With their latest greatest up-to-the-timeness (actually, an overview of 08), the Heatwave remind me that I should really bring more of the many mixes I enjoy to yr attn.

These days, and for the last several years really — ever since the rise of the mp3/blog mix (h/t L-R?) — I listen to music mainly in mixed form. I download mixes at the rate of about one per day (though it feels like more than that). They range anywhere from 15 minutes to 2.5 hrs and from genre-hopping/mashing exercises to downright “purist” explorations of a particular style, subgenre, or artist.

Mixes are like little worlds to themselves, opening up for me to enter and inhabit. I enjoy the way they can transport me like that — especially when walking, driving, and cooking.

Although I do a great deal of tagging and annotating and sharing my web wanderings, I don’t take the time/effort to shed some shine on every mix I dig. But I wish I did. So here’s an attempt to call attn to a few faves from the last month/year that have caught my ear and remain on rotation —

• Timeblind’s Flora had my earbuds on lock for much of the winter. Centered on dubsteppy sounds, but ranging into reggae, hip-hop, and some srsly off-kilter techno, among others, it somehow suited early evenings and long nights.
• So did Lone Wolf’s Nightwind, released last spring and still holding a precious spot on my not-so-spacious 4gb iPhone. (For the record, though, I think I most enjoyed it mid-morning on a coffee buzz.) Full of trancey hip-house&b bangers mixed up and sloooooooooooowed down, the tracks keep opening up in unexpected ways. (If ur into “screwed oddities,” you might also like this.)
• More recently, I’ve been really getting into all the house and techno coming out of (or filtered thru / inspired by) Africa, especially South Africa. Check Spoek Mathambo’s H.I.V.I.P. (!) mixes (here and here) for wonderfully weird refractions off the global disco ball. Also well worth your time: DJ Zhao’s Ngoma 2 and 3, as well as the “obscurer” followup mix it elicited from DJ Deep. (If you haven’t heard Zhao’s sui generis Fusion 1 btw, it’s absolutely arresting in its old “world” meets nu-whirled aesthetic.) One final tip of the cap to Zhao for pointing me to this DJ Cndo track, which says “funky” house its own awesome way and makes me wish for a South African house invasion.
• I’ve also been enjoying funky house per se, esp the epic Marcus Nasty sets for Rinse FM and 1extra, this excellent intro/overview by Dj OneDrop, and last but beast, Grievous Angel’s recent radio rip. (Speaking of which, if totally tangentially, don’t miss DJ /Rupture’s NYC radio mambo violento set, remastered and reblogged here.)
• Finally, far as spotlights go, I wanna shine a lil light on Nicholas Jaar’s recent mix for Air Drop Records. Talk about funky house! What really grabs me about this one, though, is the constant presence of samples from all over the place, especially horns, voices, and percussion — good “earthy” sounds. They add a great deal to the musical and affective texture, especially in contrast to the more mechanical sounding synthwerk, and Jaar does a very nice job weaving them in and out over some smooth-but-bumpy mnml-ish grooves. Sound design indeed!

Finally, just to illustrate/document my willy-nilly collection of mixes (and point you in further directions), here’s a list of all the ones I’ve downloaded since Jan 1 2009, in whatever random order resulted from copying&pasting out of my finder. Google em if ur curious, most should still be up somewhere —

