Words by DJ Arems
Summer is slowly slipping away but the mixtape heat is ever blazing. This week, we find out how party revelers at Notting Hill Carnival get down, check in on all the biggest Soca tracks of 2018, and get laced with a mega dose of the Hot Head himself. Strictly toppa top tings for your listening pleasure so let’s get into it.
Swing Ting, UK Carnival Bubblers (LargeUp Mix Series Vol. 20): As this article is being posted, the UK’s Notting Hill Carnival is beginning to wind down. The second biggest carnival in the world brings a unique edge verses that of most traditional Caribbean Carnival celebrations with a focus not just on soca, but a much broader spectrum of music. Swing Ting shows us exactly what to expect with their UK Carnival Bubblers mix, made specially for our LargeUp Mix Series, showcasing a variety of genres including soca, dancehall and afrobeats all blended up with some heavy UK flavour. Not all of the tunes here are brand new but they’re all certified bangers that will undeniably have your waistline moving. Stream and download below:
Rusty G, Carnival Done 2018: As summer starts to fade away, carnival celebrations throughout the world begin to dim and carnival tabanca slowly sets in. Thankfully, Rusty G brings us his yearly wrap up of all the big soca tunes that had people jumping around the globe to help stave off any feelings of depression soca warriors might have. Carnival Done brings us all the hits from Trinidad, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Bermuda and Antigua with close to 100 songs masterfully mixed into 90 minutes of pure energy.
Busy Signal and Willy Chin, The Busy Files: If you’re a fan of Busy Signal, this mixtape is a must have. The Busy Files serves up almost one solid hour of Busy Signal free styles, dubplates and custom Willy Chin remixes that will have you slapping walls, and screaming “bloodclaaaat” right away. Busy has always been one of the most versatile artists, and he proves that once again on this mix, dropping verses over every type of beat imaginable with ease. There’s plenty of unheard material here as well as many big chunes from Busy’s huge catalog. An instant classic.