Mixtape Monday: New Christian Martir Premiere, DJ Rasta Root, Talib Kweli's Cathedral & More!

Welcome back to another edition of Mixtape Monday, Okayplayers. The winter weather seems to have finally made its way across the lower 48 states, but that's no reason not to get out and enjoy the finer things in life like a cup of green tea, a hand-knit scarf and, of course a proper mixtape. This week's batch of musical patchworks is especially smooth, leading off with Christian Matir's brand new The Difference Between The Method And The Heart. The tape is a hard-hitting funk and soul collection, fueled by Martir's expert ear for extended solo breaks and latin vibes. There's also plenty of mighty tough hip-hop on tap this week: DJ Rasta Root (you may recall his work with Phife Dawg) has a mix of some of the best new singles to drop in the last month. Talib Kweli's presence is also felt--his new Javotti Media dropped the church on us. So read on you high-class tea-sipping pea coat collar-poppers. Mixtape Monday is here to warm your soul.

Christian Martir gets the job done. The NYC DJ not only owns Sociedad Records, but he's also all over both sides of the East River, hosting regular parties in Manhattan and Brooklyn that always blast off, thanks to his keen ears and deft skill with a turntable. For his new mixtape The Difference Between The Method And The Heart, lovers of obscure funk and soul will be pleased to find plenty of it. Cuts from Freedom Express, Azymuth, and Syd Dale give the mix a hypnotic latin vibe, and it all peaks with "A Gozar," a new cut from El Bles that Martir himself is dropping on his Sociedad label. This one has all the uptown finery, mixed with a bit of downtown sneer.

Tracklist:

Mos Def - "The Panties"

Tom Brock- "I Love You More And More"

Azymuth- "Dear Limmertz"

Michael Henderson- "Let Love Enter (Todd Terje Edit)"

Pamoja - "Oooh, Baby"

Freedom Express- "Get Down"

Roy Porter Sound Machine - ??

Pleasure - "Ghettos Of The Mind"

Gilberto Monroig - "Que Te Parece"

Ebo Taylor - "Come Along"

Ticklah - "El Dia De Mi Suerte"

Syd Dale - "Bass Line"

The S.S.O. Band - "Faded Lady"

Carlos Ramos Y Su Orquesta Fuego- "Candelo"

El Bles- "A Gozar"

If you've been sleeping under a rock or serving time in a Tijuana jail (hey it happens), you might be wondering what's happening in the world of hip-hop as of late. Luckily DJ Rasta Root has taken a break from his usual gig as Phife Dawg's personal DJ and compiled the latest installment of his Face Off Fridays series. It's a no-nonsense tape of heavy tracks front to back and features Nas's latest J Dilla venture, a double shot of Dej Loaf, the latest from Big K.R.I.T., and more.

Tracklist:

Logic - "Under Pressure"

Rapsody - "The Man"

Def Loaf - "Try Me"

Camp Lo - "Luchini [Try Me Refix]"

Big Krit ft. Raphael Saadiq - "Soul Food"

Nas - "Seasons"

Dej Loaf - "I Got It"

Rapsody - "Feel It"

Talib Kweli would like to remind you that he was way out in front of us all when it came to digging Kanye, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and many more. The Brooklyn legend does indeed have a kind of telepathic knack for picking out the greatest new talent and shining his light on it before the masses get hip to what's coming. It's in that sense his latest venture, Javotti, drops this set of new cuts, The Cathedral. Javotti is being billed as "an entity designed to develop, promote, and release content from tomorrow's artists today," and in that sense The Cathedral is a towering triumph--listening to K'Valentine, NIKO IS and of course Pharoahe Monch, it quickly becomes clear that the hip-hop church is headed for a heavenly future.

A newcomer to Mixtape Monday, Complexion has amassed a steady following by regularly dropping and/or selecting beats that cut a perfect line between futuristic and familiar. His regular Future Beats is a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in deep echoing bass and just the right amount of jangly, starlit guitars. Plenty of ODESZA finds its way into the cut as well. Complexion's latest episode is one of our most favorite ever, with deeply tender joints from Solboi, Haan808, Juan Cristobal, Harris Cole and more. Unfamiliar with many of these names? Press play and get your future studies on.

