The Groove Thief

DJ Enso may be famed for running the revered club XXX and for throwing down banging late-night bass-music sets, but he can also assemble one mean mixtape as he proves with Future Dancehall フューチャーダンスホール Vol. 1. Drifting between jungle, hip-hop, and dancehall, the success of the ongoing “Future Dancehall” nights is elevated to a higher level through studio production and the inclusion of some of Hong Kong’s choicest MCs. XXX-regular Rahyym joins Ngabo on Major Popular’s “The Ruler,” 10z and Kafe Hu appear on a Dub Phizix & Skeptical track, while local Cantonese legend Masta Mic, EKORB, as well as my regular partner in crime MC Loki Dolo combine forces on an exclusive Enso refix of DJ Zinc x Dope Skillz. Big tracks from Rebel MC, Million Stylez, Collie Buddz (DJ Yoda remix) and The Bug keep the beats heavy while the styles switch. Hopefully this will become an ongoing series since Hong Kong is certainly in need of more mixtapes and proper releases…

The mix is available on Soundcloud, or you can DIRECT DOWNLOAD and get the jungle-thug (?) artwork as well. Enso recently appeared at the Clockenflap music festival, so check out his bass-fueled live mix as well:

This Saturday night (November 10th) I will be DJing with True Skool HK at their monthly rooftop party. If you’re in Hong Kong and like reggae, this is definitely worth going to - the scenery is great since Pier 7 (above the Star Ferry in Central) has a view of the whole city, and the music and vibes will of course be perfect as well. I’ll be playing a set of mostly modern tunes, with a focus on digital reggae, steppers dub, and other reggae-influenced beats. Since it’s public space it’s even BYOB until midnight, so come early and dance until late with 100% Reggae Dancehall! Only $120 at the door, which includes a free drink, and I’ll be joined behind the decks by DJs Ray Shizzle, Blood Dunza and Christian Da Phat Selekta. Here’s a recent mix of mine to get your ears ready for Saturday:

In a dancehall clearly inspired by 2 Many DJs, High Time Sound, DontCallMeJunior & Flash It Up Sound [more tunes here] have united forces to produce their “2 Many Selectaz Vol. 1” mixtape. Heavy on the hits, Capleton is mashed up with The Jackson 5, Anthony B is set atop Queen, Elephant Man meets Crookers, plus lots of strong uptempo riddims, all alongside productions from other modern dub/reggae heroes like J-Star, Krak In Dub, and MAFFI. Lots of rock, digital reggae, and dancehall madness are crammed into this hour long mix, and the best part is many of these productions are available for free download from the artists’ Soundcloud accounts. Hopefully this series will continue soon!

YT’s album Revolution Time explodes with fierce digital dancehall riddims, upon which the MC keeps it irie with talented and timely vocals. While guests Mungo’s Hi Fi, Solo Banton, and Mr. Williamz alone make this worth a listen, YT holds his own on the microphone on these strong tracks. Lead (and downloadable) single “Forward To Reality” is an indictment of modern times, “World News” gives the Dutty Diseases riddim an excellent workout, while closer “Heathen Agenda” is smooth with an upbeat vibe - balance is the key here, as YT includes a lot of different styles within the reggae-sphere. A nice mixtape from Ashanti Yard is available as well…

With tracks spanning decades and continents, my latest DJ mix Welcome To My Funky Digital Dancehall features a diverse mix of tunes designed to rock any dancehall.  With vocals and production work coming from England, Germany, Jamaica, South Africa, France, Portugal, Italy, India, and the United States, the multinational modern face of reggae is emphasized throughout this mix, which was made in Hong Kong.  Much respect to all of the artists, particularly Krak In Dub for the *EXCLUSIVE* track, 7FT Soundsystem, MC Zulu and Cast-A-Blast for the ongoing support, and of course to the mighty Tenor Saw, may he rest in peace - a true legend gone before his time.

Crafted, assembled, and edited using Ableton Live on a MacBook Pro.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD

Tracklisting:

1. Mr. Williamz - Herbzman Town

2. El Fata - London Town

3. Yami Bolo - Babylon System

4. 7FT Soundsystem - Come Fe Warn Dem Refix (The Groove Thief Re-Edit)

5. Krak In Dub - Marimbaa *EXCLUSIVE* - Fogata Sounds

6. Jammys Jam2 James - Peenie Peenie

7. Dedy Dread & DJ Rebel feat. Delhi Sultanate - Criss & Shine - Cast-A-Blast

8. Mochipet & MC Zulu - To The East

9. Sister Nancy - Bam Bam (DJ Fashen Remix)

10. Tenor Saw - Who’s Gonna Help Me Praise

Available on either Soundcloud or Mixcloud:

Blend Mishkin & Bruises n Cuts have combined forces to create an eclectic dancehall-meets-moombahton EP, My Boom Raise The Dead Vol. 1.  Tracks are up on Soundcloud, and there are some accelerated floor-shaking anthems here, drawing from a variety of musical influences to create a funky musical stew.  ”Big Up Sister Nancy” not only has a title that speaks the truth, but is arguably the strongest of this collection, assembled by Blend Mishkin under his Mr. Mention alias and featuring Daddy Freddy’s vocals sped up to fit with the frantic pounding beats.  Future dancehall clearly needs to be a genre of its own, as BnC’s pair of tracks (as Bossy Ride) come in slow and thick with sound-effects slapped all over their swaggering moombahton rhythms.  Blend Mishkin also drops a drum n bass cut - less than a day old and a preview of Vol. 2 - “Jamaican Girls,” that is in the same vein as some of Krak In Dub’s dnb work.  Like most everything on Cast-a-Blast these are all worth a listen and ready to start a fire beneath some feet at a late-night party near you…

18/04 EDIT: “Jamaican Girls” now has a video, it’s girls&cars&reggae&jungle:

Krak In Dub continues his success in forging a new sound: rubadubstep.  Equal parts dub, reggae, and bass, which is essentially the musical equivalent of the Holy Trinity, these tracks are solid, heavy, and crushing.  While the melodies/synths are digital, the booming low-end and instrumentation have a nice analog sound, creating a well-crafted future dancehall vibe.  These are the type of tunes that keep vinyl relevant, but for the rest of us digital warriors, the ambling and throbbing bass-lines, here coupled with vocal turns from Capleton on “Rise” and Guive on “New Start” (original track by Lone Ranger), will have to suffice on Youtube for now…

If you’ve somehow missed Stylo G’s dancehall anthem “Call Mi A Yardie,” it’s not too late for the infectious-yet-silly chorus about street toughs and fancy cars to permanently settle into your brain.  Combining dancehall rhythms with plenty of bass, with a video that combines vehicular and testicular fantasies, this is big and brash music to get your dance on to: