Google+ Beathearts: 05.2012

5.29.2012

BamaLoveSoul Presents Erykah Badu Remixes, Flips & Covers

Erica Abi Wright a.ka. Oblongata Cerebellum, MC Apple, Lowdown Loretta Brown, Analog Girl in a Digital World, Annie the Alchemist, Fat Belly Bella. This lil' Badu mixtape put together by DJ Rahdu over at BamaLoveSoul.com got as many styles as the woman got aliases. Rahdu's idea was to give tribute to Erykah by compiling some of the best remixes, covers and flips of her tunes. Ace!

"It’s no surprise that this Southern Girl has continued to mystify and amaze us 15 years after the release of her genre busting debut album Baduizm. Not only is she unique, she has continued to push the boundaries on each of her subsequent releases. Closely aligned, it seems, with every musician that matters (she was a core member of the Soulquarians for crying out loud!) she’s always able to create songs that either confirm or confound your musical sensibilities. For this reason, amongst many others, we love the Analogue Girl! 


Alas, there are those that feel they can perfect what Badu has done in the studio or just want to add their personal spin to her musical offerings, heck, some have even been commisioned; It’s these remixes, flips and covers that fuel this mix. Y’all Feel That is a collection of some of our favorite tricked out treats, lovingly mixed and offered to you and your mp3 players. Enjoy!"

Download: BamaLoveSoul presents Y'all feel that mixtape

Tracklist:
1. My Morning Jacket – Tyrone
2. The Electric – Didn’t Cha Know feat Add2, Qwazaar, Wes Restless & Yarah Bravo
3. Jesse Boykins III – Mystery of Iniquity (BaduBoykinsHill)
4. Durand Bernar – Flipside of the Game
5. Erykah Badu – Love of My Life (Shelltoes Remix)
6. Erykah Badu – Love of My Life (Kaytradamus Remix)
7. Erykah Badu – Real Thang (maTic’s cold crush remix)
8. Erykah Badu – Window Seat (The O Remix)
9. Erykah Badu – Southern Gul (Nonagon Remix)
10. Mark Ronson – A La Modeliste (Bonobo Remix) feat Erykah Badu
11. Melo-X – Gone Baby feat Paul McCartney & Erykah Badu
12. Collette – Orange Moon
13. Erykah Badu – Honey (Lawrence Wiggins Remix)
14. Show Tufli – Stand Out Girl
15. Erykah Badu – I Want You (Rancido’s Deepersoul Edit)
16. Erykah Badu – On & On (Kero One Remix)
17. Erykah Badu – Soldier (Sam Champ Remix)
18. Erykah Badu – Telephone (Freddie Joachim Remix)
19. 9th Wonder – 20 Feet Tall feat Erykah Badu & Rapsody
20. Erykah Badu – 20 Feet Tall (Yoruba Soul Remix)
21. Erykah Badu – Honey (Glenn Underground Remix)
22. Eryah Badu – Back in the Day (Chopped & Screwed)
23. Vlooper – The Healer feat Modlee
24. Erykah Badu – Bag Lady (J Finesse Remix)

Beathearts rewind #46: Many Fazes - I'm hip (1990)

Another hidden gem from back in the day. Many Fazes was a huge underground hit that year and many of us had high expectations for an album that never turned up. We haven't been able to find out why but as far as I know they only released this one 12".

Produced by Derek Jenkins and Dwayne Richardson this lil' gem was based on two crazy and (at least to me) unknown sample sources. The Turtles I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts) and Don Ray's Gotta have loving. But what really stands out and keeps it fresh even today are the dubby chords. Man those chords!

Jenkins and Richardson later continued to release more club oriented music under aliases such as Ruffneck and Backroom Productions. Check it!


Download: Many Fazes - I'm hip (1990)

5.27.2012

The Beat Generation Series #2: DNM/Denom (Chile)

In our quest to discover new soulful underground music we come across many up and coming producers from all around the world. We thought is was about time to put the spotlight on a few of them that we think are about to blow up. We call it The Beat Generation Series.

The Beat Generation Series #2: DNM/Denom (Chile)

The second producer featured in our Beat Generation series is Christián Rodrigo a.k.a. DNM/Denom. Hailing from Coquimbo, Chile, he's a part of the country's vivid experimental beat scene. We recently got in touch with Chrisitán to learn more about his inspirations and music making.

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For how long have you been making music?

I've been making beats since 2008 and in 2010, I wanted to release my first serious output with my mates covering my experiences making beats. All this ended up on the Reminisce album which is about ideas, feeling and emotions about "my beatmaking life".


Download: DNM Beats - Reminisce (2010)

After that, in the 2011, we created a crew called Beatvolution in collab with Unek ▽nEk, Delos ▲del◯ §beat▲  and Judubre. We released our first album, Soundrelaxe, which was important in the evolution of the Chilean beat culture. In chile, we have two experimental crews of beatmakers: ShitBeatYan and Beatvolution with the synth and chill flavor experimenting on the new roads of the hiphop sound.

Download: Beatvolution - Soundrelaxe (2011)

You also featured on the excellent Xperiment Synt compilations. Who's behind those?

Xperiment Synt was orginally born like a Facebook group created by Delosbeat where any beatmakers from chile and rest of the world share and comment on their music. Then Delos had the idea of making a beat-tape compilation with all the members of the group. Well, it turned out good and we decide make more compilations. We're actually working on a new beat-tape due for release in July!


Download: DNM - All4love


Do you all know each other/work together?

I only know them from Facebook, but the relations are very good. That's the best of all. The atmosphere of work [online] is very pleasant. I'd like to meet my dudes form Xperiment Synt and Beatvolution one day. It would be very nice.

What are you working on at the moment?

Right now, I'm working on my new album entitled Autumn Kutz (Cortes de Otoño) where, I return to the classic sounds, remembering the 90th's flavor of "The golden era" with more sampling and 16-bits drums and funky basslines. Adding jazz-samples and inviting to the listener to share my love for the classic beats and the influences of people like Figub Brazlevic, Pete Rock, DJ Premier and the unique J Dilla!




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Denom/DNM Beathearts exclusive download:


As a bonus here are two exclusive downloads from Christian's upcoming releases.

Download: Denom/DNM - Deadpeople interlude (taken from Autumn Kutz)

Download: Denom/DNM - Limites (taken from Xperiment Synt III compilation)

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Check out more sounds from Denom/DNM:

Soundcloud: Denom/DNM

The first two Xperiment Synt compilations are available as free downloads right here:
Download: Xperiment Synt vol 2

Denom's upcoming Autumn Kutz will be available via Bandcamp.

5.23.2012

The Beat Generation Series #1: Buscrates (US)

In our quest to discover new soulful underground music we come across many up and coming producers from all around the world. We thought is was about time to put the spotlight on a few of them that we think are about to blow up. We call it The Beat Generation Series.

The Beat Generation Series #1: Buscrates 16-bit Ensemble (US)

First up is Orlando Marshall a.k.a. Buscrates 16-bit Ensemble. With an alias as dope as his beats, Buscrates is a DJ/producer hailing from Pittsburgh's East End. What first caught our attention was his stunning refix of french nusoul singer Meemee Nelzy's Comme Un Lotus. For the last year or so there have been edits, remixes and beats popping up from all over the place from the man. Funky, deep, futuristic soul, just the way we like it. We got in touch with Buscrates to learn more about his inspirations and music making.


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We first heard of you about a year ago through your amazing remix of Meemee Nelzy’s Comme un Lotus. Our first thought was “great to hear that the French scene are on top of things again!” then only to discover that the fresh new French sound originated from Pittsburgh. How did you hook up with her?

Thanks man, I appreciate that! That's still probably my favorite remix I've done so far. She reached out to me on Twitter, and I gladly obliged. It ended up being on Moovmnt's top 5 remixes of 2011. Thank you Meemee!


Any other relations to France? We recently covered a collective of French producers Don Da None and Zerolex who are putting out mind blowing productions at the moment.

Other than Meemee, my homie Dela has been rockin it for a minute. That's actually how I first heard of her, through him.

We gotta give you props for your name: Buscrates 16-bit ensemble. How did you come up with that?

That name came from the sampler I was using for years: the Akai MPC2000XL. It processes the samples in 16-bit, and at the time I wasn't playing any instruments or involved in a band or anything, so I referred to all the sounds and samples I was using as an ensemble, and combined the two. BusCrates came from the days of hauling records to gigs on public transit. It's quite literal!

Just to sort things out: Buscrates 16-bit Ensemble is you as a solo artist right? Tell us about your other constellation East Liberty Quarters.

Yep, Buscrates is just me solo. East Liberty Quarters is a three-man crew. Myself, Geeman/Grand Ear and Nice Rec.

Inspired by early 80s boogie funk records we're all primarily beat makers, but we wanted to take it a step further and actually make records in a somewhat similar vein as the records we all admire but put our own twist on it. So we went out and got some real analog boards and drum machines and learned to create from scratch. This has also helped take our beat making to another level.

We primarily record and play as a trio, but our last few live gigs included guitarist Zack Curl (of Smooth Tutors), and the last show we had him and his drummer Matt Brinson.



Beatmakers and drummers is a great source of inspiration for us. People like Karriem Riggins, Chris Dave, Madlib, Questlove, Kenny Dope and of course Dilla's music was a major reason to start writing about soulful underground music. Are you a drummer as well? When/how did you start making beats?

They're all amazing and inspiring artists. Kenny Dope did a remix to a track Nice Rec and I did for Miles Bonny and Bobby Blunt. I just saw a video of Chris Dave playing some Fela stuff and it was mind-blowing. I can play a few basic rhythms on a drum kit, but I'm no Bernard Purdie! Haha!

Miles Bonny & Bobby Blunt - Tonight's the night (Kenny dope remix)

I started making beats sometime in 2000 after a few years learning and discovering samples from Geeman. Back in the early-mid 90s I used to roll with him to different record spots, and he'd be up all hours of the night on his sampler chopping up records. He saw that I had a pretty good ear for beats and encouraged me to make the move of getting a sampler. My first was the Ensoniq EPS, after that I've had an EPS 16+, an Akai MPC60II, but throughout most of the last 10 years the Akai MPC2000XL that was my main piece of equipment.

Like we said we first got to know you through your brilliant remixes. Was that how you got started releasing music?

I started to drop music around the end of the MySpace era about 2006-early 2008 I would post some beats and occasional remixes here and there. Early on I didn't have a computer, so any remix from before then was me playing a track and running the acapella straight off the wax. That's how I did that Kev Brown remix in 2004. I was happy to see that I still had this laying around somewhere, as I've pretty much lost all those old beats on those crappy zip disks I was using!


Last year we talked to Yam Who? (Andy Williams) where he walked us through the organic process of reworking a track. What's your take on the remixing process? How do you go about reworking a track?

Props to Yam Who! Big fan of that Herbie dub he did [Star in your eyes]. Before I do a remix, I usually sit and listen to the original version to see what I could do to put my own spin on it. For example, when I did the Vesta Williams remix, I wanted the bass on to be a thicker than the one on the original version, which was made in 1986 at a time when most of the new synths and stuff they used were a bit thin on the low end. Moog power to the rescue!


What does the creative process behind an original Buscrates track look like? Is it a jam session where you pull out the best parts or more straight forward song writing?

I can't really say that there's a method to the madness. Whether I'm digging through and listening to records, slicing up a random drum break or sitting at my boards (or some combination of the three), I just let it happen and follow whichever direction it takes me.

Who were your musical heroes when growing up?

So many! Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Roy Ayers, Michael Jackson, and George Clinton were played often in my house when I was a kid and I am thankful for it. My parents always made sure I was surrounded by good, quality music. It starts early on!

Are there any musical genres and styles you’re curious to discover?

I want to get more into Dub. Lee Perry, Augustus Pablo, Ras Michael, stuff like that. More late 60s/early 70s psych and experimental rock stuff. There's this band called The United States Of America, they only put out one record in '68. Still hunting for an original copy of that. They were very big on electronic sounds early in the game. One of my favorite bands, Stereolab, was probably influenced by that sound.


Any dream collaborations?

On the hip-hop side, definitely Homeboy Sandman. Large Pro. I would love to have Roy Ayers sprinkle some vibes over one of my jams, too.

Another great producer we also discovered last year was Manchester based Mecca:83 (Evan Jones). You collaborated on his track Midnight Kids. How did you hook up with him?

Evan hit me up on Facebook one day and wanted me to add some stuff to a track called Detroit Twilight. That's Mecca:83, me and Emanative. This one was first. We did Midnight Kids along with Kan Sano after that.


Are you planning more joint productions with Mecca:83 going forward?

No doubt, that's my homie! We'll be on more jams I'm sure.


The last couple of years crews like The Robert Glasper Experiment, BadBadNotGood, El Michel's Affair and Will sessions have literally blown up with their live sessions. We haven't been fortunate enough catch Buscrates 16-bit ensemble live yet but we have high expectations. What is your live set-up DJ-set? Jam sessions? Invited guests?

