Mixtape Mondays: The Best Mixtapes of 2011

Words by DJ Theory—

Welcome to the first #MixtapeMondays of 2012! Large up to everyone who has shown love for the column throughout the year, and of course the artists, labels and brands responsible for the heavy mix selections brought to you each week. After covering around 200 mixtapes this past year (!) this week’s post is a quick roundup—in no particular order—of some of the top mixes that got us ramping up in the office, fired up for the club, amped up at the gym, holding a quick meds, and so on. Here’s to another year of music—keep the mixtapes bubbling!  If you’d like to submit your DJ/soundsystem/nephew/homegirl’s mix for Mixtape Mondays consideration, hit up djtheory@largeup.com. Lets start the ting.

Federation Sound x 10 Deep, Summer Murda: Music and style are two of NYC’s main exports. Federation Sound and the streetwear dons at 10 Deep, two entities which have represented some of the best that the city has to offer in those fields for years, came together for Summer Murda, a free mixtape that more than lived up to its name. Released at summer’s end, the mix dropped in time to strategically salute the West Indian Day Parade and Labor Day weekend madness in Brooklyn. With 49 tracks of dubplates and singles, Federation’s Max Glazer does what very few selectors can, and it’s all in a day’s work for the big sound (which also consists of Philly’s Kenny Meez, JA’s Alric & Boyd and the late Disco D). If you’re familiar with any of Federation’s past mixtapes, then you already knew this would be a timeless mix that’ll have you throwin up trigger fingers from start to finish. Catch a taste of the murda–with huge specials from Kardinal Offishal, Sean Paul and more–in the video here, and download the mix directly here.

The Heatwave, Energy Bashment (via The Heatwave): Another sure-shot from our UK correspondent Gabriel Heatwave, Energy Bashment offered exactly what the title suggests, served up with a very simple ultimatum: sitting still is not an option. As Gabriel put it himself, it’s “60 minutes of dancehall electricity, exclusive remixes and blends, brand new hits and straight up classics, all specifically arranged to induce maximum hyperactivity!” Tracklist and download here.

Energy Bashment Mix – The Heatwave by The Heatwave

Project Groundation, Revolutionary Culture: Revolutionary Culture was one of several mixtapes from Oakland’s DJ Child and his Project Groundation Massive we’ve had the fortune to premiere here on LargeUp. With a refreshing blend of current and classic hiphop, dubstep, traditional African music and brand-new dancehall from yard hosted by Jahdan Blakkamoore, M1 from Dead Prez and Konshens, this mix far exceeded the DJ mix standard. Considering that a lot of these vocals were true freestyles or specially crafted for this project, Jahdan, Konshens and M1 definitely put their stamp on this one, and a lot of other “mixtape” DJ’s should be grabbing their notepads as well. Download PGM Vol 32, Revolutionary Culture, Book 1 here. and Book 2 here.

4. Collin Hines, 1990 Suppm: Episode 1:  This was definitely a must download for any dancehall fan, especially those who appreciate the 90′s era, as we do so fondly here at LargeUp. As Stephen “Supa Hype” Davis states in the intro,  Collin “The Captain” Hines is not a bus driver, but a true DJ (as in disc jockey) OG, responsible for popularizing the mixshow format on Jamaican radio. On what he promises will be the first installment of an ongoing series, you’ll find 73 tracks of necessary 1990 suppm dancehall business. Stream here, download here.

DJ Gravy x DJ Teddy King, Back In Time (via Boundless NY): Large Up’s hustler-in-chief DJ Gravy combined forces with DJ Teddy King of New York City streetwear shop Boundless NY (Check our webisode on their skate team) for this throwback mix that lived up to its title, combining classic hiphop remixes of ’90s dancehall hits from deejays like Cutty Ranks (“Living Condition”), Capleton (“Wings Of The Morning,”), Super Cat (“Ghetto Red Hot”) and more, with Rice & Peas microphone don dada Micro Don playing host in traditional “live” mixtape style. Being the veteran selectors and aficionados that they are, Gravy and Teddy cut up strictly vinyl for the recording of this mix, while Herbert Spliffington and James Farsetta‘s original 90′s 12″-style illustration was easily some of the wickedest art for a mixtape I can remember. Download the mix here.

Safari Sound, Kingsize Ballads Vol. 2 (hosted by Stylo G): Our Swedish brethren Safari Sound did plenty of damage on MM in 2011—this was just one of many boomshots. In collaboration with Scandinavian hip hop magazine Kingsize, Kingsize Ballads Vol. 2 picked up where the very well received Vol. 1 left off with a slew of big tunes, exclusives, skits and new material from the mix’s host, rising UK artist Stylo G of “Call Mi A Yardie” fame. Tracklist, stream and download here.

KiNGSiZE BALLADS VOL.2 HOSTED BY STYLO G by safarisound

Black Chiney, 10 Year Anniversary Mix: What can you really say about Black Chiney? Members Supa Dups, Large Up contributor Walshy Fire, Bobby Chin and Willy Chin have been callin’ shots and murdering sounds for years and years with no tears. Ten years, specifically, and they launched this CD and tour to commemorate that fact. The silky r&b special intro is sick, moving directly into a plate of the hiphop reggae remixes that made them famous in the first place, including the Vybz Kartel remix of Eminem’s Supa Dups-produced “W.T.P.” The mix closes out with a grip of their classic live sets and a preview of their 10th Anniversary Tour. Madd. Download here.

