Words by DJ Theory
This week’s post is coming from 35,000 feet up, as I depart Southeast Asia and head back to the Bay. We’ve got a breezy week of Mixtape Mondays at hand, with a necessary tribute to one of the greatest producers in reggae, some essential slow wine vibes, and another LargeUp world premiere. Sound the alarm.
DJ Rampage, Sound The Alarm (LargeUp Exclusive): Harlem representative, Belize native and LargeUp extended familia DJ Rampage just unleashed a massive new one drop and culture mixtape he’s been kind enough to share with us first, premiering right here on Mixtape Mondays. Rampage has been holding down the fort for years in the NYC dancehall community as founder of Rampage Sound Global alongside his teammates Fat Fingaz and Japan’s DJ Yos. Running things is apparently a family affair, as Rampage’s uncle is considered one of the top DJ’s in his native Belize. For this one Rampage joins forces with Cookies N’ Cream, an NYC-based apparel and designer toy brand also responsible for some of the city’s finer parties by night. A choice selection of modern one drop tunes and riddims can be sampled here from big boys like Jr. Gong, Tarrus Riley, Jah Cure, Tony Rebel, Sizzla and Alborosie, complimented by some of the new wave of JA talent—Romain Virgo, I Octane, Jesse Royal and Kibaki. For fans of the real new roots sound, this one is a sure-shot. Download here, stream here.
Joey-B and Samrai, Tribute To Fatis Burrell: Manchester, UK selectors Joey B of Guiding Star and Samrai of Swing Ting pay homage to the late-great Philip “Fattis” Burrell with their latest mix. Fattis was a mentor and producer for countless stars and young talent out of Jamaica since the late 80’s, mainly through his timeless imprint Xterminator Records. Building the riddims and voices behind artists like Sizzla, Luciano, Mikey General, Capleton, Cocoa Tea and Jah Cure, oftentimes producing their first hit songs, Fattis will be remembered as one of the most celebrated and crucial reggae producers of our time. Joey B and Samrai mix up some key bits from the archive, delivering just some of the goods from his trademark one drop and digital roots sound. The mix was recorded live from all vinyl, staying true to the soundsystem and deejay culture that Fattis contributed to throughout his career. Salutes all around, and RIP to one of the greatest. Stream and download below, more info and tracklist here.
Joey B and Samrai – Tribute to Fatis Burrell by joey-b-hotmilk
Live & Love, Live & Lovers Rock Vol 1: We haven’t featured a straight lovers mixtape here for a minute, so this week we got something sweet delivered from Filipino soundsystem Live & Love Sound Dimension. I recently had the pleasure of joining members of the Live & Love and Manila Jeepney collectives in The Philippines last week for “Irie Sundays” (peep the pics from the event here) and let me just say the vibes there are just right. No f*ckry in the dance, just love, and that feeling is alive and well throughout this 70 minute mix. Sliding through a variety of eras and voices in lovers rock, Live & Love mix it up smooth and definitely keep it warm n’ easy for this one. Grab someone you love, or someone you just met and get nice. Stream and download here.