Mixtape Mondays: Naomi Cowan, Neil Nice, O.B.F. Soundsystem

Words by Selector

Newsflash: It’s still hot out here in L.A. Global warming is no joke, and we’re just wrapping up our second heatwave for the summer. The weather report these days mostly just consists of volcano and fiyah emojis. Speaking of breaking records, here are some excellent new mixes to bump whether you’re heading to the beach or relaxing in some A/C.

Naomi Cowan, Paradise Plum: Singer/songwriter Naomi Cowan was born into this. Her dad is producer Tommy Cowan (also known as Bob Marley’s tour manager/marketing guy) and her mother is singer Carlene Davis. So it’s no surprise that this mix, from Selector Fiyah Yout and DJ Alpha Lion’s WrdSoundPwr series, is full of top-notch material showcasing Naomi’s beautiful voice, great production, and a fun selection of material. That includes new songs like “Paradise Plum” (which was produced by Teflon Zincfence, and also featured on Natural High Music’s recent LargeUp mix Naturally Delicious) and covers like “All That She Wants,” the 1992 hit by Swedish pop outfit Ace of Base. Highly recommended.

DJ Neil Nice, Art of the Mixtape: Necessary Niceness: NYC-based DJ Neil Nice has been a long-time supporter of my little brand, and I’ve been a longtime fan of his great reggae mixes. This latest mix is an hour and a half of timeless selections including crucial lovers, roots, rub-a-dub, new and old, and one of Neil’s own blends: Sister Nancy over a recent riddim by Richie Phoe outta UK. I’ve done the artwork for several of Neil’s mixes over the years; this time he worked with talented Toronto-based artist Andrea Pascual for the cover, inspired by Israel Vibration. Fulljoy the vibes below.

O.B.F Sound System, O.B.F A1 Mixtape: I got into this one because I’m a big fan of Spanish singjay Sr. Wilson. We connected on Instagram a couple years back and I’ve been keeping up with his latest music ever since. This recent mix from French sound system O.B.F stars Sr. Wilson alongside Charlie P, Shanti D, and Junior Roy. Most of the songs are unreleased original tunes and/or dubplates from the O.B.F arsenal. I really, really love this digital ragamuffin vibe. I hope you do too. Outernational!