Mixtape Mondays: Yaadcore, Federation Sound, Chi Ching Ching

Words by Deejay Theory —

The new year brings new music, with the first Mixtape Monday of 2014 pulling up some carefully cooked roots music, uncut dancehall and a very rare throwback from the humble beginnings of one of our top-rated sounds. Enjoy the vibes below…

Yaadcore, Reggae Aroma Vol.3: This treasure from the top chef of the reggae revivalist movement Yaadcore is a perfect way to shift into the New Year. With a string of mixtape favorites over the last year, Yaadcore returns with volume three of his acclaimed Reggae Aroma series, dishing out the #ITALisVITAL edition for all the hungry people out there. The people answered quickly, ready for some new one-drop and roots music, with the mix clocking over 20k plays in the first two days. This one goes heavy on the dubplates and specials too, featuring ace treatment from Protoje (who Yaadcore backs as his full-time DJ) Kabaka Pyramid, Keida, Jesse Royal, Tarrus Riley, Pressure, Jah Cure and many more. Pure mixtape food right here. Stream and download below, tracklist here.

Federation Sound, Roots, Reality &  Culture Vol.1: Whoa gosh, we have a serious treat for you this week from the deepest caverns of the Federation vaults. You may be familiar with the sound from a laundry list of runnings from NYC to Jamaica over the years, but this tape dates back four years before the crew’s inception, recorded live in one take (on cassette) by the big man Max Glazer in December of 1995. Their later editions of this series (often mixed as well by Kenny Meez) were all classics in their own right, so when Max uploaded this to the Federation soundcloud as a collectors item it was a huge late holiday bonus for reggae lovers worldwide. Golden era recordings peeled from dusty wax by much younger versions of your favorites. Stacks of vibes and memories from start to finish, let’s hope they keep the next volumes uploading (hint hint). Stream and download below, tracklist here.

Chi Ching Ching, I’m the Chainsaw Man: We’ve had our eyes and ears on Chi Ching Ching for a minute now, boasting chainsaw-sharp lyrics and slick dancehall bravado on just about everything he touches. A little late on the jump with this one but had to get it out anyway so you can see what dude and his Talla Dan Dem camp have been up dung a yard. Look out for new works coming from Chi Ching and LargeUp in the near future, but for now sink your teeth into this mixtape cooked up by JA mixtape juggler DJ Kenny. Stream and download below.