Other than East Liberty Quarters shows and my own DJ gigs, I haven't really put together a solo live show, but that is definitely something to consider working out in the near future. I did something along the lines with a guitarist named Luke Starcher (who also plays in Smooth Tutors). He played his guitar and Microkorg, and I was using an MPC2000XL with a Roland Juno-1 synthesizer. Pretty fun experimental set.


What can we expect from the Buscrates studios in 2012?

A 2nd EP from East Liberty Quarters, a track [called Horizons] on a Tall Black Guy compilation on Bastard Jazz, a track on Terry Tester's Horses & Diamonds EP - all on vinyl! I'm also wrapping up a project with Sam Champ (collectively we're called Extra Medium) that's due out sometime this Summer/Fall. There may be a 7" vinyl release from that as well. I also have a solo project in the works, but I'm still figuring out all the details for it. Stay tuned!

Finally, which other up and coming producer do you think deserves more attention?

Denmark's own Terry Tester of The Works (http://soundcloud.com/terrytester). Dude's got crazy beats! He has put in a lot of work over the last decade or so. Glad to see him dropping some more wax. Check for his Horses & Diamonds EP, which is due out this coming Friday, May 23 [on Mixed Ape Music] .

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As a bonus and to kick off the Beat Generation series, Orlando offered us an exclusive track from the Buscrates 16-bit vaults!

Buscrates on the Beathearts exclusive download:

I chopped some drums I found on a Polish record I dug up at some thrift store for a quarter, and the rest was just spontaneous creation.

I've held that one back for a while but felt like it should finally be heard. I called myself saving it for a project, but I got sidetracked and involved in all this other stuff so I eventually scrapped the idea. Once these other projects I'm involved with come to fruition, I'll definitely be starting something else of my own!

5.21.2012

PPP - Deep inside (Waajeed Belle Isle Remix)


The first time Antwan and my paths crossed was at the legendary Platinum Pied Pipers concert at the Lydmar Hotel in Stockholm 2005. Waajeed and Saadiq had brought along Tiombe Lockhart, Invincible and Rogiers and we both agree it was one of the most memorable shows we've ever seen.

We especially appreciated the fact that they sold unreleased records after the show and that's how we discovered Rogiers amazing first demo. Later on the Abundance tour Waajeed put together a mix-CD which featured this amazing remix of their Deep inside track. We loved the mixtape but we've been itching ever since that the tune wasn't released in full version. Well, now the scratching is over! This week Waajeed put out the full version via his Bling47 newsletter. (Sign up to not miss out on any goodies). Waajeed we salute you!

Download: Platinum Pied Pipers - Deep Inside (Waajeed Belle Isle remix)

5.16.2012

Beathearts rewind #45: Classical Two - New generation

One of Teddy Riley's earliest productions is this rap classic from The Classical Two. Put together at the legendary Rooftop studios where other historic records like Kool Moe Dee's Go see the doctor was produced. With the funky bassline and crisp snares it could be argued that this was one of the first New Jack Swing records. Or at least a great source of inspiration of what was to come.

For most of us who didn't grow up in the New York area this tune is pretty much unknown in it's original form but all of us recognize the bassline as used in Mary J. Blige's Reminisce geniusly remixed by Puff Daddy. From what we hear Classical Two's version was a huge underground hit on Red Alert's show back in the day. And in our headphones it sure still is. Check it out.


The Classical Two - New Generation (1987)



Mary J. Blige ft CL Smooth - Reminisce (Bad Boy remix)

5.13.2012

The Beathearts Opolopo studio sit-down


Peter Major a.k.a. Opolopo is one of the Swedish underground scene's best kept secrets. He's been touring and releasing music for over a decade. Three albums deep and remixes on labels all over the world but back home in Sweden he's still pretty much unheard of. We ran into Peter at the Fasching Jazz Club in Stockholm before our recent interview with Mark de Clive-Lowe. We decided to hook up at his studio a couple of weeks later and had a chat about his influences, the creative process behind a new track and got to listen to some new tunes.

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The first time we got word of your music was when you started dropping these great reworks on the Bugz In The Attic forum at the turn of the millenium. We were especially taken by the unexpected gospel garage rework of Diana Ross I will survive. It’s maybe not the most obvious choice of track. What’s the story of how that track came about?

I thought it would be an interesting challenge to take a stigmatized track that has been played to death and is probably every DJs nightmare request, to a totally different place. The original may be cheesy to many people but there’s nothing wrong with Diana’s vocals. I wanted to put them in a new and modern context. Even though the remix is what people may call broken beat or bruk, it’s heavily influenced by soul and jazzfunk from the late seventies and early eighties. I wanted to fuse the modern beats of broken beat with the arrangements, sound and production of artists like George Duke and Earth, Wind and Fire with lots of percussion and rhythm guitars. For some people it made the the trick. A lot of people who claim to hate the original are seriously feeling the remix. Others can’t be bothered to even give it a listen due to their feelings about the original. It turned out to be a bit more controversial than I thought…

Did you add the Hezekiah Walker-inspired gospel choir or was that on Diana Ross original vocal track?

It was on the original track. I might have doubled the choir though from a passage later in the track but I can't remember. It was like seven years ago.



We first got to know you as a seminal producer of remixes. Was that how you got started releasing music?

In a way, yes. Around 2000 I started doing remixes for the majors, mainly in Australia. But at the same time I also had my first original releases for UK drum'n'bass label Vibez Recordings.

Last year we talked to Yam Who? (Andy Williams) where he walked us through the organic process of reworking a track that he uses. What's your take on the remixing process? How do you go about reworking a track?

When doing vocal remixes I always first play around with new harmonies over the vocals usually followed by bass line and beats. But it’s usually a very non linear process where I jump around and constantly mess with bits and pieces until I feel it’s all done. I do try and get the song structure done before I get too deeply into the production side of things but sometimes I get carried away with the first eight bars and want to nail the sound before going further. I think the process is I let myself go with what excites me the most in any given scenario. It’s important to try and feel excited as long as possible to keep things fresh. Even though I’m quite disciplined by now it helps to sustain the excitement to finish and complete things.

What does the creative process behind an original Opolopo track look like? Is it a jam session where you pull out the best parts or more straight forward song writing?

It's pretty much the same as when doing remixes though remixes are in a sense easier as you have some limitations and boundaries set by (usually) the vocals. It's easier to get started. With an original track it might be a little riff or an inspiring sound or a beat that sets me off. After that the actual process is similar to doing a remix.


You’ve got a quite unique sound combining warm old school rare grooves with influences from the broken beat scene. How did you develop your sound?