Only the greats get mixtapes dedicated solely to their own work, and the Legend himself falls in that category without a doubt. Compiled by reggae-lover and ace selector DJ Vadim, this mix homes in on the spacier, more dubbed-out side of Bob Marley's catalog. But rest assured, the essentials like "Exodus." Find your favorite dragon's den and turn this one up while you lay low. Remember--the rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble.

Rarities. Rare-'80s. Get it? Exactly. DJ Esquire and Tim Martell scoured their home collections along with many a record bin (and Youtube channel, perhaps?) to bring us the latest installment in their series of deep, deep cuts from the decade that brought us Flashdance, Grandmaster Flash and Flash Gordon. Follow Esquire and Martell deep beneath the radar and enjoy the timeless harmonies and drum machine clatters from tunes that never got their due when they were released.

Tracklist:

DJ Esquire & Tim Martell Combo:

Blues Brothers Intro

Scotch - "Penguins' Invasion"

Chris Luis - "The Heart of the City"

Q Lazzarus - "Goodbye Horses"

Black Box - "Ride on Time"

Luther Vandross - "She's a Super Lady"

Heaven Sent & Ecstacy - "I'm A Lady"

Mark Scott - "I Don't Wanna Come Down"

DJ Esquire:

Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark - "Secret"

Answering Service - "Call Me Mr. Telephone"

Bad Boys Blue - "Pretty Young Girl"

Duke Lake - "Satisfaction Love & Passion"

Flexi Cowboys - "Sexy Movie"

Robert Tomasi - "When I Let You Down"

Brian Martin - "Sex Tonight"

Tim Martell:

Martha And the Muffins - "Echo Beach"

Sparks - "All You Ever Think About Is Sex"

General Public - "Hot You're Cool"

Spandau Ballet - "To Cut a Long Story Short"

Lime - "Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight"

Plustwo - "Melody"

Cilo - "Eyes (Dub Mix)"

Don't be fooled by the robotic cover art--DJ Sheep's new Spring Breakz mixtape is a thing of organic, living beauty. Heavy on the string sections and flowing horn segues, Sheep recorded the mix live off his own vinyl collection. It's described as a journey through "the mind of a beat obsessed scratch maniac," and things do indeed get maniacal. Slice after slice after cut after cut of prime groove material is laid down by Sheep, only for it to be tossed out of earshot by the next cut he's chosen. The dust on his grooves never quite settles before we get a new bit of funk, soul, jazz or afrobeat to enjoy.

And now it's time for Mixtape Monday to get a bit more...smoldering. Okayplayer has a history of covering Moovmnt's high-class output, and now it's time to renew that tradition and enjoy their latest mix, which comes to us with extra special love from The Netherlands' Sojuju. Slathered in woozy and winsome tunes, this mix is perfect for lovers of that emotionally-charged trap sound that's permeating the online R&B scene as of late. Really, it's just perfect for lovers in general. With the fingerprints of Tei Shi, Blood Orange and Dpat on here, you know just how sexified a time is waiting for you.

Tracklist:

L'homme aux 4 lettres - "Vagabondages"

Gallant - "Jupiter Grayscale"

Friends - "The Way (Blood Orange Mix)"

Sci-Fi Scheme - "Let You Go (ft. Tasha Rose)"

??? - "Messages"

El. Train - "Rock With You (remix)"

Dpat - "Flourish (ft. Atu)"

Ayer - "Young"

Rudimental - "Baby (AnaTole Remix)"

Tei Shi - "No Angel"

??? - "The One"

Clara La San - "Nineteen Twenty (NeguimBeats Remix)"

Chu. - "Tell Me"

Big, funky things can come in puny pixelated packages, and you shouldn't let the small image deceive you--this last mix is something big. Re-recorded and uploaded to the internet, DJ O-Dub has blessed us with his A Groove Thing mixtape, a stunningly vast and well-made dive into latin, soul and funk. The word is that O-Dub is getting ready to drop two new mixes, and so he needs to make room in his digital closet (aka website) and has decided to move this mix out into the free public domain. Go on, press play, and bask in the goodness of obscurities like South African Assagai's "Telephone Girl." If O-Dub truly has more coming then you know we can count on you to drop it here with gusto. Until then, and until next week, keep moving to it.