Today is officially RIP Biggie day. Can’t believe he was killed when he was just 25. In honor of one of the best rappers to ever bless a mic, Shepdog’s classic Roots Manuva mashup came to mind. Since I was posting that, I figured why not share another nice Shepdog mash. And then, since I was on a mashup roll, I thought of another Biggie related remix done by our very own Murphy’s Law back when we were doing the Captain’s Crate blog.  I would’ve taken some time to put together a new one for you all, but unfortunately the power has been out all day on my block and I’m posting this from my friend’s couch. Maybe next year…

Shepdog:       Witness The Flava (In Your Ear) &       Bigger Than Jamrock

M.I.A.:       Paper Poppa (Murphy's Law Mashup)

It’s not news to anyone that the 80’s are being re-lived to the fullest. Every synth-soaked decible, every acid washed iota, and all the glory of the vocoder- undeniable and omnipresent once again, today. As an 80’s baby, who suckled upon these very phenomena, I’m not mad. I leave you all today with some of the freshest specimens of said cultural experiment.

Toro Y Moi :       New Beat
ok, so technically this could maybe be ’79, but any reputable roller disco would be rocking this well into ’83

Jazmine Sullivan :       Don't Make Me Wait
her new EP travels from Prince-style production like this, to the very Mary J. Blige influenced “Holding You Down”, and into some reggae infused newer sounds- simply put, a winner!

Architecture In Helsinki :       Contact High
at first I thought they sampled Midnight Star’s “Midas Touch”, but no, they just love that band as much as me

Private :       My Secret Lover
this one from Denmark is 4 years old, but new to me, and damn if it ain’t funky enough to make Evelyn “Champagne” King jealous.

Blacktop :       Reversed (Opolopo Remix)
don’t know anything about Blacktop or Opolopo, but this one’s a scorcher

DJ Apt One :       Show Me What You Got
one of the funky masterminds behind DollarBinJams.com and the Young Robots label. Get more music from this man for free on his websites and cop his single here

Clive Tanaka y Su Orquesta :       All Night &       The Fourth Magi
this one is a little less obviously 80’s, but I just discovered this guy and figured it fit enough and was too good not to share.

Revolution is in the air. I can’t help but feel inspired. I don’t have a ton of Egyptian or Middle-Eastern music, but I do have a few gems worth sharing. Recent events have also inspired me to knock out a simple disco edit of a Lebanese favorite of mine by Fairouz. I remember first hearing “Albostah” or “El-Bosta” (depending on translation) at my favorite NYC falafel spot and having the kebob-master write down the song name for me on a grease-stained napkin. Here’s to the dream of better days to come and in support of the peaceful struggles that continue throughout the Mid-East!

Fairouz :       Albostah (Captain Planet Disco Edit)
bellydance meets Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards

Salah Ragab & the Cairo Jazz Band :       Egypt Strut &       Neveen
this guy worked with Sun-Ra among others. Check out this whole album for more

Hossam Ramzy :       Khusara Khusara &       Wana Be-ied Annak
sound familiar? Jay-Z is clearly a fan

Hyam Younes :       Jeitili
from an amazing 7″ I found years ago

My good friend Skyla Stover has been lacing me with the latest Jamaican music on a monthly basis for a few years now. I’m not even sure how she stays so in touch with it while living in Brooklyn, but I think it’s safe to call her an aficionado. I asked her to write about some of her recent favorites for MTR:

“Dancehall music is not all that well known among us in the US, although it is increasingly becoming more popular these days. Most people have heard classics on the radio like Shabba Ranks ‘Mr. Lover Man’ , Beenie Man ‘Dude’ , and more recently,  Gyptian ‘Hold Yuh’. These hit songs are only a taste of the fun, dance-loving, Jamaican culture that produces hundreds of songs each month. A new development in dancehall culture, as of 2008, is the feud between two of the hottest artists- Vybz Kartel and Mavado. It began at Sting, one of the biggest shows held in Jamaica. Mavado and Vybz Kartel, who were once part of an alliance, battled their artistic skills lyrically against one another. It ended in a confusing mess of who won and now, three years later, there is still a beef. Fans choose between Vybz who is part of the Gaza side or Mavado who is part of the Gully side. You now hear many songs about Gaza/Gully (areas of Jamaica) and here are some to get you started! Lets not forget Jamaica, although a troubled country, is still full of beautiful people, great music and love. Keep hanging on Jamaica!

Vybz Kartel :       Dancehall Hero ,       Gaza Commandments ,
      Clarks (ft. Popcaan & Gaza Slim) &       Look Pon We (ft. Russian)

Mavado :       All Dem A Talk &       Stulla

Mr Vegas :       Sweet Jamaica

Spragga Benz :       Shotta Culture

Chase Cross :       Better Dayz

Seanizzle :       One Day

Just a few things that go bang. I am literally itching to DJ… need a new gig here in LA badly. If you want to have the illest wedding party, bday jump-off, warehouse rave, or bar mitzvah freak-out, you know who to call.

Buraka Som Sistema :       Buffalo Stance
remake of Neneh Cherry’s 80’s classic

DJ Zinc ft. Ms. Dynamite :       Wile Out
happy to hear something new from this miss, I’ve been missing her

MJ Cole ft. Serocee :       AO (Zed Bias Wind Up Mix)
more fiya

Original Chappa :       High Grade
dont even remember where I got this mp3

Tinie Tempah :       Pass Out
I’m not mad to be hearing this break on US radio. Probably my favorite beat in months

Ward 21 :       Bang Bang
vocoder meets crunk meets dancehall

Over the weekend I visited the Salton Sea and Salvation Mountain (that’s it above) in the middle of the desert. Chatting with Leonard, the 79 yr-old man who hand built the psychedelic mountain of latex & adobe, was followed by partying with a motley crew of nomads and drifters in the make-shift town of Slab City. Later that night, sleeping under the stars, we were hit by a freezing wind and sand storm. Basically, a fuckin awesome weekend! But yeah, that night was very cold. Today I was supposed to fly back to NYC for a show, but alas, the homeland is being bombarded by yet another snowstorm and all flights were cancelled. Hopefully I’ll make it there tomorrow, with a high temp somewhere in the teens to welcome me. In light of this winter cold front, today’s songs all sound chilly to me-enjoy the frostbite.

Adele :       Rolling In The Deep (Jamie xx Remix)
heard this on KCRW and it was love at first handclap

Plan B :       Prayin' (Breakage Remix)
sounding very reminiscent of  Burial, but I don’t mind

Jimmy Edgar :       Hot Raw Sex (Machinedrum Remix)
Machinedrum turned this song into a complete mindmelter

Tensnake :       Coma Cat
this one is actually a completely undisputable JACKING of this, but again, I don’t mind

Monyaka Band :       Street People (E's E Re-Dub)
the homies Names You Can Trust have a new site with more free funkiness for download

Roots Manuva & Wrongtom :       Dutty Rut
I know reggae normally feels tropical hot, but this whole album highlights the grimier (and colder) side of dub