It all comes from the people I grew up listening to. (See below.) I was obsessed with electronic and "synthesizer music" as a teenager. I would seek out stuff in my dads vinyl collection that was electronic and synth heavy. Since he was a big Jazz Funk/Fusion fan, the music I "discovered" was mostly of the jazzy and funky kind. That's why I was so attracted to the Broken Beat thing when I first heard it because, to me, it was kind of a clubby extension of late seventies, early eighties Fusion.



Who were your musical heroes when growing up?

Herbie Hancock, Gino Vannelli, Jeff Lorber, Earth Wind & Fire, Quincy Jones, Bob James, George Duke, Chuckii Booker, Jimmie Jam & Terry Lewis, Mezzoforte, Casiopeia, Marcus Miller, Jean-Michel Jarre, Isao Tomita, Vangelis, Logic System.

We're huge Jam & Lewis fans as well. Maybe you put the re-edit thing behind you but if you got a call from the Flytetyme studios which of their old tracks would you like to rework?

Actually, I still do re-edits from time to time when I need versions of tracks that are easier to put in a DJ set. Hm, let me think...come to think of it I've actually already done a re-edit of a Jam & Lewis track! It was Herb Alpert - Keep your eye on me (1987). Let me play it for you.

Wow, what a track! You need to put that on wax. The groove is up there with your version of 1960 what!

Thanks! But nowadays I only put these together for my DJ sets. They're not intended to be released.

Another great Jam & Lewis track it would be very interesting to hear your interpretations of is Change - Change of heart. There are so many connection to your sound on that track don't you think?

Yes, you're right about the sound but I don't know. If it ain't broke... But it would be cool to remake one of the old Alexander O'Neal tracks. And also Amalia's record has a very old school Minneapolis inspired sound to it.

Yes, for some reason Prince and old Prince productions have popped up alla over the blog and Twitter communities the last 3-4 months. Any idea why? Maybe he's got new material coming up?

Hehe, I don't know. Maybe it got something to do with all the controversy surrounding The Time reunion? The old Time members are trying to get back together for a comeback but Prince doesn't want them to use the name. So they call themselves The Original 7even (based on the seven original members: Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir). They're planning an album and have released the first single Trendin October last year.



Parallell to that there's another conflict with Prince's other constellation The Family that Prince apparently also stopped from using the original name. They had to change to fDeluxe and Prince also put out a song dissing them and saying he was going to take back what was his making in the first place.

Almost like a non-violent Biggie-Tupac beef all over?

Haha! Yes, a Minneapolis funk beef. There a so many stories and rumors floating around. It's funny because he's such a brilliant artist but I don't know, he seems to have very special ideas of how to control his music.

On a more constructive tip you need to check out Wax Poetics magazine's Prince special edition including mixtapes from Dâm-Funk and FA.

Ah really? Didn't know that. I'll check it out!



What are your inspirations today? Could you drop three albums or tunes that have recently blown your mind?

It's hard to pick whole albums but there are many producers I rate and a few tracks that have floored me in some way. Production wise, quirky tracks like Stagga's Time Warp and Dorian Concept's Yorktown Recreation gets my face all scrunched up while my head is seriously bopping. But then there are other producers like Simon Grey who's impeccable, more traditionally rooted, productions style and insane musicality blows my socks off in a totally different way. His Research remix of Reel People's Second Guess comes to mind. Other people whose music and productions always touch me in one way or another include Atjazz, Deejay Kul/Soultechnic, Kaidi Tatham, Zed Bias/Maddslinky, Domu and Reggie B who's productions are always worthwhile to pick up.

Are there any musical genres and styles you’re curious to discover?

No, but I'd like to invent some new ones haha!  Of course there are many types of music still out there to discover but there are only so many hours in a day and ultimately I'd like to spend most of those making my own music.

Any dream collaborations?

Yes - with Ridley Scott for the soundtrack to Bladerunner II, haha!

From what we understand you collaborate a lot with other producers from around the world but we’ve rarely seen any joint productions with the Swedish scene. Ever worked with people like Mad Mats, Melo, Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch, Jesper Dahlbäck, Rasmus Faber or Pure P?

I've done some session work for Ture Sjöberg, aka Beatfanatic. Rasmus Faber helped me in a big way by releasing my second album in Japan as part of his "RF Presents" series for JVC Victor Japan in 2007. Mad Mats' signed me as Actual Proof last year for his and Tobias Lidström's new house label Local Talk. I did "The Grit EP" for them.



Tokyo Dawn Records is such a great source of quality releases. How did you meet Marc Wallowy and end up on Tokyo Dawn Records?

I go back quite a few years with Marc from when Tokyo Dawn was a strictly non-profit net label. He was one of my first supporters when I started doing my own thing around 2005. We used to go back and forth on ICQ sending tracks to each other. It's been great being part of the new rise of TDR. Marc and Fabien Schivre are doing great things!

How do feel about music you've done in the past, do you ever listen to your old records? How do you feel that you've evolved musically over the years?

Like everybody else I cringe at some of my own stuff from the past but most of it is fairly consistent as in having a certain aesthetic and foundation that I still subscribe to. I think I'm more focused in my productions nowadays though. I'm aiming more for the dance floor than I used to which many times means less is more. That used to be, and still is, a really hard concept for me but I'm trying, haha!

On your Mutants album there’s a remix of Rogièrs track Home. He’s such a great artist and we loved his debut album Life & Music. We discovered Rogièrs when he was on the epic tour with Platinum Pied Pipers (Waajeed, Saadiq). How did you hook up with him?

I think that was through Eleonora Cutaia's PR agency Ahead PR. They hit me up asking if I was up for a remix. I love Rogiérs voice so it was a no brainer!



We know you started off as a graphic designer. Did you do the cover for the Mutants album?

Nah, that is actually a French rapper/artists called Grems. We have an upcoming EP, I can play you some of the tunes we're working on.

We heard the mixtape he did with Lefto. There are some crazy beats on there. Pretty experimental.

Yeah, he's extremely creative and is putting out a lot of stuff. In fact so far I think he's better known as a graphic designer in France. One of his records we worked on was actually released as a book with a complimentary CD.



We just love the track Opolopo's Run, which we featured in our top selections of 2011, what’s the story behind that and why didn't that end up on the Voltage Controlled Feelings record?

Ah, thank you! That's a track that happened real fast. I was just messing about with that Ostinato "sequencer" bass line and gated Linn drums. Then the chords and the rest just came naturally so I just finished the whole thing without any specific release in mind. I actually made it after the release of Voltage Controlled Feelings but it could totally have been on there.



And of course we need to ask you about the Gregory Porter “1960 What?” remake. Fantastic track, you wanna give us your story on that?

