Mixtape Monday: OVO Sound Radio, Rhettmatic, Wintertime, Mistah F.A.B. + More

May 15, 2017

Mixtape Monday is an exercise in classic material that combines celebrated catalogs with heat from rock solid newcomers. Wintertime and Mistah F.A.B. rep for their respective eras with hard tapes for the whips. Sango and Ryan Hemsworth drop plenty of heat in session with Oliver El-Khatib for OVO Sound Radio. DJ Chris Read celebrates the reissue of Ahmad Jamal’s timeless album The Awakening with a comprehensive original samples mix while Rhettmaticdoes work on the SP1200. Sets from Eavesdrop Radio, ROM, Submotion Orchestra, DJ King Otto and Switch Groove Exp. anchor this week’s roundup with plenty of soulful sounds for the beatmakers and crate diggers of the world.

Sango x Ryan Hemsworth - OVO Sound Radio Ep. 43

OVO co-captain and host Oliver El-Khatib is joined by Sango and Ryan Hemsworth for a trio of stellar sets during the 43rd episode of OVO Sound Radio from Beats 1. Michigan representative Sango follows El-Khatib, delivering a generous guest set that includes tracks from Sampha, Outkast, Xavier Omar, Playboi Carti, Bryson Tiller, Che Ecru and more. Hemsworth follows Sango with a slightly less substantial set featuring joints from Hoodrich Pablo Juan, Future, Jazz Cartier, Kehlani, PnB Rock and Kendrick Lamar.

Chris Read - WhoSampled x Wax Poetics: Ahmad Jamal ‘The Awakening’ Mix

Chris Read takes listeners deep into the realm of original samples for WhoSampled and Wax Poetics with The Awakening mix. The half hour set is a comprehensive dissection of the heavily sampled and celebrated album of the same name by pianist Ahmad Jamal. The mix follows the Be With Records reissue of the classic release.

Recently reissued on 180-gram vinyl by Be With Records, Ahmad Jamal's 1970 piano trio opus 'The Awakening' is a sought after digger's classic and among the most heavily sampled jazz records of all time. Familiar samples from the LP form the backbone of countless 90s Hip Hop anthems, most famous among them Nas's Pete Rock produced 1994 single 'The World Is Yours'. Others to have borrowed passages from the LP include the likes of Common, O.C, Jeru the Damaja, DJ Krush and many more. This mixtape produced in collaboration with Wax Poetics and Be With Records, mixed by Chris Read (MusicOfSubstance) explores the connection between the album and the many Hip Hop classics it inspired.

Rhettmatic - Excerpts From The SP1200 Vol. 1.5

For not quite the second installment of his Excerpts From The 1200 mix series, Beat JunkieRhettmatic delivers a 12-minute, 7-track set on his bornday. The boom-bap instrumental mix comes ahead of his forthcoming Rhett Got Beats LP, which is slated to arrive on May 19th via Street Corner Music.

It was very therapeutic for me making beats on the SP1200 again with all the crazy madness going on. I only labeled this project "Volume 1.5" just because it's a continuation from the first volume, up to date, but it's also marks the first time I made a few beats on the SP1200 since 1998.

ROM - Earsquake Mixtape Vol. 2

Birmingham representative and Soulection affiliate ROM drops a handful of heat with a 23-minute mix for the second volume of the Earsquake Mixtape series. The mini mix packed with choice cuts from his whimsical, ROMderful catalog also features joints from Anderson.Paak, Donell Jones, Dionigi, Sunbeam and more.

Submotion Orchestra - Bring The Funk Mix

Leeds outfit Submotion Orchestra drop a funk filled set for Clash Magazine. The Bring The Funk mix landed just ahead of The Soundcrash Funk & Soul Weekender, which invaded the Camber Sands Holiday Camp in East Sussex, England on Friday. The 1-hour mix includes tracks from Funkadelic, Eugene McDaniels, Creative Source, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown, James Brown and more.

DJ Junior x Lil’ Dave - Eavesdrop Radio Podcast #331

DJ’s Junior and Lil’ Dave serve up yet another round of certified joints from their homebase at WKDU for Episode #331 of Eavesdrop Radio. This edition of the standing clinic in rare grooves, soulful gems and future forward sounds features tracks from Joy Jones, Azymuth, Oumou Sangare, Mndsgn, Dirty Projectors, NxWorries, Jamila Woods, Kendrick Lamar, Simbad, Madison McFerrin and more. Press play and let these brothers take you to church.

Switch Groove Exp. - Open Sky #44

French selector Switch Groove Exp. digs funk, soul and percussive jazz to provide a breath of fresh air to any of his countrymen still waiting to exhale after the recent presidential elections. His mix is the latest for the Open Sky radio show from Radio Campus Clermont-Fd and Groovalizacion Radio. Traveling the tropics in the span of one set, Switch Groove begins in Brazil with Azymuth and Carlos Dafé before venturing to Guadeloupe with tracks from Roger Raspail and Les Vikings. Herbie Mann and the Rhythm Makers also make the cut to round out a set that is nothing short of golden.

Mistah F.A.B. - Stan Pablo: 4506 Mixtape

Still the life of every party, Oakland representative Mistah F.A.B. drops the 15-track Stan Pablo: 4506 mixtape. All about that Town Business, F.A.B. is also about his paper across the tape, which packs in plenty of slappers and doubles as a calling card for the Dope Era. Stan Pablo boasts contributions from Too $hort, Larry June, Yung Dro, Clyde Carson, Philthy Rich and B.o.B. Look no further if you need a dose of that real street spit.

Wintertime - Wintertime Mixtape

SoundCloud wizkid Wintertime follows the 2016 Erykah Badu remix of “Thru It All” with his self-titled 10-track mixtape. The project is a chill excursion that somehow marries the aesthetics of Curren$y and Future with the elements of screwed music. The wavy production places a spotlight on Wintertime’s signature monotone delivery and playful writing. While he takes the producer’s chair for a handful of joints, the tape also features tracks from Hella Sketchy, Good Intent and Gold.

DJ King Otto - Breaks 201

Dropping the sequel to his Breaks 101 set, Minneapolis selector King Otto returns with Breaks 201 (Live from Latitude 45). The 32-minute all 45 set is an absolute digger’s delight that combines familiar tunes and classic breaks with rare gems.

This is Volume 2 of my Breaks 101 series. This is all live on 45 rpm records. No cue point, no buttons no relative mode. I simply dropped 45s and changed them up as quickly as I could. There's plenty of drums and samples here from dollar bin goodies to a grail or two.