Prepare yourselves! Tomorrow I’m officially dropping my cassette tape project, along with some individually customized walkmen AND your chance at winning the badass hand-painted (fully-functioning) vintage boombox pictured above. I’ve been putting a ton of work into this project, and even though I’m not exactly sure what to call it (not quite an album, but definitely waaaaay more than a mixtape), I know it’s something that my fellow global music freaks will be able to appreciate. For today, I’m simply sharing a bunch of tracks to help get you in the mood for what’s to come. Think of it as foreplay if you will…

Dj Raff :       Sudakaizbeautiful

The Gaslamp Killer :       Nissim ft. Amir Yaghmai

Antibalas :       Dirty Money

Sol Power All-Stars :       Catch Monkey (Vocal)

Billy The Gent :       La Mania (Sabo's Corto Edit)

Vetiver Bong :       Cumbia In Da Ghetto

Matanza :       Puya

Janka Nabay :       Eh Mane Ah &       En Yay Sah

Souljazz Orchestra :       Ya Basta &       Conquering Lion

Elza Soares :       Mas Que Nada (Suonho Renumber)

Minoru Muraoka :       Positive & Negative (Cut Chemist Edit)

Maybe it’s because I haven’t had solid food in 8 days (back on the master cleanse), but this week’s downtempo psychedelic soul installment seems super appropriate. I’ve been floating a foot and a half off the ground, and moving a lot slower than my normal bustle. Hope you don’t mind slowing down with me for a minute while listening to these choice selections.

Robert Glasper Experiment :       Afro Blue ft. Erykah Badu (9th Wonder Remix ft. Phonte)
the features may seem excessive when written out, but I’m so happy to hear these vocalists together on one song. Sure, sounds like it could be 2000, but that vibe will never not be good to me. Little Brother lives!

Miguel :       Gravity &       Kaleidoscope Dream
the general vibe of this album is more electronic & even kinda 80’s rock-ish than I would have expected, but when the dude let’s loose on some simple head nod grooves, sick songs like these result. There’s also Adorn, which is amazing.

Chris Turner :       Liquid Love (og version)
lying in bed, post coitus, this is exactly what your endorphin flooded brain fiends. I swear I know the sample, but can’t place it… anyone help me out?

S3 (Miles Bonny & Brenk Sinatra) :       Don't Stop
been liking what I’ve been hearing from Mr. Bonny lately, but the simple swingin production on this one takes it up that extra notch.

Maze Hill :       Long Haul (LV Remix)
space is the place. I love how this track evolves. First heard LV on his (her? their?) excellent Scrimshire remix.

The Stepkids :       Sweet Salvation
probably my favorite cut of the bunch today, and one I’ve been fiending since I first heard it on the radio a month ago. Absolutely love the harmonies and trippy breakdowns. Godbless you Stepkids.

Tame Impala :       Mind Mischief
ok, now we’re moving into straight psych zone, where these guys are the current heavyweight champs of the known universe! I haven’t done it yet, but this album sounds like it was made to accompany a mushroom trip.

Diplo :       About That Life ft. Jahan Lennon
I love how versatile this guy is. From producing for Beiber and Usher, to making the hardest electro bangers, to this rootsy psych shit. I can’t lie, that’s mad inspiring to me.

Superhumanoids :       Too Young For Love
sprawling and grimey indie synth goodness from this group. And it turns out they’re at the Echo all month including tonite, gotta check that.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti :       Baby
these guys get extra points on the record nerd tip for doing a cover from Donnie & Joe Emerson.

New MTR podcast is up! Some familiar tracks on here if you’ve been checking the site, but also a handful of newbies that I haven’t posted. I was feeling pretty groovy this week, so pardon my disco. Also some nice funky electro remixes, house joints, and some smoothed out downtempo loveliness to finish it off. 60mins of non-stop good music, accompanied by my not so velvety voice. Gotta give a shout to Drea up in Oregon for the ill pic today. Seems very appropriate, because while Summer may officially be over, the heat shows no signs of letting up. Get the full tracklisting and a download of the show on the Brooklyn Radio page.