Well, that was something I initially just did for myself. I loved the original but every time I played it I felt that this could also totally work in a house set with a little "help". So I basically just tightened up the timing, filtered out the bottom end, added a new bass line, added a four-four kick, hats and some percussion. I didn't want to mess with the integrity of the original - it's such a powerful track with amazing vocals and overall vibe. So I kept the messing about to a minimum. I sent it out to a select list of trusted DJ's and then put it on my Soundcloud for listening only and made sure to link to the original so people would discover the original artist. The reactions were nuts. The day after I got a mail from a representative of Gregory's marketing team. I thought "aw shit, here we go..." But to my huge surprise they loved it and thanked me for supporting! They asked me if they could use it and turn it into an official remix and the rest is history.

Our first though when we heard the track was that it sounded like a part II of Jori Hulkkonen's remix of Olli Ahvenlahti's classic 70s jazz-funk track Countenance. Were you inspired by that track when you put the Gregory Porter track together?

No, actually not. Never heard that track. I'll have to check it out. It's pretty funny though that a track like my version of 1960 what? get so much attention. I put that together very quickly. There are other tracks I'm much more proud over production wise or musically but never get that much attention. Some people say I didn't add anything of value and shouldn't take credit for the track and I really don't. I did it as an ode to Mr. Porter and always make sure to link to the original tune for others to discover.



Well, a big part of the purpose of the re-edit scene is to present and celebrate great perhaps unknown gems from the past to a whole new audience. And if anything you've definitely done that.

Yes, well hopefully I've inspired at least a few people to pick up the original record.

We haven't been fortunate enough to catch Opolopo live yet but from the clips we’ve seen we have high expectations. What is your live set-up like? Fixed set? Jam sessions? Invited guests?

It's a bit of both. When I play with Amalia we have all our tracks set up in Ableton. All the parts of the tracks are separated and I'm running as much as possible in real time, meaning midi tracks with plug-ins and very few audio tracks. This way everything is quite flexible and I can mute parts or change sounds and beats easily. I also cue the sections of the tracks live so we can vamp on certain parts or skip sections if we want to. I'll play the bass line or chords and do soloing and vocoder stuff live. We also do totally improvised tracks where I build something from scratch and Amalia freestyles on top. On occasion we've had live soloists and percussionists as well.

When I DJ I like to run Ableton in parallel and do some soloing on top of tracks or switch to an improvised groove and build new tracks on the fly. Me and Amalia have an upcoming tour of South East Asia that we're really looking forward to!


We need to ask you about the name Opolopo, how did you choose that?

Haha, yeah that's a question that comes up a lot. Many years ago when I did remixes, the Swedish label I worked with wanted to send a showreel to Japan for a production job over there, so I did some tunes and they said great stuff and wanted to release it. I was like "Oh ok?" it wasn't really the idea, it was more to show them what kind of sounds I was into but what the heck. So I needed a name, I couldn't have my own name and not the name I did remixes under. So I tried to find a name that worked and started to look into the roots of the music I was doing. The black music and the history of african slaves coming to America and the language they brought with them, Yoruban. I found the word Opolopo which means "plenty". I thought that suited the album which was quite diverse, different styles. And it looks good graphically with the o's. It's also a palindrome i.e. pronounced the same backwards, and I didn't think about that until a friend of mine pointed it out to me haha! And after that it got stuck, haha!

And finally, what can we expect from the Opolopo studio in 2012?

I've signed a deal with Dave Lee's (Joey Negro) Z Records for a new album for late 2012 - very excited about that! I have some remixes to be released for Brian Tappert (Soulfuric Recordings), Doruk Ozlen (ZLN Muzik),  Roberto de Carlo and Azymuth (Far Out Recordings). I have a track on a vinyl EP for Finale Sessions coming out on May 20th and a second one to follow. An EP with French rapper Grems is almost finished. I'm also working on an Actual Proof follow up to the The Grit EP on Local Talk. Hopefully we'll soon cook some new stuff with Amalia too.

That's it. We're looking forward to all your upcoming project in 2012 and hope to hook up soon again! 

============================================================

After our sit-down we got a sneak preview of some of the tracks that are coming up from the Opolopo studios and we can tell you we're in for some treats. We're especially looking forward to the EP with Grems. A track called Paris blew us away. More on the dubstep electro side it revealed a somewhat more darker, dirtier and more electronic side of Peter's production. Ace!

Beathearts presents an exclusive download from Opolopo:

Speaking of Prince, Jam & Lewis and The Time here's Time, a Minneapolis inspired track from his first LP Omnifarious. The album was only released on CD in Australia and is long time deleted. Peter told us that the plan is to re-release some of these tracks as freebies in the future, but for now enjoy Time, an Opolopo funk jam from 1999.


Download: Opolopo - Time (Beathearts exclusive)

As a bonus here's a track Peter & Amalia put together to promote their upcoming tour of Jakarta, Bali, Singapore and Manila.


Download: Opolopo ft Amalia - Gado gado funk

5.12.2012

Man of the moment: T-E-E-D


Man of the moment Orlando Higginbottom a.k.a. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED) is something else. We first heard about him through DJ Eko that put us on to him through her recently featured Soultronica mixtape.

His stage performance and outfits has created as much buzz as SBTRKT's masks used to do but it was his unique sound blending UK breakbeat heritage with a soulful electronic touch that caught our attention. He recently took on Ghanaian/Guyanese/British singer/rapper Donaeo's track When angels sing and flipped it TEED style. His latest single American dream part II is the warm up for this album Trouble due for a June release.

If you like his style you should also check his work for Friendly Fires below. Epic!


Download: Donaeo - When angels sing (TEED remix)

Friendly Fires - Hawaiian air (TEED remix)


TEED - American dream Part II

5.11.2012

Marvin Gaye - Ain't That Peculiar (Oddisee Remix)





A couple of days ago this landed in the mailbox, a lot of blogs has been doing their write-up, and we thought we let this pass, but the tune got stuck in our players! Really really cool remix by Oddisee on Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar" with a dope video to accompany the remix. And if that's not enough Oddisee throws in a verse as well. We especially dig the start of the track with the tinkly piano, drums like handclaps and the deep bass dropping, quite a different approach to remix Marvin Gaye.

Oddisee's new album "People Hear What They See" drops June 12th on Mello Music Group (on iTunes June 5th), but before the album drops, an EP with remixes and edits called "Odd Renditions" will be available for FREE download on May 15th with remixed songs by K-Os, Bon Iver (should be interesting..), Metronomy and this contribution of one of coolest cats of all time, Marvin Gaye. The video was done by editing several pieces of footage found of Marvin Gaye performing the song.