Black Chiney 10 Year Anniversary Mix CD by Walshy Fire

Nguzunguzu, The Perfect Lullaby (via Dis Magazine): Definitely feeling LA’s Nguzunguzu, not only for having a wicked name but for making all sorts of tropical thunder lately as well. The Perfect Lullaby is just that, offering up a thorough mix of French-Caribbean zouk vibes, opening with what sounds like some Vollenweider ish. All the zouk tunes here are in English, including some sexy remixes of top 40 and classic r&b jams, some really minimal joints and definitely some cuts fi di gyal dem. Label this post-dinner party heat. Get the download, and check the tracklist and tripped-out waterfall here.

NGUZUNGUZU – The Perfect Lullaby by DISmagazine

Deadly Dragon Sound, Penthouse Records Special (via East Village Radio): Throwback scientists Deadly Dragon put down an excellent reggae set on EVR every Monday evening, but on the week of March 7th they went even deeper than usual, dedicating the entire show to releases on the legendary Penthouse label, including classic Buju, Beres, Tony Rebel and Wayne Wonder 45s, as well as early gems from riddimatical genius Dave Kelly. They even got Penthouse founder/producer Donavan Germain on the phone for an interview, bumping this one into collector’s item status. Get the backstory and tracklisting here and go to the March 7 archive at EVR for the audio. – Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

Jillionaire, Mixpak FM 013 :  Another welcome addition to this list is Large Up team member Trini Chris AKA Jillionaire. For this mix, Jilli teamed with LargeUp fam / Dre Skull‘s Mixpak Records, the label responsible for Vybz Kartel‘s 2011 LP, Kingston Story.  Rather than go in a club direction, he went for a ’90s throwback set, dropping tunes from Gospel Fish, Apache Scratchy and some other unsung heroes of  dancehall. In his words, “it’s made up of the guns and girls chunes that defined the late 80s and early 90s. Bullet bullet!” Tracklist and download here, or may we recommend subscribing to Mixpak FM here.

Kalibandulu, Brand New Collection 17: Kalibandulu was another MM staple in 2011, dropping heavy shellings all year straight from Italy. You can always count on this crew to keep it 100, from the selection and mixing of current big tunes to the criss artwork and murderous intros. Consistency is hard to come by these days, but Kalibandulu got the memo a long time ago—their Brand New Collection mix series is always a no-brainer for dancehall fans. Tracklist here, download here.

Rep JA x Chinese Assassin, Frenemies: Our folks over at Rep JA combined forces again with some of the baddest reggae and dancehall DJs in the game, Miami’s Chinese Assassin, to spotlight two of reggae’s most illustrious and celebrated artists–Beenie Man and Bounty Killer–who also happen to be rivals in what may be the most notorious and longstanding beef in dancehall music history. Frenemies was intended not to glorify that beef but rather to unify them, while spreading appreciation for two artists who have had a massive influence on reggae and Caribbean culture for two decades running. With early anthems like Bounty’s “Cellular Phone” to new classics like Beenie’s “Rum & Red Bull,” this mix should be required listening for dancehall fans. Download the mix  here.

Nick Catchdubs, Catchy Bashment, Pomp&Clout Mix Series Vol. 10: Visual ninjas (and producers of music videos for Robyn and other outernational dancehall queens) Pomp&Clout enlisted Fool’s Gold chief exec and all-around nice dude Nick Catchdubs to craft a rap vs. dancehall thing called Catchy Bashment. Where previous installments included Bollywood from Paul Devro and the Harlem Soul Collective this one easily has the most pomps & prides of all of them. Stream/soundcloud it here and collect ‘em all here.  -Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

Pomp&Clout Mix #10 – Catchy Bashment by Nick Catchdubs

Tribe of Kings Sound x J Boog, You Got to Be Strong (via Tribe of Kings): Polynesian reggae sensation J Boog hosted this mix from the San Diego homies Tribe of Kings Sound–the first tape he appeared on since bussing internationally with his smash hit “Let’s Do it Again.” Mixed up in fine style by Dash Eye, this is definitely a gift for any fans of J Boog, and should get those unfamiliar on par with the quickness. Boog is without a doubt one of the most talented voices in lovers and one drop reggae today. Download here and get the whole story here.

DJ Arems, Fiyah fi Bun Dem Part 5 (via Faction Sound): The Vancouver homie DJ Arems is a straight boss, and this mix is an easy example why.  A wrap up of tunes from 2010 released in February of ’11, this is a refreshingly straightforward bashment dancehall mix from the necessary boom tunes to the requisite lingerie models on the cover. Get artwork and info here, download here.

Zulu, Zulu Mixtape Vol 1: Recently signed to tropical bass don Toddla T’s Girls Music label, 18-year-old London producer Zulu is set to make some serious noise this year with his self-proclaimed Zimbabwean trance sound. On this mixtape of 100% original material, the African zulu elements are clear as day, as well as bits of UK funky and 2 step, house, and that good good future club that can’t be put into a box as it lacks a specific shape. Whether or not this is a sound or style you’re used to, adding this mix to your life is highly recommended. Download here.