Do I really need any excuse to play the funky shit? I guess lately I’ve been feelin the need to go back to what got me into music in the first place.  While I may not have grown up at the roller disco, I’ve always had a serious soft spot in my heart for those tunes. If you hear a deluge of disco edits and breaks start to flood this place, please excuse. On the flip side, if I start posting all the underground hip hop that I was obsessed with in the late 90’s and early 00’s, then feel free to stop me, cause most of that stuff can stay buried for a while longer without me complaining one bit. Also, some of these tunes today are at lower bit rates than I normally like to post, so if you have a nice clean rip at a higher rate, send it my way… Shout to my girl Leesie-bo for today’s epic graphic.

Brooklyn Express :       You Need A Change Of Mind one of my favorite 12″s I’ve discovered so far this year. Marvin meets James Brown with Brooklyn boogie all over it

Imagination :       Just An Illusion &       So Good

Herbie Hancock :       Stars In Your Eyes

Ozone :       Strutt My Thang

Jimmy Bo Horne :       Spank

Eddy Grant :       Time Warp
yes, Metro Area’s “Muira” is a blatant rip-off (done well at least) of this classic. Used to rock this all the time…

Arts & Craft :       I've Been Searching
I got hip to this one from disco digging kingpin Al Kent.

Cameo :       The Sound Table
another old ‘secret weapon’ of mine that got a lot of spins when I first discovered it around ’03. Still sounding fresh.

Konk :       Baby Dee

Bush Tetras :       Can't Be Funky

So. Hot. Mind been melting the past couple days. Thankfully, working on music is sometimes easier when you stop thinking. I’ve also been painting boomboxes and wrapping up this Stupid Hype soundtrack- more info on both of those projects soon. For now, I’m taking a nice little break to bounce around in my room with an icey beverage and 3 different fans blasting at my crotch from different angles. If this ain’t the definition of YOLO, I don’t know what is. Also gotta take a quick second to shout out Op Art master Bridget Riley for the painting above. Ok, Over and out.

Alison Valentine :       Peanut Butter (Moon Boots Remix)
Smooth and thumping at the same time is not an easy feat to pull off, but this guy is managing all that and then some.

The Very Best :       Yoshua Alikuti &       Mghetto (ft. Xuman)
Big big album from this dynamic duo. I was a little thrown off by the heavy use of reverb throughout the album, but the epic 80’s stadium vibe is growing on me.

TNGHT :       Goooo
I’m officially tired of names that remove all vowels, however, that’s not enough peev to keep me from going ape over this track. The video helps too.

Lloydski :       Go To Sleep (La Royale's Do Not Sleep Version)
Funky mid-tempo electro bounce that reminds me a bit of the better work by these guys. Check out more from the young funky Mexican who goes by La Royale right here.

SoulParlor :       Now! (Souled Remix)
house music done right. Old school bounce with plenty of bass. If ya don’t know, now ya know…

Lane 8 :       Thinking About You
Been digging a lot of 70’s & 80’s disco edits lately, but this dude went and removed Stevie altogether, and it still works! More from this San Franciscan disco dude right here.

Oliver Cheatham :       Get Down Saturday Night (Black Amex Dub)
Speaking of disco edits… check out a bunch more of the good stuff from these Denver, Colorado heads.

Blood Orange :       Sutphin Boulevard &       S'Cooled
Super late on this guy, but whatever. If I missed it then probably some of yall did too. Smooth indie dread head that I’m sure Frank Ocean listens to.

Jessie Ware :       Swan Song &       Sweet Talk
I can kind of understand why it took so long for someone to attempt emulating the inimatble Sade (she’s close to untouchable), but I gotta admit Ms. Ware is doing a damn good job at it. The production on this whole album is bananas.

Full Crate :       Cherrie Hats (ft. Chris Turner) &       Wet
late night soulful heady beats from the Netherlands, made by this man. Making me miss Amsterdam…

Nothing crazy here, just a nice lil throwback reggae stepper’s mix of this new one from Bibi Tanga & The Selenites. I’ve been a fan of these guys since this joint was in regular rotation, so I was happy to oblige when asked to do a remix. It’s a little more old-school feeling than most of my recent tracks, but it seemed appropriate with the vibe of the vocals. Check the soundcloud for a very different take on it from fellow LA heads Mathieu Schreyer & Computer Jay. It’s a free download, so share away…

***UPDATE*** Alternate download link here:       My Heart Is Jumping (Captain Planet Remix)