5.10.2012

Krystal Klear - XLR8R mixtape


Dâm-Funk's evil twin Krystal Klear is back. The Irish born, Manchester based producer put out a bunch of secret lil' nu-boogie releases a while back. He recently release his first EP in a while entitled We're wrong B/W From the start on the great All city label.

This mixtape was put together for XLR8R and is such a great treat mixing old school tracks with current jams without a second thought. Absolutely ace!

"Krystal Klear has no qualms about delving into the treasures of the past to find inspiration. As shown on this exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series, he's quite comfortable moving through funk, soul, boogie, New Jack Swing, electro, and late-'80s/early-'90s house. More impressively, he manages to do so while also deftly slipping in several of his own retro-inspired productions, including both sides of his recently released "We're Wrong" b/w "From the Start" single. Clearly, Krystal Klear isn't afraid of getting a little nostalgic, but here, he's managed to do so while crafting something that's deliciously funky and refreshingly carefree, not to mention a whole lot of fun."

Download: Krystal Klear - XLR8R mixtape #237

Tracklist:
01 Henry Mancini "Lujon" (BMG)
02 Jocelyn Brown "Somebody Else's Guy" (Vinyl Dreams)
03 Double Exposure "Everyman" (Salsoul)
04 Richard Jon Smith "Love Is What I'm After (Macello Giordani Edit)" (Jive)
05 Gino Soccio "You Move Me" (Atlantic)
06 Delegation "Heartache No.9 (Extended Version)" (Mercury)
07 The Limit "Crimes of Passion (Extended Version)" (Portrait)
08 Cornelius Oliphant "I Love You" (Knockout Records)
09 The O'Jays "Put Our Heads Together" (Philadelphia International)
10 Raydio "Still In The Groove (Woody a.k.a. il Bosco Find)" (Arista)
11 Henderson & Whitfield "Dancin' to the Beat" (Park Place)
12 Le Knight Club "Holiday on Ice" (Crydamoure)
13 Justice "Helix" (Ed Banger)
14 Pitchben "Stand Up (Tiger & Woods Remix)" (Compost)
15 Todd Terje "Inspector Norse" (Olsen/Smalltown Supersound)
16 Metro Area "Caught Up" (Environ)
17 Guy Cuevas "Obsession (The Nassau Mix)" (Balearica)
18 Krystal Klear "The Message Part One"
19 Staygold "Justified"
20 Krystal Klear "No Sweat"
21 Krystal Klear "Soho Spritz"
22 Prince "Erotic City" (Warner Bros)
23 Secret Ingredients "Chicago Chicago" (Evolution)
24 Kenny Dope "I Wanna Know" (Henry Street)
25 Nightcrawlers "Push the Feeling On (The Dub Of Doom)" (Great Jones)
26 Krystal Klear "We're Wrong" (All City)
27 Secret Ingredients "Takin Over Me" (Evolution)
28 The Doobie Brothers "What a Fool Believes" (Warner Bros.)
29 Storm Queen "Look Right Through" (Defected)
30 Robin S. "Show Me Love (Kerri Chandler Remix)" (Rhythm)
31 Krystal Klear "From the Start" (All City)
32 Wale feat. Miguel "Lotus Flower Bomb" (Maybach)
33 Jimmy Edgar "Switch Switch" (Hotflush)
34 Lone "Crystal Castles 1991" (R&S)
35 Krystal Klear "Clove Dagger"

5.08.2012

Ahvenlahti/Hulkkonen/Porter/Opolopo


Two of the greatest uptempo reworks of old jazz classic in our mind are Jori Hulkkonen's version of Olli Ahvenlathi's Countenance and Opolopo's remix of Gregory Porter's 1960 what? Although different we feel that both producers managed to update each track in a seminal way at the same time as they pay tribute to the original productions. We recently got the chance to ask both producers how they came up with their ideas.

JORI HULKKONEN 
www.jorihulkkonen.com
Olli Ahvenlahti - Countenance (Jori Hulkkonen Jazz acid mix) (Jazz Puu 2002)

We would love to hear the story of how your remix of Olli Ahvenlahti's Countenance came about. How come you chose that track? How did you go about reworking it? What did Ahvenlahti think of your version?

The seminal Finnish technolabel Sähkö recordings had started a sublabel called Jazz Puu ("Jazz tree"), with the idea of licensing and releasing Finnish jazz classics with new interpretations/remixes if fitting. I've been very close to the label for a long time and it was kind of natural that I'd be involved on one of the releases at some point.

My idea was a conceptual one I'd had for a while; while I like the term "Acid Jazz" it doesn't really have anything to do with Acidhouse, and not really Jazz either. So my idea was to make "Jazz Acid", and combine jazz with the sound of Roland TB-303, and this seemed like the perfect project to try it. The genre never really picked up, as far as I know, this is the only jazz recording with 303 in it (please prove me wrong).

The remix in itself was done just by sampling the original as no stems from the original were available. That was a bit tricky because working with sequencers and drummachines and making a record for club DJs trying to keep up with tempochanges often found with recordings like this is challenging. Basically I programmed the broken beat, and the acid line and then timestretched, cut and trimmed all the bits I wanted to use and then arranged it and added the additional synthlines. All in all i think it took me two days to finish the mix. I have no idea if Ahvenlahti liked my version.





PETER 'OPOLOPO' MAJOR
www.opolopo.com
Gregory Porter - 1960 What? (Opolopo Remix) (Tokyo Dawn Records 2011)

We need to ask you about that Gregory Porter remake. Fantastic track, you wanna give us your story on that?

Well, that was something I initially just did for myself. I loved the original but every time I played it I felt that this could also totally work in a house set with a little "help". So I basically just tightened up the timing, filtered out the bottom end, added a new bass line, added a four-four kick, hats and some percussion. I didn't want to mess with the integrity of the original - it's such a powerful track with amazing vocals and overall vibe. So I kept the messing about to a minimum. I sent it out to a select list of trusted DJ's and then put it on my Soundcloud for listening only and made sure to link to the original so people would discover the original artist. The reactions were nuts... The day after I got a mail from a representative of Gregory's marketing team. I thought "aw shit, here we go..." But to my huge surprise they loved it and thanked me for supporting! They asked me if they could use it and turn it into an official remix and the rest is history.

Our first thought when we heard the track was that it sounded like a part II of Jori Hulkkonen's epic remix of Olli Ahvenlahti's classic 70s jazz-funk track Countenance. Were you inspired by that track when you put the Gregory Porter track together?

