Mixtape Mondays: 1TA, Safari Sound, Jah T Jr

Words and graphic by DJ Theory

In case your temperature gauge somehow dropped below 90 this week, we’ve got just the right tools to get you back up to 100: new mixes from Japan, Philly and Sweden. The thing tun up!

1TA, Japanese Killer Dancehall & Bashment Mix (via Shimmy Shimmy): Some new territory for Mixtape Mondays—Japanese dancehall! As you may know, Japanese folks are some of the biggest supporters of the music and culture bubbling out of Jamaica. They still buy and distribute many of the physical records being pressed on the island, and have a knack for collecting extremely rare foundation tunes and original pressings that simply can’t be found in the states, and possibly even in JA. There’s more than a few Japanese reggae artists who have adapted the slang, dances, swagger and riddims of Jamaica into their very own sound, and a good number of them can be found on this mix by 1TA of Riddim Chango and Part 2 Style, for U.K. dancehall site/T-shirt label Shimmy Shimmy.

The intro starts out on the gunslinger tip, then quickly evolves into a killer Sleng Teng riddim series, all the while featuring a diverse set of talents from serious bubbling MCs to the steel pan instrumental of dub band Little Tempo and Tomo and Mickey Rich’s R&B-influenced dancehall. Says The Large from Shimmy Shimmy: “It’s been fairly well documented that the Japanese scene takes huge inspiration from Jamaica, often to the point of imitation–there’s even a Nanja Man featured on the mix–but they’ve clearly got their own, brilliant style that 1TA superbly showcases… Someone tell me what’s japanese for ‘bullet, bullet.’” Tracklist and stream here, more info here.

Safari Sound, Kingsize Ballads Vol. 2 hosted by Stylo G: Our Swedish brethren Safari Sound are doing damage on MM yet again, and to no surprise this one is another boomshot. In collaboration with the biggest Scandanavian hip hop magazine Kingsize, Kingsize Ballads Vol. 2 picks up where the very well received Vol. 1 (Which apparently got a cool 10,000 downloads within its first week) left off with a slew of big tunes, exclusives, skits and new material from the mix’s host, rising UK artist Stylo G. I don’t know what they put in the water over there in Sweden, but Safari must be drinking a healthy amount of it… Tracklist, stream and download here

Jah T Jr, Jugglin Hero Summer Edition + Groundation Feeling: Philly’s Humble Camp is back to bless you with two new mixes this week, one in a dancehall style and the other strictly roots and culture one-drop riddims. DJ/Producer Jah T Jr gets you up to di time on some crucial selections from each category and blends it all up tight. Jugglin Hero is definitely a full serving of dancehall, coming in hot at 99 tracks deep (I always wonder why DJ’s don’t make it a solid 100). While Groundation Feeling features all the top artists (Stephen & Damian Marley, Khago, Pressure, I-Octane, Sizzla, Tarrus Riley) you’d expect to hear on a roots and culture mix, it covers more ground by including a handful of lesser-known talents like Stabby Laa, Messenjah Selah, Ras Myhrdak, Lust, Da Professor, MK and Ras Bogle. Whether you’re ready to start up a daggering session in the kitchen, or simply need to find your mellow mood and hold a meds, Jah T Jr made sure all your vibes were covered with these two. Salute to Kenny Meez for sending them our way. Get the tracklist and download for Jugglin Hero here. See here for Groundation Feeling.