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!

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a fresh mix from a fellow DJ who stays on his grind. Hailing from Cali, DJ Still Life recently relocated to Brooklyn and has quickly found himself at one of the better jobs I can imagine (promoting records for Strut, !K7, and BBE among other notable labels). A long-time contributor to one of my favorite funk & soul blogs (www.earfuzz.com), he now also hosts a Thursday night show on East Village Radio called “Pain In My Heart” and puts together a regular podcast on GiantsArise.com called “The Raw & The Crooked”. Today’s Afro Tripping mix is the 10th installment in that series- which is eclectic enough to feature indie rock, dancehall, euro psych and just about anything else that people who like good music listen to. Start checking the man’s back catalogue and see why his diverse mixing style represents exactly what we love here at Mixtape Riot: NO BOUNDARIES, JUST GOOD MUSIC. For the Tripping mix, Still Life put together a solid 30-minute collection of funky, syncopated afrobeat- old and new. It’s definitely danceable, but also dubby and lazy enough to accompany a nice Sunday hammock session (if only I had a hommock!). We still haven’t had the opportunity to actually DJ a party together yet, but hopefully we can remedy that situation soon.

Cop the mix here!

TRACKLIST

1. Omo Mi Gbo Temi - Kollington Ayinla
2. Watch We (Soul Jazz Orchestra Remix) - Horace Andy & Ashley Beedle
3. Psychedelic Woman (Bonobo Remix) - Honny & The Bees Band
4. NNT - Lightening Head
5. Mondo Soul Funky - Ebo Taylor Jr.
6. Afro Beat Blues - Ojah W/ Hugh Masekela
7. Beaten Metal - Antibalas
8. Watch ‘Em - Black Milk
9. Asiko - Tony Allen
10. Gbagada Gbogodo Gbodgo - Luisito Quintero Jr.
11. Aye - The Mighty Underdogs
12. Keep It Rockin’ (Afro Dub) - Wunmi

In other news… peep the updated blogroll (finally- I know we’re kinda slow sometimes) and holler if you run or know of other good blogs that we should check. We DO actually read the e-mails you send, it just takes us a while.

HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO CAME OUT AND PARTIED WITH US! Big up Miz Metro, Maggie Horn, and of course, Soul Imperial. Shouts to Fiona Bloom (Bloom Effect) and Josh (Fanatic Promotions) who helped blow it up. I’ll pat myself on the back and shout out my Beatards crew too for keeping it live. Word up to Sailor Jerry for the free booze. We’ll post up more pics from the party soon, but for right now, I just want to share the mixtape that we unleashed upon the world last night. This is the first in what is now the Mixtape Riot DJ Mix Series! See that section at the top called “Mixtry“? Well this is what that tab is supposed to be all about. More mixes coming your way with the swiftness. If you’re one of the lucky few that managed to snag a physical copy, hold on to that! Super limited edition printing means those are gonna be up on ebay in a few years for LOOT! haha.

Our fist offering is basically a recorded manifestation of what DJ O and I do live. Some original tracks and remixes, some tunes made by friends and family, and other hotness old and new that we’re feeling (doesn’t matter how you want to label it). If you’re having a house party, throw this mix on for guaranteed results. Or just party in your head while you’re riding the train. Download now and BUMP LOUDLY!

Download BLAST OFF!