No, actually not. I never heard that track but I'll have to check it out. It's pretty funny though that a track like my version of 1960 what? get so much attention. I put that together very quickly. There are other tracks I'm much more proud over production wise or musically but never get that much attention. Some people say I didn't add anything of value and shouldn't take credit for the track and I really don't. I did it as an ode to Mr. Porter and always make sure to link to the original tune for others to discover.

Well, the whole purpose of the re-edit scene is to present and celebrate great perhaps unknown gems from the past to a whole new audience. And if anything you've definitely done that.

Yes, well hopefully I've inspired at least a few people to pick up the original record.


A full interview with Opolopo from our recent studio sitdown is coming up right here. Keep yourself updated via www.twitter.com/beatheartsblog.

5.07.2012

Ta-Ku - 50 Days For Dilla


We've had a lot of Ta-Ku and Dilla posts lately, but we feel that you never can have to much of the good stuff, right?

This is something we have listened to constantly since it was put out by the Perth beatmaker on the net some months ago. Didn't think that much of it, but it has really been growing on us, just something that you can enjoy wherever and whenever, beautiful samples, basslines and drums that would have made Dilla proud for sure!

Reggie Matthews aka. Ta-Ku have made 50 beats over 50 days influenced by Dilla, and every single track breathes love, harmony and inspiration. Some are just so damn pretty, others sexy like hell, the neck-breaking joints where you wanna move your body like crazy, and there's even a christmas joint... We had a list of examples, but felt like every track was mentioned. Just make sure you stay tuned for the finale, the last seven tunes are really beautiful!

The response in comments on soundcloud are just nuts, people are going crazy over the tracks. It's really hard to pick out the best stuff, but our selection of top beats that sticks out are Day 2, Day 16, Day 43, Day 46 & Day 50. This is on the list of dopest Dilla tributes made, and one of the most insanely creative beat-tapes we have heard!





As a bonus treat here's a really cool dance video with the french crew Marvin Gofin to the sounds of
Ta-Ku's Back to the Future beat which he used in the last round to win the Speekeasy Beat Battle 2010 (for the third time in a row..)

DJ EKO – Soultronica mixes



This dropped in our mailbox a while ago by DJ EKO together with a quick dig of the name of our blog. We've listened to the mixes a lot but didn't took the time to do a write-up.

The two mixes were presented by Okayplayer, the first for Valentine's Day and the second last month. Both are straight up fire! Vol. 1 are the slow jams and mellow tunes interlaced perfectly with all beathearts favorites like Frank Ocean, SBTRKT, Tiombe Lockhart, Mar, J*Davey, Robin Hannibal and a lot more heat! Vol. 2 is a little more uptempo though also somethin’ lovely and dazzling with favorite features from Miguel, Dwele, Jamie Woon, Little Dragon and more.

DJ EKO has been in the game for years, from a radio show in the Bay to a journalism stint at URB Magazine. Now she’s based in NYC, DJing around the city and beyond. Both mixes are free downloads so get them through the soundcloud players while they are available!



Tracklist vol. 1
Hudson Mohawk+Robin Hannibal+Myele Manzanza : Ain’t Nobody Like You 
Joker : On My Mind 
Frank Ocean : We All Try 
The Weeknd : What You Need (Prison Garde Rmx) 
OOoOO : No Summer4U 
Kelly Rowland : Motivation (Jacques Greene Rmx) 
James Drake : Wilhelm’s Fucking Best 
TV on The Radio : Love Dog 
Subeena+Jamie Woon : Solidify 
Ifan Dafydd : No Good 
SBTRKT : Never Never 
Little Dragon : Ritual Union (Tensnake Rmx) 
Salva : Keys Open Doors (MachineDrum Rmx) 
Cecil : Bossom 
Jay Haze+Laila Tov : Tonight 
Tiombe Lockhart : Drifter 
Goapele+Los Rakas : Play 
Vida Jafari : The People 
Mar : Inglewood 
Miguel : Sure Thing (Brook D’Leau Rmx) 
Lunice : Out of Touch 
New Edition : A Little Bit of Love (Brenmar Rmx) 
Sade : By Your Side (Cottonbelly Rmx) 
J*Davey : Get Together




Tracklist vol. 2:
Vindahl : The Opening
Sinjin Hawke & Morri$ : One Kiss
Mar Variations : Single 
Little Dragon : Twice (SBTRKT Rmx)
Sweater Beats : Remember
Kingdom: Let You No
Sweater Beats Anxious
Machinedrum x Azealia Banks : NEEDSUMLUV
Four Tet : Love Cry (Joy Orbison Rmx)
Donae'o : When Angels Sing (TEED Remix)
Fantastic Mr. Fox : Fool Me 
Dena Deadly : Headgames 
The Bamboos : The Willhelm Scream 
Sleepy Brown : Fallin' In Love Again
Eliot Lipp : I WÍnted 2 Be A Rock & Roll StÍr
Idle Warship : God Bless My Soul
Beyoncé : Countdown (Rewind Reggae Remix)
Floetry : Closer
Vybz Kartel : Yuh Love
Dwele : Hold On feat. Kanye West
Miguel : Adorn
Goapele : Milk and Honey (AYBEE's remix)
Francis and the Lights : A Modern Promise
Marvin Gaye : Anger (Musaics remix)
Jamie Woon : Spirits
Bonobo : Stay The Same feat Andreya Triana 
Erykah Badu : I Want You (Rancido’s Deepersoul Edit) 
Chin Chin : Don’t You See
Quadron Average Fruit (fLako rmx)
Sufjan Stevens: The Dress Looks Nice On You (Nate Compton Rmx)
Sonora & Mundaca : Love You Down 
Nadastrom & Heartbreak : Church

5.06.2012

Melaz - Daydreaming II


Finishing the week with this smooth compilation from our favorite Italian graphic designer and DJ Melaz. Daydreaming is the second installment of his series of laid back atmospheric instrumental beats. The stand out tracks for me are from Blank & Kytt (UK), Xperiment Synt (Chile) and M.Constant (Boston, US). All of them new acquaintances at least to us. Check more of their material via their Bandcamps linked above.

Download: Melaz - Daydreaming 2


Beathearts rewind #44: Xanadu & Sweet Lady - Rappers Delight (1979)

This sunny Sunday we bring you a gem from the islands that was recently reissued. Joe Gibbs was one of the originators of the Jamaican reggae scene. When he started his studio he employed Lee Scratch Perry and engineer and his studio band included among others Sly & Robbie.

Following Jamaican tradition, the summer of 1979 he put out this cover of the tune of the moment from New York - Sugar Hill Gang - Rappers delight.

