Fall Mixtape

I made a fall mixtape for Passionweiss. Just a fun playlist of groovy jams. 

Rather than opt for songs emotive of grey scale weather, blocked-guttering and shrinking daylight hours, I’ve compiled this fall mixtape as a snapshot of music I’m currently digging. The track-list reveals 2014 was the year I delved bellbottom-knee deep into funk’s luminescent depths. Prince, Zapp, Luther Vandross, Lakeside, The Isley Brothers and Teddy Pendergrass are all here, as is the jazzy trio Steely Dan and RZA’s go-to sample inspiration Baby Huey. The lack of great rap releases this year has also provided time to trawl through synth inspired raps and to discover Moe-Man, G. Dep and Fat Pat, all of which are featured on this set. So enjoy, but don’t expect the songs to match the dampness of your surroundings. This playlist is for those wanting to continue the party indoors. Perhaps most importantly, it will inspire you to consider if a “Big Pimpin'” collaboration happened between UGK and Tha Dogg Pound, would it have caused a tear in the Thot space continuum?

Tracklist:

1) Zapp – It Really Doesn’t Matter
2) Tha Dogg Pound – Big Pimpin’ 2 (Interlude)
3) Tha Dogg Pound ft Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg – Big Pimpin’
4) Moe-Man – Is It Like That?
5) DJ Quik – Dollaz + Sense
6) Yowda ft YG – That’s How It Goes
7) Fat Pat – Peep N Me
8) G. Dep – Doe Fiend
9) UGK – Swishas and Doshas
10) Baby Huey – Hard Times
11) The Isley Brothers – The Heat Is On
12) Steely Dan – Peg
13) Lakeside – Raid
14) Luther Vandross – I’ve Been Working
15) Teddy Pendergrass – I Don’t Love You Anymore
16) Raekwon – Hey Love
17) Prince – Time

Summer mixtape

Here's a playlist I originally created for Passionweiss 

“Welcome to the land where it just don’t stop. Trunks pop, tops drop, and the front-end hop.” I like to imagine summer is a lot like the world Houston rapper Fat Pat [RIP] describes on “Tops Pop,” where the music is funky, the cars have impractical modifications and the barbeques are forever blazing.

London’s non-existent beach culture and grimy urban backdrop can put a damper on any sun loving spirit, but listening to the tracks assembled below helps ease the chill. The loose criterion for these tunes is good vibes, the odd cheesy synth and choruses that inspire singing when friends are out of hearing range.

I’ve recently begun digging through classic Southern rap and while most pioneers from the East/West Coast have reached international acclaim, there’s a plethora of talent below the Dixie that hasn’t reached foreign ears. For this reason I’ve included Big Mike, Z-Ro and Dead End Alliance as well as B. Bravo for being one of my new favourite funk producers, The Dream for releasing his best material in a long time and Pimp C for being Pimp C. So lean back, sip your favourite brown liquor, push play and lend a thought to those of us not surrounded by summer dresses.

Tracklist:

1) B.T. Express- Give up the Funk (Let’s Dance)

2) Juicy – Sugar Free

3) B. Bravo – Energy

4) Fat Pat – Tops Drop

5) Big Mike ft Pimp C– Havin’ Thangs

6) Slim Thug ft Z-RO– Summertime

7) Big Krit ft Devin The Dude – Moon and Stars

8) Undergravity – Goin’ Live

9) Ghostface Killah ft John Legend – Let’s Stop Playing

10) Chuck Inglish ft Vic Mensa and Killa Kyleon – James Harden

11) Slick Rick ft Outkast – Street Talkin’

12) Dead End Alliance ft Lil Keke – Sun hit the fade

13) The Dream – Outkast

14) Don Brown – Don’t Lose Your Love

15) Kool & The Gang – Heaven at once

Click here to listen.