RA145_20090309_DJ-Koze-residentadvisor.net.mp3
theheatwave-rowdybashment2008.mp3
hyperdub-showcase-Deviation_Benji_B_2009_02_20.mp3
The_Nellee_Hooper_Collection_(Presented_By_Uggh…Nice_Watch).zip
FunkyManifesto.mp3
01-wild-bunch-vs-soul-ii-soul-1987.mp3
marvy_da_pimp_present_call_of_kuduro_2.mp3
jahdan-blakkamore-Podcast_Mix_2009_03_05.mp3
ZZK_Mixtape_Vol_5___Tremor–7.mp3
zomby-where-were-you-92.mp3
what_do_you_call_it__UK_Funky_by_OneDrop_RiseandShine2009.mp3
Volcanics.mp3
VICEUK_BokBok_Mix.mp3
Various_-_Adrift_(1969-2001)_(VBR_V-3)
Various_-_1981-Computer_(1981)_(VBR_V-4).zip
The_Glitch_Mob-Crush_Mode.mp3
teleost – process part 122.mp3
TegoC-GMixtape
subfm mix feb 2009 (Timeblind).mp3
spoek_mathambo_HIVIP-DEZEMBA-LIAZONZ-MIX.mp3
Sambacana_Vol_37-SoundGoods_Jorge_Ben_Tribute_Mix.mp3
Sabo-Podcast_Mix_2009_02_26.mp3
Rinse FM – Blackdown & Dusk (29-01-2009).mp3
RA137_090112_Sebastien-San-residentadvisor.net.mp3
RA.110_080708_Appleblim-residentadvisor.net.mp3
Quarta330_liveset_-_BTC_vol15.mp3
playa blanca mixtape.mp3
Peverelist_live_at_Phonica_5th_Bday_-_Corsica_Studios.mp3
Pandai’a Studio Mix (Feb 09).mp3
paisadelic.mp3
nzzustamixx Ruffull.mp3
noah gibson – process part 121.mp3
muddupradio-geko-01-21-09.mp3
Moulay El-Hassan_ Essaouira.mp3
mochipet-xlr8r-Podcast_Mix_2009_01_15.mp3
Mishka presents Keep Watch Vol. 6.zip
mambo-violento.mp3
mad_decent_radio_44_federation.mp3
Luny Tunes Presents Calle 434 (2009).rar
Langer_-_The_Dubtec_Mix_(SRM06).mp3
Kper_-_Attention_Deficit_Disorder.mp3
kid kameleon – nse 12.28.08.mp3
jperiod-qtip-v1-final.zip
Ize_-_Tronku_Di_Mundo.mp3
H.I.V.I.P – POST COITAL DEPRESSION.mp3
GP_Dashboard_blend.mp3
Fairtilizer 24798 – UMB – GLOBAL GHETTOTECH.mp3
emynd010109final.mp3
dubwisah-step_2.mp3
Dubconscious_Space-Rastas-In-Outer-Space.mp3
Cumbias con bass.mp3
chavy-boys-xlr8r-Podcast_Mix_2009_01_22.mp3
Butterz Ft. Terror Danjah – 13-02-09 – GrimeForum.com..mp3
FACT Mix 30 – Joakim (Feb 09).mp3
bokbokB2Bbraudeb_NightSlugs_show-SubFM21-02-09.mp3
djmicron- intertwined mix 10JAN2009.mp3
ballersikonikaminimixfeb2009.mp3
DJRedAlert-Kiss1987.zip
VA – I Ride on Gilded Spinners
93_FEDERATION_INVASION_93_dancehall_reggae_mega-mix_1_25_09.mp3
Actionable Flattery 1.mp3.zip
aces_hi_fi_tophill_westmoreland_82whitesqualljaymandrew.mp3
25sundaywalkmanmix.mp3
baile funk ol skoolmix.mp3
auratheft – Oceans 11. Jamaican Soul Jazz Originals. Volume II.mp3
audio_poverty_ghana_mix.mp3
AP_djrupture.mp3
airpod19nicolasjaar.mp3
Afrocan House Mix.mp3
Adelaide Deep.mp3
dj zhao – NGOMA VOL. 2.mp3
dj zhao – NGOMA 3_ Zulu House, Afro Electro, UK Funky.mp3
Dj Sin-Cero – Presenta Guelo Star La Pelicula Viviente ((The Oficial Mixtape)) (2009).rar
DeathTrapp_Crew_Presents_Panama_Da_Blue_Print-BYMRDANJOL.rar
01._x-102_-_rediscovers_the_rings_of_saturn.mp3
DJ_Rupture-PorqueSoySonidero_trocito.mp3
DubTechMix.mp3
airpod21tannerross.mp3
ESPANISH BOOGIE.mp3