Check out pics from the party on Facebook

TRACKLIST
1- Intro/I’m The DJ – The Beatards 
2 – ManWomanBoogie – Q-Tip 
3 – Roof (DJ Ayres Remix) – Wale
4 – Shut Up And Let Me Go – The Ting Tings
5 – Rich Girls (Beatards Remix) – The Virgins
6 – Magnificent Last Call (Beatards Mash) – The Clash vs. ODB
7 – ABC’s Remix ft. Chen Lo – K’Naan 
8 – Raise Me Up – Hercules & Love Affair
9 – 1234 Gold – Soul Imperial
10 -Cool – Snoop Dogg
11 – Rock N Roll Attitude – Calvin Harris
12 – Dilo Como Yo – Chico Mann
13 – Pop Champagne – Telephones (Maggie Horn & Sammy Bananas)
14 – Tic Toc ft. Busy Signal – Rye Rye & M.I.A.
15 – Gettin Jacked – The Beatards
16 – Krazy ft. Lil Jon – Pitbull
17 – Aqui Para Voces ft. Deize Tigrona - Baraka Som Sistema
18 – Ipe Amarelo (Spiritual South Remix) – Quasimode
19 – Good Time – Brazilian Girls
20 – You Really Got Me (Morsy Remix) – The Kinks
21 – Downtown (Beatards Remix) – Peutla Clark 
22 – Outro/My Music – Samuel Jonathan Johnson

It’s OFFICIAL! We’ve been posting here on the new site since January, but it’s taken until mid-April for the whole crew to put together this launch party. WE B FOOLISH. But we also stay busy. Without further ado, on behalf of the entire Mixtape Riot extended famiglia, I courdially invite you all to join us this upcoming Tuesday night at the royal temple of sophisticated-funk: Beauty Bar NYC. Come expecting to sweat. You will. Live performances from Maggie Horn, Miz Metro, and The Beatards plus MTR All-Stars Soul Imperial on DJ duties, free mixtape giveaways, 2 for 1 drinks, and an un-official open bar (find me and I’ll get you a round)! The new mixtape BLAST OFF! mixed by DJ O and me is fressssssh! Come early if you want a physical copy ’cause supplies are LIMITED. Those of you that don’t come out will have to wait to hear the heat. 

I’m posting up a brand new mashup I did this morning. Serani’s “No Games” (Unfinished Business Riddim) is probably my favorite Jamaican tune from the past year. Funny thing is, my first reaction when I heard it from the High School kids I was working with in Crown Heights last summer was that it sounded so much like Tracy Chapman! I know I am not alone. A handful of people have agreed that the likeness is uncanny. Then it was Murphy’s Law who reminded of an actual Chapman original that had a minimal reggae backing beat and would be prime for remix possibilities. The pieces fell into place real easily. Just so happens that I also was reminded this weekend (by a good bearded DJ at a crazy BK house party) of an old school reggae version of another Tracy classic. The other Foxy Brown. Now I’m hyped to make them all into a mega-mix-medley at the end of the party on Tues night. DON’T SLEEP!

TUESDAY APRIL 14th
Official MixtapeRiot.com Launch Party!
BEAUTY BAR NYC - 231 E. 14th St. 
more details HERE 

Tracy Chapman :       She's Got Her Ticket (Chuck Wild Mix)
MTR excluuuuuusive! 

Serani :       No Games

Foxy Brown :       Baby Can I Hold You Tonight

I’ve been hearing rumors for YEARS now that Mulatu (one of my all-time favorite artists) was going back in the studio to cut a new album. At first it was supposedly going to happen with Quantic, which I hope still comes into fruition someday. But when I heard that it finally did end up happening with the Heliocentrics (who I’ve blogged about a few times with various different projects they’ve been involved with), I got even more giddy. Malcolm Catto & crew have a way of making things sound raw, dirty and haunting unlike anyone else (aside from maybe Mulatu circa 1971). Their trademark mix of psychedelic funk is executed under what seems to me magical studio conditions- beyond being analogue/retro, it sounds like they must have a resident voodoo priest during recording sessions. According to this little sneak peek video on youtube, they don’t, but I can still pretend. Anyway, today I’m sharing the first track off the upcoming album. Listening to some other highlights off the album, I really can’t wait to have this beast in it’s entirety. Thanks to the good people at Strut, you can get a good idea of how it all runs together by listening to       this podcast too.

Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics : Masenqo
taken from the album “Inspiration Information” on Strut (2009)