Mixtape, son.

The first mixtape of '08 for you here; a cracking selection of tunes with the common thread through most of the tracks being that they cruelly missed out on my year-end lists due to my feather-headed-ness. Enjoy!



THERE WILL BE TUNES VOLUME ONE: I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!

1. Benga & Coki - Night (Now, I don't listen to the radio, so I had no idea until recently that this insidious little bubbler had somehow crossed over into daytime play. Great tune, almost too great to be played on Jo Whiley amongst all the usual drivel from Scouting For Girls, One Night Only and the like.)
2. Durrty Goodz - Keep Up (The opening track from DG's Axiom EP from last year, it perfectly showcases both his tongue-twisting flow and his very British sense of humour. Think Roots Manuva meets Dizzee and you're halfway there.)
3. Lupe Fiasco - Gold Watch (Lupe's sophomore album, The Cool, went a long way to lending weight to the idea that I should have waited before compiling my lists as it would have easily made the cut. Then again, if I had waited, I'd probably still be doing them now.)
4. Ghostface Killah - Yolanda's House (feat. Raekwon & Method Man) (A textbook example of what Ghost is great at - spinning a yarn with plenty of grim wit. Meth steals the show though, in my opinion, even if it is a little too much info when he tells us "My dick keep slippin' out my boxer drawers". Put it away, fella!)
5. CunninLynguists - Wonderful (feat. Devin The Dude) (CunninLynguists are shaping up to be one of the most under-repped groups in hip-hop. Perhaps it's their horrible name that stops them being a marquee act because it sure isn't their talent. Their latest full-length, Dirty Acres recalls OutKast circa ATLiens before they got all outlandish but the boys put their own stamp on things.)
6. The Lone Ranger - Johnny Make You Bad So (I've been listening to quite a bit of reggae lately and The Lone Ranger's album Hi-Yo Silver Away has been on heavy rotation. It's all about Sly & Robbie's rhythm section rather than The Lone Ranger himself; echoey drums kick while the sinewy bass moves your hips. Nice.)
7. Sizzla - Really And Truly (There are fewer more enigmatic singers than Sizzla in the reaggae genre and, it has to be said, in music full stop and this cut from last year's The Biggest Reggae One-Drop Anthems compilation is testament to this power. You'll join the cult of Sizzla about thirty seconds in, you can be sure of it.)
8. Horace Andy - Skylarking (One of my all-time favourites, this one, rounding off a Jamaican run of three. As good as Sizzla is, he has nothing on Horace Andy, who surely has one of the most bewitching vocal styles of all time. If all you know of him is his work with Massive Attack, then shame on you.)
9. Bonar Bradberry - Beat The Bed (Superb slo-mo soulful disco vibrations that came out on Red Music towards the end of '07. Bradberry is definitely one to keep an eye on in the future if he keeps pumping out tunes as devilishly addictive as this.)
10. Imagination - Music And Lights (Dub) (I've recently been introduced to Imagination's overlooked classic collection of dubs, Night Dubbing. Naff title aside, it's a superb set of downtempo club versions of their all-conquering '80s soul numbers. Here's a little taster but you should really do yourself a favour and seek the album out.)
11. Kenneth Bager - Fragment Two "The First Picture" (feat. Julee Cruise) (The Music For Dreams mainman's album, Fragments From A Space Cadet was one of '07's more neglected records (not least by me), as it's a lush collection of classy chillout numbers. Recommended if you like Royksopp's first album and just good music in general.)
12. Smith & Mudd - The Start (Smith & Mudd's collaborative long-player, Blue River was another that was a victim of a late release date when it came to compiling my 2007 best ofs. Definitely would have made the grade had it came out earlier, as it, and this track especially, sums up everything that's great about the burgeoning cosmic disco scene. Lovely stuff.)
13. Cage & Aviary - Television Train (The Dissident label came out of nowhere (well, London, to be precise) last year with their limited runs and extortionate price tags, but sniffy exclusivity aside, they've put out some seriously good stuff, with this being about the best. Look out for Cage & Aviary, along with Ali Renault and Binary Chaffinch making the step up to the majors at some point in 2008.)
14. Professor Genius - Pegaso (Silver & Kane's Roma Mix) (Italians Do It Better's secret weapon, Professor Genius gets taken on a trip back in time by Silver & Kane here, recalling the era when synthesizers were the sound of the future. Very retro and very forward-thinking at the same time.)
15. Hercules & Love Affair - Iris (H&LA's debut album is an instant classic and this is its loveliest moment. A superb comedown track for the early hours and a great note on which to end this mixtape.)

There Will Be Tunes Volume One - Ripped, zipped and megauploaded

Update: Secondary link for the Megaupload-phobic (Sendspace)