It’s official, the dog days are here. We are rapidly approaching the end of Summer. Instead of getting sad about it, listen to this new mix from The Beatards and soak up every last drop of sunshine before it’s too late. A bunch of stone cold classics on here, as well as some new tracks that have been in heavy rotation recently. Blending reggae, hip hop, rock, funk and electronic sounds- this mix is pretty characteristic of the patent Beatards melange (full tracklist available on the soundcloud page). I’m also making a few of these individual tracks available so they can make their way into your own dog days mix.

Dog Daze Mix by The Beatards

Laza Morgan ft. Mavado :       One By One (DJ Theory Remix)

Cults :       Go Outside (Menahan Street Band Remix)

Gyptian :       Nah Let Go

With the final landing of NASA‘s last space shuttle, a new generation space program is on the rise. Welcome to Virgin Galactic. I really hope that one day I can DJ in space. I truly believe it will happen. If so, it would still be a stretch for the dance floor to be as hype as what I experienced this past Saturday night, here on Earth, in a huge downtown warehouse, at the monthly Lift party. Resident Deejays Jeremy Sole & Wiseacre were joined by special guests Gilles Peterson & Nickodemus. It was church for music obsessed pagans like me. The photo above (taken by Farah Stop) is a lil taste of the beautiful mayhem that occurred. With today’s selections, I’m taking one more small step towards the interstellar party to come. Also big shouts to KCRW, where you can hear Jeremy Sole on Weds nights, where I first heard multiple songs from this playlist, the same station where you can currently hear songs from my upcoming album! It is indeed a good feeling to hear your own music on the airwaves, especially when it’s a station of such quality.

LDFD :       Outtacontrol
19 years old and already killin the game.

Dark Sky :       High Rise
funky.

Little Dragon :       Ritual Union (Tensnake Remix)

Teeko ft. B. Bravo :       More Than Just A Dream
my homie from the BAY coming correct once again. Check his full-length album here.

The Very Best :       Yalira (Douster Remix)

Caribou :       Odessa

Salva :       I'll Be Your Friend

Mount Kimbie :       Before I Move Off

Pantha Du Prince :       Welt Am Draht (Die Vogel Remix)

Ok, so here’s how the story goes: I’ve been making music with these guys for 5 years now. We started by throwing this party together called Mixtape Riot! in NYC. DJO and I did live remixes with 4 turntables while UTK would host the whole thing and we’d rap a little back and forth. We brought guests in each time. People like Santigold, Spankrock, Ninjasonik, Jasmine Solano, Ladybug Mecca, Trouble Andrew, Bahamadia and a ton of other artists came on stage with us and helped make the party dope. Then on our first trip to Europe, where we were asked to bring our Mixtape Riot! party- we became a band- The Beatards were born. We wrote our first song together driving on a bus from Norway to Sweden. Fast forward through multiple mixtapes, an EP, and countless shows in front of crowds all over the country where we’ve shared the stage with Kid Cudi, Mike Posner, LMFAO, Shwayze, Lady Sov and many many more. An album gets made. That album gets tossed around between different possible record labels who toy with the idea of releasing it, and we wait patiently for nothing to happen. While the album, “I’m The DJ” will finally drop at the end of this Summer, we got impatient so we went ahead and asked cool producers we know and friends we’ve made along the way, to help us with some remixes. That’s where this EP comes from. Available now, for free. There’s a mix of styles on here- Moombahton, Dubstep, Trunkstep, 2-Step, Electro and BASS, mixed with overall goodtime vibe that we always try to bring in whatever we do. In case you missed it, there was a pretty awesome Jet Pack video that used one of our songs in the not so distant past. You can find more info on each of the producers if you check the individual songs on soundcloud.

The Beatards Remix EP by The Beatards

TO DOWNLOAD THE WHOLE EP CLICK RIGHT HERE

“Paraty” has been in steady rotation this Summer (can a song get any smoother? I think even Joao Gilberto would say it’s not possible) and since I’ve actually been bumping into Mia around LA, I decided to make a remix for her. She likes it, so now I’m sharing it with you. Big shouts to the homie Jeremy Sole for premiering last night on his mind-altering radio show on KCRW. Download link is the little downward facing arrow on the right for those still not familiar with soundcloud. More remixes coming at you soon…

Paraty (Captain Planet Remix) by DJ Captain Planet

See that little dude up there on top of the cliff? He’s about to jump. So am I. Add another link in the endless chain of sunny 76 degree days out here in La-La Land. Later this evening, sunbaked with a belly full of fresh cherries, I’ll be taking over DJ duties again with Murphy’s Law at our new weekly dance jammy. Come enjoy the festivities! If you’re too far away for that, then just enjoy these tracks and figure out a way to get your ass over to the city of angels before it falls off into the Pacific.

P.S. – RIP Amy Winehouse. I didn’t feel the need to add to the plethora of opinions and obit’s dedicated to her right now, but I’ve been a big fan of her voice for years and was reminded of this album review (by young Murphy’s Law) from the old blog back in ’07.

Chip Wickham :       Hit & Run
kick ass little 7″ that can be grabbed right here

Unknown :       Las Cuatro Palomas (Geko Jones & Reaganomics Remix)
another heavy roots remix from Dutty Artz crew

Pollyn :       How Small We Are
local LA band I caught on the radio recently. Definitely influenced by the Talking Heads.  Got a great video too.

Omar & Zed Bias :       Dancing
Omar is STILL killing it. I guess Tru Thoughts will be re-issuing his last album later this year.

Christian Hornbostel :       Guanakos (Kinski's Daktari Child Rework)
don’t remember where I got this, but you can find the whole release here

Scallymatic Orchestra :       Freedom (Moto Remix)
Scallymatic pulled a pretty crazy flip on this classic Jimi Hendrix song. Moto just made it that much heavier.

Derek Allen :       Spirits In The Material World
really loving this Police cover from the man behind a lot of Mad Decent records. Peep the EP

Opolopo :       Take It Slow ft. Sacha Williamson Sounding like it’s still ’82. These guys are on the front lines of the boogie resurgence brigade.

It feels very odd that I’ve been working so much this Summer. Somehow the season of camping and road trips has transformed into non-stop grind time this year. On the bright side, I’m listening to the masters of my new full-length album that will be dropping in Fall and I’ve got 2 other EP’s I’m finishing up production on as well. In order to stay sane, I’m regularly embarking on little mental vacations with help from great songs like these. Staying inspired is the KEY, and there’s no shortage of inspiration information if you do a bit of digging.

SBTRKT :       Wildfire (ft. Little Dragon)
My favorite cut from this new album which has helped launch me into space on repeated listens

Mokhov :       Midnight Love
This moody late night glitch hop is hitting the spot for me. Get more free tunes from this guy right here

Crowdpleaser :       Nenekri (Mickey Moonlight Remix)
check out the whole release and some more music by Crowdpleaser

Ta-ku :       Hey Kids
This synth and drum combo is summer camp for my eardrums. Minus the bunk beds & dirty communal showers

Hypno :       Over The Top
Loving this funky digi-tropical deep house. The track above as well as this one are from Gilles Peterson’s excellent Brownswood Electric comps

Nomo & Shawn Lee :       Upside Down
When I’m cruising on my bike with headphones blasting this, might as well be on a Ducati on the Amalfi coast. Check the great collection this song came from.