Words by DJ Arems
After a week off for the latest installment in our monthly mix series, Blacka Di Danca and DJ Gravy’s Dancehall Warm-Up, Mixtape Mondays is back for our last installment of the month. Whether you’re online searching for gifts this Cyber Monday or doing your best to escape all the holiday season fockry, we’ve got your soundtrack pon lock with dancehall and soca selections plus an artist feature on Portmore Empire’s Shawn Storm.
Broken Silence Sound, Different Level: Dancehall music gets pumped out like fresh donuts at the bakery everyday. New riddims and singles are constantly released so it’s good to have mixtapes with selectas like Dans One of Broken Silence Sound to cut through all the weakness and hit you with the pure fiyah chunes. Nuff nuff niceness from huge artists like Mavado, I-Octane, Popcaan, Bounty Killer and Alkaline along with latest big riddims can be found here on Different Level, all mixed live for your listening pleasure. Stream below:
DJ Enroute, Soca Flare Up: If you’re lucky enough to live in a fair-weather city these days, count yourself lucky. Here on the Northwest Coast it’s been raining for two months straight so some well-selected soca music goes a long way in lifting the spirit. DJ Enroute of Rampage Sound Global has collected a group of massive soca chunes from recent memory and presents them well on Soca Flare Up. If you’re not familiar with the songs on this mix you probably don’t listen to soca often so it’s a great place to start for beginners as well as soca warriors who want all the hits in one place. Stream and download below:
Shawn Storm x Wildcat Sound, Gaza Loyalty: If you’re not familiar with the whole Portmore Empire/ Vybz Kartel Saga, Shawn Storm is one of Di Teacha’s most loyal chargies, and has stayed his right-hand man through thick and thin, even though most of the Gaza family is long gone. Throughout Kartel’s murder trial, Shawn Storm refused to give up any information and like the Worl Boss is currently sentenced to life in jail. Thankfully new songs have started to leak out and Italy’s Wildcat Sound has compiled some of Shawn’s newest tracks sprinkled with a few of his former hits. The new tracks are wicked and at times sound like Kartel himself is spitting the verses. Peep the new heat from the Empire’s last man standing. Steam and download below: