Mixtape Mondays: Walshy Fire x Fully Focus, QQ, Machel Montano, Kalibandulu

Words by Deejay Theory

As Carnival season charges on, it’s Labor Day Weekend here in the states which in NYC can only mean one very important thing —the West Indian American Day Parade. Take on the road, wherever you may be, with some  mixes below.

Walshy Fire x Fully Focus, Africa Is The Future: If you’ve been following dancehall rather closely this past couple years you’ve no doubt noticed an influx in African rhythms percolating the dance and mixtape playlists across the globe. Our good friend Walshy Fire has taken it upon himself, in conjunction with Atlanta’s Fully Focus, to share the sounds of Afrobeat, Kuduro, Azonto and more sub-genres with the world in this all-inclusive Africa is The Future mix. You’ll also notice appearances from Busy Signal, Machel Montano and Sean Paul’s, amongst names like Fuse ODG and Timaya. The cross pollination is real. We recommend tuning in with this vibe asap. Stream and download below, tracklist here.

DJ Jam Central x Machel Montano, Live on the LargeUp Sessions: Each and every Thursday from 6 to 8, our radio show The LargeUp Sessions broadcasts live from NYC on RadioLily.com. RadioLily isn’t like other radio stations, emanating out of Miss Lily’s Variety, the record shop/ art gallery attached to Miss Lily’s restaurant and Melvin’s Juice Bar. In other words, the show is open to the public, making for  interesting and energetic radio unlike what you’ll find on the regular airwaves. This past Thursday, DJ Jam Central and host Jesse Serwer were graced with the presence of soca king Machel Montano, who quite literally turned the place into a fete, drinking Guinness with the crew and leading crowd singalongs while introducing his new album Happiest Man Alive. Read more from that show here, stream in full below.

DJ Gravy x QQ, Live on the LargeUp Sessions: Another recent LargeUp Sessions guest was the young star from JA that’s been shaking every dance worldwide in a big way this past year with signature tunes like “Stookie” and “One Drop”, QQ. If you’ve been rating the artist as of late do yourself a favor and check this live and uncut recording, this time with DJ Gravy at the controls, including a wicked freestyle from Mr. “One Drop” himself. And, for our New York massive, QQ will be linking back up with DJ Gravy for tonight’s Rice & Peas party, once the festivities on Eastern Parkway come to a close.

Kalibandulu, Brand New Collection Vol.44: Gotta wrap things up with some brand new dancehall juggling from the Kalibandulu squad out in Italy. Their Brand New Collection mix series always delivers the latest and tuffest selections in dancehall so you can update your knowledge on a regular basis. Big new tunes and riddims from all the hitters every round. Stream and download below, tracklist here,