They stayed true to original groove of the record but added a more organic percussion, handclaps and two female MCs. Side B is the mandatory dub version adds an organ and a electronic jam session which makes us surrender completely. Ace!

Available now via JazzySports

5.05.2012

Tribute to Adam 'MCA' Yauch (1964-2012)


"I want to say a little something that's long overdue - the disrespect to women has got to be through. 
To all the mothers and sisters and the wives and friends, I want to offer my love and respect to the end"
MCA - Sure shot (1994)

Beastie Boys have been pushing the boundries of hiphop ever since their first rap tune Cocky puss came out in 1983. They started off as a punk band called The young aborigines in 1979. When MCA joined the group in 1981 they changed their name to Beastie Boys (Beings Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence). 30 years later they are still one of very few hiphop crews from the 80s that are still active and putting out quality releases.

The stand out album for me is Ill communication (1994). Like much of the leaked D'Angelo material it had that dirty almost demoesque sound with little loops and skits that gave it more of a jam session feel than a finished album. With tracks like Sure shot, Root down, Flute loop, Get it together and of course Spike Jonez video for Sabotage it always get our heads nodding. Below we've added two of the dopest tribute tapes we've found.

First up is Toroto's don of mixtapes M-Rock:


This group was old school when the word old school didn’t exist – messy but banging production, a tonne of samples, sillyness inserted everywhere, and lots of that old 70s funk. I’ve had little sleep over the past few days because I committed to getting this out, so I’m going to depart from paragraphs and go into bullets…brrrrap. Here’s a few highlights of the Beastie Boys:
  • Never recorded one record to be mainstream yet were the biggest thing when they came out: Their debut was the first hip hop album ever to go #1 on the Billboard 200.
  • MCA was the freshest in the group – his voice was super ill, and although he wasn’t as energetic as Ad Rock, he delivered that cool but rugged voice nicely everytime. The other 2 occasionally annoy me, but on stage, they hold it down better than MCA in my opinion.
  • They’re the original hipsters, except it’s not a trend, they’re dressing or acting a certain way, because they are grown kids and really don’t give a **** what ppl think.
  • When they did “Get it together” with Q-Tip (whose favourite album is “Paul’s Boutique” btw)., nobody could front on them – that was a DJ Premier level beat with a nasty hook…10/10. Turns out the break is real mooged out on some uptempo Dilla shit.
  • Lastly, even though they haven’t been in their prime for a while, it’s sad to see MCA go, and probably take the band with him. When their music is on, it’s fun, it’s conscious, it’s innovative and always classic still. RIP MCA and enjoy the mix.
The second mixtape is from the always reliable Mick Boogie who put this great compilation together a couple of weeks ago when the Beasties were voted into the Rock'n'roll hall of fame.

"It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time… something people have asked me to do for a long time, actually… but I wanted it to mean something. Now, it’s finally the right time.I present to you Grand Royal.  80 minutes of my favorite Beastie Boys rarities, remixes, demos, live versions, out-takes, and more.  If you’re a Beasties fan, I guarantee you find something new and exciting on this mix!"

Download: Mick Boogie - The Beastie Boys tribute mixtape

Hopefully Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz will keep exploring the field of hiphop even though their brother-in-arms has moved on. MCA rest in peace.

Tracklist for the Mick Boogie mixtape:

1.Beastie Boys-Mick Boogie nVMe Intro
2.Beastie Boys - The Skills To Pay The Bills (Explicit) (2009 Digital Remaster)
3.Beastie Boys-The Vibes
4.Beastie Boys-Time To Get Ill Live Remix Version
5.Beastie Boys-Sure Shot Nardone Large Professor Remixes
6.Beastie Boys - Jimmy James (Original Original Version) (2009 Digital Remaster)
7.Beastie Boys-Four Fly Guys Feat Hurricane
8.Beastie Boys-Intergalactic Original 94 Version
9.Beastie Boys - Root Down (Free Zone Mix) (2009 Digital Remaster)
10.Beastie Boys-Get It Together Buck-Wild Remix
11.Beastie Boys-In A World Gone Mad Original Mix
12.Beastie Boys-Negotiation Limerick File Handsome Boy Modeling School Mix
13.Beastie Boys-Alive
14.Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies (Remix)
15.Beastie Boys - Dope Little Song (2009 Digital Remaster)
16.Beastie Boys-Shake Your Rump Madlib Remix
17.Beastie Boys - Stand Together (Live At French's Tavern, Sydney, Australia)
18.Beastie Boys-The Maestro Live Version
19.Beastie Boys-The Sounds Of Science
20.Beastie Boys-Gratitude Live Budokan
21.Beastie Boys - Pass The Mic (Pt. 2, Skills To Pay The Bills) (2009 Digital Remaster)
22.Beastie Boys-Stop That Train 3-Way Mix
23.Beastie Boys-Spam Feat Milk Dee
24.Beastie Boys-So What Cha Want Butt Naked Soul Assassin Remixes
25.Beastie Boys-Sabotage Live Version
26.Beastie Boys - Beastie Revolution
27.Beastie Boys - Honky Rink (2009 Digital Remaster)
28.Beastie Boys-Benny And The Jets Live Feat Biz Markie
29.Beastie Boys-Netty s Girl

Tracklisting for M-Rock's mixtape:
1.M-Rock’s Intro
2.An Open Letter To Nyc
3.Too Many Rappers ft. Nas
4.B-Boys Makin’ With The Freak Freak
5.Stick ‘Em Up w/Hurricane
6.Rock Hard
7.Paul Revere
8.No Sleep Till Brooklyn
9.Make Some Noise
10.Sure Shot
11.Root Down
12.The New Style
13.Let me clear my throat Bpm 103
14.Hey Ladies
15.Hey Ladies (Paul Nice Remix)
16.Shake Your Rump
17.Body Movin’
18.Aquarius (Let The Sunshine In) by Moog Machine and Headless Heroes by Eugene McDaniels
19.Get It Together ft. Q-Tip
20.Danger – Blahzay Blahzay +
21.Drop – The Pharcyde +
22.Three MCs And One DJ (Live at MTV Awards 97′)
23.Intergalactic (Live at MTV Awards 97′)
24.Ch-Check it Out
25.Brass Monkey
26.Fight For Your Right
27.Girls
28.Rhymin & Stealin
29.The New Style
30.Slow And Low
31.Pass The Mic
32.Gratitude
33.Sabotage
34.So What’cha Want
35.So Whatcha Want (Remix) ft. B-Real
36.Ya Don’t Stop – The Beatnuts +
37.Skills To Pay The Bills
38.Jimmy James
39.Alive