Remember how I mentioned my friends were starting a non-profit organization to raise education funds for Liberian refugees living in Ghana? Well their first first benefit party went down on Sunday and was a smash success. Total grassroots operation, but they managed to raise over a couple thousand from our extended group of friends and the random people we all pulled together. Today I’m sharing the mixtape that I made specifically for that event (all the guests got to take home a copy). This mix has a lot of my all-time favorite African tunes, which somehow I’d never put together before, plus a lil something special for all those 80’s babies out there. Check out more info on their organization LYDIA, and make a tax deductible donation if you can. Then enjoy the good music…

Haysobay! mixed by Chuck Wild
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TRACKLIST

1. Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-stars – Living Like A Refugee
2. Abeti – Gogo
3. Orchestre Baobab – Kelen Ati Len
4. Oscar Sulley – Pleco
5. Ernesto Djedje – Zadie Bobo
6. Femi Kuti – Tell Me
7. C.K. Mann – Funky Hi-life
8. Jingo – Fever
9. Tony Allen – Road Close (Dance Dub)
10. Eko – Kilimandjaro My Home
11. Awa Band – Babatteur (Quantic Remix)
12. Dennis Ferrer – Funu
13. Pastaboys Feat. Wumni – Babalawo
14. DJ Africano – Unknown Jam
15. Oscar Sulley & The Uhuru Dance Band – Bukom Mashie
16. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo – Minsato Le, Mi Dayihome
17. Tabu Ley Rochereau – Karibou Ya Bintou

The world infamous Blue Jays. Romantic and mysterious road signs written in both French and English. The illustrious (and one-time world record holding) CN Tower. These are but a few of the many wonders that remain in my mind from childhood trips to visit my Grandma (Yaweh bless her soul) in Canada’s crown jewel: Toronto. All the while, I was entirely oblivious to the real treasures that the city had to offer in the form of raw funk, soul and ROOTS REGGAE. Funny how you can have an album for a while and not even listen to it properly for way too long. When I finally did revisit this collection, prompted by hearing “Memories” on a mix from my ever-schooling older sister, I was floored. Every cut on here is a winner, and even as the styles switch up from Northern Soul to dub, there’s a consistency to the whole mix that can only be attributed to one thing- the ethos of Toronto. Didn’t know it existed, certainly doubted it would be soulful if it was there at all, but once again my prejudicial mind was blinding me from the truth. Noel Ellis (son of Studio One/Treasure Isle legend Alton) delivers what I believe to be the greatest nostalgia song of all time. I accept challenges to this claim, but really, the crucial factor here is the extended dub which allows perfectly for someone such as myself (who loves to sing along, occasionally out of key) to go on a lengthy freestyle while the beat is tweaked and delayed into near cosmic oblivion. It’s as if the echoing chords are reverberating off the walls of my inner longing, disappearing into a faint whisper somewhere in my childhood where the sun was shining and the world was simple. REAL TALK. The other songs are kickass too. Really, you need to track down the whole album. 

Hitch-Hikers/Mighty Pope :       Mr. Fortune
Cougars :       I Wish It Would Rain
Noel Ellis :       Memories
all taken from the compilation “Jamaica to Toronto” on Light In The Attic (2006)

***ALSO*** My good friends have started a non-profit to raise education funds for Liberian refugees living in Ghana. Their kick-off fundraiser party is tomorrow in SOHO and everyone who goes gets a copy of the new West African mixtape I just made for the event. OPEN BAR 7-9, donation at the door, good peoples… more info here

We’re so on top of our game here at MTR that we left posting about our latest party til the day of. You’ve heard me say it before, but once again, we be foolish. If you’re in the NY area though, and are looking for a serious Tuesday night get down, look no further. Tonight’s Mixtape Riot party brings live performances from MC K-Swift and Chen Lo. Both of these guys are good friends, but that doesn’t sway my opinion on their music at all- it’s undeniably premium. Come out and hear for yourself! If you’re one of the first 100 you’ll get the latest limited edition mixtape- this time expertly woven together by the fathers of feel-good: Soul Imperial. And in case you needed any extra incentive, I’m sharing this fresh remix from The Rub’s DJ Ayres. He’s been putting out mashups and remixes consistently for a minute now, and they’rejust getting better and better. Check his website for more goodies.

Afrika Bambatta vs. Breakout :       Planet Rock Unplugged (DJ Ayres Edit)

For more info on the party, peep here and rsvp for the fun of it.

This is as real as revolution music gets. Recorded in the midst of a guerrilla war in which rebel insurgents were fighting to overthrow the white minority leadership of what was then known as Rhodesia, this album was the soundtrack to a coup. “Hokoyo!” means “Watch Out!”, and Mr. T. Mapfumo was not playing around. The melodies sound uplifting, borrowing from generations old Shona traditional songs, but buried within the ambiguous stories told in these proverbs are clear rally calls that inspired rural rebels to stand up and fight. It was working so well that the Rhodesian government banned these recordings, confiscated and destroyed them, and imprisoned Mapfumo for 90 days until they decided to try to use his powerful voice for their own purposes. They even went so far as to blast his music from their helicopters on bombing missions in the bush to demoralize the rebel opposition! In a final desperate attempt to utilize his rallying power, they forced him to perform in support of a government candidate. Guess it didn’t work, the whiteboys fell from their throne and the newly independent “Zimbabwe” was turned over by popular vote to Robert Mugabe. Happy ending right? Not quite. But I’ve been a Chimurenga freak forever and I’m deeply indebted to the diggers who just re-issued this hard to find early recording (can you hear that fuzz and crackle?). Now go drink some Hwa-Hwa and get in touch with the spirits while shaking like an epileptic to the sound of yodeling resistance.

Thomas Mapfumo & The Acid Band :       Hokoyo! ,       Hwa-Hwa , &       Zvandiviringa  
taken from “Hokoyo!” just re-issued on Water (originally 1977)

I’m off to New England for the weekend to do some shows with The Beatards (anyone near Northampton, MA needs to holler!), but I wanted to give a quick heads up about this Hip Hop Howl Mixtape featuring one of our tracks- alongside fresh business from a bunch of other up-n-coming folks you should get familiar with. MTR family members Crosmopolitan & Miz Metro (with a lil help from the one and only Fiona Bloom) put together this amazing live mixtape showcase that we were a part of at SXSW in Austin last month and this mix is the closest thing to a recorded version of what went down live. It was an insane line-up of like 30 artists, everybody feeding off each other’s energy and getting inspired. Check out the iMeem front page where the mix is featured, then proceed directly to the download page to get your copy for the wonderful price of free 99!