CD Mixes-date

Deadstock find! Here's what we wrote when it first came out in 2007: Money Studies kicks off its new "Lost Masters" reissue series by resurrecting this impossible to find mix from Diplo and fellow Philly record hoarder Tony Tripledouble. Originally self-released on CDR in an edition of less than 500 (plus a few handmade cassettes), AEIOU 2 is over an hour of the finest and rarest breaks drawn from Diplo & Tripledouble's extensive collections of psych, funk and obscure soundtracks. Some of the breaks in this mix have gone on to achieve classic status - still no tracklist to help you out, but now it comes in a full-color digipak designed by PH. And if you ever wanted to hear Diplo skratching, right here's the spot. Recommended.

• music label: Money Studies 2007

reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red 08/2007

DJ Neil Armstrong, our first store manager back in the day, Jiggaman's former DJ, and Adidas brand ambassador is celebrating 10 years of his excellent mix "Sweeet", the mixtape that made us smile while everyone was bashing our brains out with over the top scratching and juggle routines. Though not the first of it's kind, Sweeet dropped the stigma of guilty pleasures and opened the floodgates for DJs to be themselves and really have fun on the decks. With the release of "Sweeet", Neil proceeded to continue the series with "Bittersweeet", a mixtape telling the story of the trials and tribulations of relationships. The series continued with "Smoove" and later "Sweeet pt. 2". Which bring us to today and to celebrate the 10 year anniversary for the classic we have the all encompassing CD boxset chronicling the "Sweeet" Sessions into a 6 disc jamboree.

• Sweeet
• BitterSweeet
• Smoove
• Sweeet pt 2
• Sweeet Pt 3
• Sugarcoated: Sweeet Remixes

reviewed by boohoo banton 2/2013

Debut volume for one of the best (and slept-on) classics mix series around. For those that don't know, Jason Lev is responsible for the excellent Truth Is Light edit series we used to carry back in '09, but waaay before that he was already putting in work for the disco heads with these Sound Of Gold mixes. For volume 1 (originally recorded back in 2001) Lev is basically taking you to disco school here with a stellar selection of deep classics and under-the-radar joints to make the party go off. Features cuts from Brainstorm, Instant Funk, Cerrone, Jimmy Bo Horne, Jakki, One Way, Nancy Martin, Suzy Q, Peter Brown, and many others. You must learn.

• music label: Sound Of Gold 2001

reviewed by TKB 10/2012

Erol Alkan has brought his special brand of bastard pop to remixes for acts like Franz Ferdinand and Justice, and opened for Madonna and Daft Punk. His Monday club night Trash has grown to become one of the most adventurous and influential in the world. His first foray into DJing was back in 2001 when he was invited to play at Bugged Out and he returns every Easter with a marathon set - 2012's was 9 hours long - eschewing support DJs in favor of building the night himself. With Another Bugged Out Mix Erol delivers a diverse selection of music that spans over 4 decades. There are classics from the likes of Ron Hardy and Model 500 mixed with newer material like In Flagranti and Factory Floor. It's an impressive journey from a seasoned DJ. Features tracks from Seaside Houz Boyz, Umba, Jimmy Edgar, Scuba, Amin Peck, N.Y. House'n Authority, Jan Hammer Group, Matthew Herbert, Bibio, Mickey Moonlight, and many more. 39 tracks in all on two mixed CDs in classic jewel case packaging.

• Music Label: !K7 2012

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 08/2012

The Rub member, T&A label boss, and longtime Lab homie DJ Ayres is back with more mash fo' dat azz! The aptly titled Return Of the Mash CD comes following the successful "It's The MF Remix" mix series and brings a fresh selection of pop friendly dance remixes and mashups, mixed to perfection (as you know he would). Ayres sez, "This is a CD I did last fall exclusively for Urban Outfitters UK. Pretty much the whole set comes from my “dance pop” crate, with a few twists and turns. The artwork is by Mike Davis (Burlesque Designs)." Features tracks and remixes from Mark Ronson, Kid Cudi, the Dream, U-Tern, Steve Aoki, Amand Van Helden, La Roux, Pharrell, Crookers, Metallica, Andre 3000 vs. Roni Size, Luniz, Vybz Kartel, Apt One, and many more. Pop it in and turn it out!

reviewed by Von Bee 06/2012

Headed by the three man crew of Ayres, Eleven & Cosmo Baker, the Rub guys are back with an even bigger cast of friends and a wider range of remixes for the part two of their idea of a remix album. The first volume was one of our best selling cds of the last year (still going strong), so you guys should already know the deal with this. While there's a healthy amount of pure party material here, the selection goes well beyond the drunken kingdom of knee-jerk mashup, featuring original remixes (check Paul Nice's work on "Devil's Pie"), stuff that won't necessarily work in the club but sounds great (Dead Prez over "Cadillac On 22s"!), strange experimentation, etc. Includes remixes by the above mentioned plus A-Trak, Diplo, Low Budget, Mark Ronson, Nick Catchdubs, Max Glazer, DJ Platurn, Crooked, and Brendan Bring Em. 27 tracks, recommended.

reviewed by the mgmnt

We've been finding some true gems hidden in the nooks of our office like these deadstock Hollertronix mixes from back in the day. This promo-only T5S release was one of only a few official mixes by the highly influential DJ duo of Diplo & Low B. Digi-pack packaging designed by GHava and legit glass cds (no-CDR). Limited stock, recommended.

• music label: Triple Five Soul 2004

reviewed by the mgmnt

J-Rocc's Taster's Choice series is an underground phenomenon, you just may not know it yet. Each volume targets a different genre (previous volumes included Brazilian, classic hip-hop, dance classics etc.); and each genre gets dismantled as J does what only he can do. Number 5 (possibly the final chapter?) in the series focuses on jazz records, and it sounds as if you're sitting in J's room as he masterfully mixes his way through his favorite crates, playing records that you've never even seen before. Dictated by the genre (and probably market value), J keeps the tricky stuff to a minimum and focuses on selection, interesting transitions, and the occasional break blend. 22 tracks, ridiculously deep. Recommended.

reviewed by the mgmnt 08/2007

If you haven't figured out already, J-Rocc mixes are probably the finest in the mixtape game. He's unparalleled when it comes to skills, track selection, and overall listener satisfaction. The Taster's Choice series is rather low budget in production (slim-line with a color-copied covers), but who the hell cares? This is volume three and explores J-Rocc's specialty sweet spot: old school hip-hop and classics. As expected, he absolutely destroys it with mix tricks, blends, and flow. Witness him kill doubles of Chuck Chill Out's "I'm Large" Instrumental (mental note: see if it's available on 12") or listen to him tease out the intros of "Juice" and "The Creator." He then moves into a breaks section starting off with 2 cut and paste classics from Double Dee & Steinski and Cut Chemist & Numark, followed by classics such as "Melting Pot, Let A Woman Be A Man, Tighten Up (a four minute doubled up cover version!), Honey Bee (Wu Tang samples stretched to perfection), DJ Shadow-sampled Buddy Miles break, and finally ending with some mellow comedown tracks (a wicked cover of Sunny and RAMP's "Sunshine"). 17 tracks in all. Recommended.

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2006

If you haven't figured out already, J-Rocc mixes are probably the finest in the mixtape game. He's unparalleled when it comes to skills, track selection, and overall listener satisfaction. The Taster's Choice series is rather low budget in production (slim-line with a color-copied covers), but who the hell cares? This is volume one which focuses on Brazilian music. He starts the mix with standards by Sergio Mendes, Cal Tjader, and Jorge Ben. Then with a track labeled simply "Hype Shit" he gets deeper into his collection with Kenyatta, Que 2, Tempo 70, Azymuth, and a track labeled "Classic Shit." The 16 track selection ends with a unlisted 17th track, a belly rumbling boogaloo ending.  Dictated by the music style (and probably the rareness of these records), there's no Beat Junkie trick mixing or blends on this volume, just simple mixes. 60 minutes.

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2006

Jackpot biznatches! Was going through a distro inventory list, and found some deadstock copies of this classic Money Studies release (yeah, that's right, I'll drop the "c" word). I can confidently say that this is one of the finest mixes that will ever grace your ears; it's the sleeper pick from the MS catalog. A little back-story on this release: Blu Jemz and Roger Yamaha used to sit next to each other in the Lab office... and poof! Limited stock, act fast. 

• music label: Money Studies / 2005

reviewed by the mgmnt 11/2005

One wise DJ once said that Roctakon is the Kenny Powers of DJing. I like to think of him as the Hank Moody of the scene. He might even have a mild case of tourette's. No one quite understands where he's coming from... or how he found himself in the most ironic situation of being one of the biggest and best club djs for bottle-service meatheads and the tramp-stamp masses. This CD is the result of this pickle... Roc quit club DJing for a minute, locked himself in his stanky LES apartment, and came up with this mix of the music he truly loves. For someone known to throwdown personalized Fatman Scoop edits and Britney jams, it's unsurprising to see that this is all about disco, house, and techno.... but even I was taken back by how hardcore it is. If you need to know more, check out the writing by Roc on the back of the CD... he gets personal. Over an hour, expertly mixed. 500 copies only, full digi-pack by PH (that's me). Recommended. 

• music label: Money Studies / 2009

reviewed by the mgmnt 03/2009

Finally, the highly anticipicated mix from the Lab's dirty beat digger Gaslamp Killer! This is his third official mix and I'll have to say, it's a mind ringer. You should know his style by now - dark, swampy funk, with murderous drums and sounds from beyond. Heavy beat brother Kutmah also jumps in on the action, for a straight hour of neck breaking evil breaks. If you're into that late 90's deep funk, eerie Mowax cuts, and spaced out instrumentals, look no further. Tracklist? Sorry, the Killer's M.O. is always a barrage attack, leaving no clues at the scene(I can only name the Flying Lotus and DJ Vadim's Motion Man "Terrorist" instrumental). Definitely something to enjoy while blasted on good headphones. Also, the sick artwork by Shepard Fairey makes GLK look as twisted as ever. Super recommended for the true beat fiend.

reviewed by Cmish 4/08