds help remind us all how great this world is because of our diversity. And especially if you’re American like me, be thankful for this place we call home that has always (and should always) pride itself on welcoming immigrants with open arms, not handcuffs.

Got another single for you all today from my upcoming “Mystery Trip Vol.II” mixtape which drops July 10th on Bastard Jazz Records. This one is a dedication to the power of mothers, including the mother of us all- Mama Earth! With vocals in Haitian Creole, accompanied by 808 bass and traditional vaccine horns, this one is a future roots dancefloor sureshot. Pre-order of the vinyl or cassette tape will get you a download of all 9 tracks, or this tune is also available as a free download from the soundcloud page or right here. For desired effect, press play and turn up loudly.

Woohoo!!! Been waiting to share this one for waaaay too long. Mixing traditional Nigerian Fuji music with deep sub bass, “Oluko” gives you the first taste of my upcoming Mystery Trip Vol.II mixtape – dropping July 10th on Bastard Jazz Records. This project is all about going back to my roots: pulling out obscure vinyls from my global collection, then lovingly chopping, remixing and editing them into new tracks with a contemporary edge and classic Captain Planet touch. All 9 edits have been blended, along with other audio samples and field recordings, into a 45min mix, which will be printed to cassette tapes like my earliest mixes from the late 90’s. Similar to Mystery Trip Vol.I, which was listed in Sasha Frere-Jones “Best Music Of 2012” (thank you very much), Vol.II leads you on a psychedelic journey to destinations around the world, where you are drawn out of your sonic comfort zone via a soundtrack that bridges styles of music from Asia and Africa to South America, The Caribbean and beyond.

Press play and begin the trip… Also for those who dig it, please support by pre-ordering the cassette tape or the 12″ vinyl and receive a download link. Then share the sounds and spread them widely!

Took a very serious and much needed breather this past month- winding my way through Paris and Southern France, and then transitioning back into California through Napa Valley to help soften the blow. Much wine was drunk, many insanely good meals were had, saw friends, jumped into the Mediterranean, visited museums and cathedrals and mountains, and overall reminded myself how big and beautiful this world is and just how important it is to travel around it. With that in mind, I’ve got some more chill selections today. Some sounds for a BBQ or hanging at the beach, or maybe just keeping your sanity in traffic. Take a few deep breaths, enjoy the vibes, and give some props for the fact that I was able to include 2 musical artists with “Flamingo” in their name. Artwork today comes courtesy of Costas Spathis.

Ok today’s selections are mainly intended for late night after-hours hijinks and shenanigans- some heavy club sounds that are meant to pump loudly from oversized speaker stacks in big spaces filled with lots of bodies. That being said, you can often find me solo on my couch, with a whiskey on the rocks at midnight, headphones on blast, imagining the perfect rave and what song I should play next. Both experiences are pretty sweet in my book. A week back I was up in Portland playing some of these very songs at a Living Prism afterhours party that approached grimey psychedelic perfection, and if there’s anyway that I can share and spread that liberating debauchery through my wifi connection, count me in. Photo above comes courtesy of Milan Boonstra, check him out.

On to the tunes- we start things off with a downtempo future funk stomper from Anka, then the pace picks up with a new edit from Scrimshire’s latest collection. Bringing up the tempo a little more with the funky multi-textured sound of Klaves, then a funky afro house joint from the Kraak & Smaak boys. From here, things start to get really heavy… When entering the world of techno, a good place to start is Berlin duo Kullektiv Turmstrasse. Riva Starr is another one of those artists who manages to pull the soul out of a computer (or put the soul in there maybe?)- just drop this one on an unsuspecting crowd and wait for the grandaddy of all airhorns to pummel them into ass-shaking submission. Then we have something bouncey from Javi Reina, followed by a slice of UK ragga-bass bizniz from Moony, topped off with the grimiest joint of the lot from DJ Godfather & Deeon, then I had to sneak in this oldie from Ming & FS that I used to rinse repeatedly on 12″ back in the day (any D&B heads out there??? haha). Then there’s some recent heaters from Jax Jones, Go Freek, and a deep nasty acid wormhole from Artwork with a soulful First Choice sample that I still never get enough of. Finally, some pop-soul-house from Autograf with a bass synth that wins me over. Coming back down to Earth gently, I’ll let the final word here go to a highly slept on 80’s single that you may recognize from being sampled by Nero a while back, I of course prefer this oldie by a million miles.

Another tune for you all today… this one is a remix I did for the funky Greek global beatsmiths SUPERSAN. Based in Athens, these guys have put out a bunch of really nice productions (a couple have found their way onto this site in the past), and I was happy to oblige when they reached out asking me to make a remix from their latest album. The full collection of remixes drops today, with nice re-works from Maga Bo, Yukicito and many more heavy hitters. Additional bonus, the whole thing is available for free. Take a listen and snag the whole lot!