vinylcd -mash-ups / novelty-date

Before dropping the Grey Album and making every critic's year-end list, DJ Danger Mouse released three remix EPs that we carried for a little while. I say "little while" because whenever they were restocked, they immediately sold out like Pure Hot Fire. Much like that damn Amerie single (PHF of right now), people would constantly call or come in the store, pestering us for more Danger Mouse, and someone finally saw fit to respond to the overwhelming demand by releasing a kind of "Best Of" from those three EPs. While I'm currently of the "Mash Up Needs To Get Shot Out of a Canon" mentality, I must admit that the Nas/Portishead and the Audio Two/Air remixes are two of the finer moments the genre has offered so far, and still sound remarkably well put together four years after the fact. Pick it up now, late-comers. Other mashes include "Tom's Diner" over "In Da Club," Outkast's "Whole World" over Funkadelic, and Xzibit over Radiohead's "Karma Police."

reviewed by the Woodman 05/2005

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

Vinyl only Moombahton selections from Sabo's Sol Selectas.Sol Selectas has been at the forefront of the electronic Latin explosion for years now and with Moombahton driving the kids wild, Sabo and crew have cranked out major tunes for you. Just as volume one went, these are vinyl only and each track offers their own vibe. Sabo & Arizona's Melo offer up a solid up beat party rocker with vicious horn stabs in 'Go San Dos'. Sazon Booya takes it up many LVLZ and brings it back to the early days of Munchi (the best period, ahem) in 'Ode To Hector'. Speaking of Munchi, both he and Kingman Fire offer up what I would call Moombahtools meaning they keep the energy going, but aren't complete face melters.. Which they all shouldn't be. Recommended

• music label: Sol Selectas 2013

reviewed by boohoo banton 1/2013

Sureshot soul re-works for the dancefloor from GAMM, who else? You can always count on the Swedish label to deliver the funky goods, and this time they've really outdone themselves with a pair of floor fillers courtesy of Revivra aka Estephe & Vulzor. First up is a subtle yet effective rework of Marvin's classic "What's Going On" with added keys and bumped up drums to keep the floor moving, while Crown Heights Affair's "Dreamin' A Dream" gets transformed into a 10+ minute peak time banger on the flip. Top notch stuff, even by GAMM standards. Recommended.

• music label: GAMM 2012

reviewed by Von Bee 11/2012

From the mind that brought you Jay-Z and the Wailers comes the latest in reggae hip-hop mashes - King Tubby Vs. Wu-Tang Clan! New Zealand's Chris Macro is the dude bringing these worlds together, hence the sub-title The Macro Dubplates and apparently this was actually released on the interwebs back in 2009 (his website claims this album defined the reggae/hiphop mash scene). This is the first time time it is available on vinyl so if you're into these sounds and are inclined to play vinyl - don't miss it! Features 9 tracks including "Brooklyn Battle Axe," "Money Rules Everything Around Me," "Method Man Meets Fat Man," "Dubbing It Raw," "Criminology Movement," "Triumph Over Babylon" and more.

• music label: Macro Dubplates 2009

reviewed by Von Bee

This isn't just another dubstep remix/mash-up release. Cypress Hill actually got in the studio and worked on brand new cuts with UK dubstep don Rusko! Obviously the result is uber heavy and destined to crush it, what with Rusko providing the massive bass drops and Cypress Hill adding that veteran LA rap swag. It's a match made in bass bro heaven! Five tracks in all with guest appearances from Damien Marley and Young De. Comes in full pic sleeve with free mp3 download. Heavy, heavy, heavy.

• music label: Cooperative Music 2012

reviewed by Von Bee 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

Bastard Boots keeps the goodness coming with an entry from Greece's Mishkin (of GAMM / Raw Fusion's Palov and Mishkin). Light one up for the beats version of Linval Thompson's "Free Marijuana" backed with a "Livin Trouble," a party-breaks style track featuring snippets of various party igniters. No brainer really, recommended.

• Music Label BSTRD Boots 2010

reviewed by the mgmnt 06/2010

Perhaps surpassing his "Missy Thing" booty from a few years ago, Om Records' Fred Everything takes on M.I.A.'s "Bucky Done Gun" and turns out three hot house remixes. The main remix features M.I.A.s vocals over some tough house beats before the track really drops and turns into one full of swirly keys and acid. Also includes an instrumental as well as another, tougher remix with the vocals in tact.

• music label: white label

reviewed by Alison Tara

Max Tannone delivers once again. With Kweli and Mos Dub reaching "classic" status among heads, the NY producer releases Ghostfunk, a "mashup" album pairing Ghostface Killah (and few other Wu mcs like Raekwon and Cappadonna)'s verses with vintage Afrian funk, high-life, and psych rock instrumentals. As with his previous projects, the production value is top notch; not off-key or forced at any point, each track sounds original and natural as if it was an album/official cut. Check out "Mighty Agho" ("Mighty Healthy" over "Agho" from Sir Victor Uwaifo), "Make It N.Y." ("New York" over "Make It Fast, Make It Slow" from Rob Kanda"), "Danger 500" ("Daytona 500" over "Danger" from Lijadu Sisters), "Breakthrough Kids" ("Apollo Kids" over "Breakthrough" from The Funkees), and "Funky Criminology" ("Criminology" over "Mondo Soul Funky" from Ebo Taylor Jr.). Recommended.

• music label: Ghostfunk

reviewed by nakinboots 11/2011

Jiggaman acapellas over The Wailers! We've seen a few hip-hop/dub (Mos Dub, Dub Kweli, etc) mash ups in the past, and this record is on par with them in terms of quality. Classics like "Soul Rebel," "Put It On," "Small Axe," and "Dreamland" combine nicely with Jay-Z's smooth flow, and the lyrics float on top of laid back riddims in a very natural, unforced way. Check out "Small Problems," "Dreamland Crying Song," "Rebels Never Change," and "Put It Off Ya shoulder" to get a sense of what this whitelabel gem is about. 

reviewed by nakinboots 12/2010

Of all the "Yonkers" remixes floating around, Lil Silva's version is least likely to piss off the Golf Wang leader because, well, it is really good. Starting off with subtle dubstep touches, the young London producer fully unleashes his future bass arsenal at around the 1:10 mark, and the track becomes more vicious and aggressive than Tyler's lyrical attack on B.O.B. (what exactly did he do?). Can't see this whitelabel staying around for too long, so act quick! 

• music label: white

reviewed by nakinboots 06/2011

300 of the most essential and rarest drum breaks of all time remastered from the original records and ready for sampling and chopping. An impressive selection of timeless breaks including multiple versions  of "Get Out My Life Woman," and "Sing A Simple Song," staples like "It's A New Day" and "Ashley's Roachclip" and over 290 more rare and classic breaks. All The Breaks has done the hard part for you and trimmed these songs down to just the essential parts where you can chop and sample the kicks, snares, high hats, cymbals, and fills with ease. Whether you are making hip-hop or r&b or grime, All The Breaks is an excellent resource for finding the right drums for your tracks. Like Egon said: "Damn, they've just made it TOO EASY." Highly recommended.