Download: DJ C “The Blends” ->
Or listen on Mixcloud:

The Blends by Dj C on Mixcloud

Sure enough, the most talked about aspect of the Super Bowl this year — besides Clint Eastwood’s ode to American sticktoitiveness — was M.I.A.’s middle finger. It doesn’t sound very interesting on the surface but if there’s one thing M.I.A.’s really good at, it’s being controversial, and with one tiny little gesture she was able to whirl media spin rooms into a frenzy.

Meanwhile, M.I.A.s new video for her track Bad Girls had already been generating some controversy of its own. Whether it’s for vapid lyrics, or stereotypical Arab imagery, not everyone gives the track or the video a +1. But I tend to agree with this assessment in Albawaba  In Defence of MIA’s ‘Bad Girl’ Arab-Bashing. Here’s an excerpt:

Bad Girls is surely not something new in the pop-world with Madonna and many before singing vacuous lyrics on ‘material’ feisty or just ‘naughty’ girl types. If ‘bad girls’ on this occasion signifies gun-touting or even, in being strewn over, and in, cars, criminal, girls in a country that prohibits them from driving (while filmed in Morocco it is distinctly meant to represent Saudi Arabia), then the video presents a distinct challenge to the stereotype of Arab subjugated women.”

Anyway, I find it to be a compelling piece of pop with an underlying sense of rebellion that invokes the kind of discussion which brings me back to the heyday of Public Enemy. It’s beautifully crafted in a way that truly paints M.I.A. as a bad girl in the eyes of both the east and the west. What’s your take?

The drawback for me was that I couldn’t easily find an instrumental version of the bangin’ beat by Timbaland protege Danja, so I decided to make one through the magic of editing.

M.I.A. Bad Girls (Instrumental) MP3
[See post to listen to audio]

And while I was at it I whipped up a little mashup featuring another of my favorite female vocalists, Yukimi Nagano from Little Dragon.

DJ C Bad Girls Scale it Back (ft. M.I.A. & Little Dragon) MP3
[See post to listen to audio]

I also remember when I first heard Fatboy Slim’s Rockafeller Skank I thought the vocalist was saying “Right about now the funk’s so rubber” and while that was a great way to describe the bouncy guitars in the track, it was an even better way to describe the elastic acid-breaks tracks I had been getting into at the time. So I was disappointed when I figured out the vocalist was not sharing my enthusiasm for rubbery sounds but instead was conjuring “the funk soul brother.”

Those acid sounds which developed in the ’80s Chicago house movement, and continued to evolve throughout the ’90s worldwide, are still a major influence on bouncy tunes today. I’m always a sucker for a good tweaked out acid line and this mix encapsulates some of my favorite rubbery tracks throughout the ages:

MP3 Download
DJ C – The Funk So Rubber ->

Tracklist

1. The Big Heist ft. TOK & Beenie Man – “Bring It On”
2. Hardfloor – “Knuckle Skills – Home Run”
3. Mr. Scruff – “Sea Mammal”
4. Luke Vibert – “Lover’s Acid”
5. Mr. Scruff – “Ug”
6. Luke Vibert – “Funky Acit Stuff”
7. Hardfloor – “Dubdope”
8. Hardfloor – “Drive Thruw”
9. South Rakkas Crew – “Hotter Than Them (Extended Mix ft. Kid Foreigner & Bigga Boss)
10. Like Vibert – “Acid2000″
11. LyricL – “Loose Broken”
12. Fast Eddie – “Ain’t it Funky”
13. Josh Wink – “Higher State of Counciousness (Tweekin Acid Funk Mix)”
14. Blawan – “Kaz”
15. Fatboy Slim – “Everybody Needs a 303″
16. Crookers – “Embrace The Martian (ft. Kid Cudi – Seiji Acid Remix)”
17. Ultramarine – “Butch”
18. DJ C – “Nanocheck”
19. DJ Scotch Egg – “Aaron Spectre’s Scotch Acid Remix”

Download
DJ C; Resonant Frequency Modulation
[See post to listen to audio]

Tracklist

1. DJ C; Hardcore Tonight Riddim
2. MaddJazz; Selekta Riddim (Ultravid ‘Yah’ Remix)
3. Baobinga ft MC Spyda; Criss Like HD (Poirier RMX)
4. South Rakkas Crew; Mad Again (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
5. Marcus Price & Carli; Mat, Bira, Kvinnor, Weed (Kingdom Remix)
6. Willy Joy & Rob Threezy; Sundown
7. South Rakkas Crew & Deerhoof; Choo Choo Beep (+81)
8. DJ Flack; Enemy Beats
9. Poirier (feat. Face-T); Enemies (DJ Flack Mix)
10. Ghislain Poirier (feat. Face-T); Blazin’ (DJ C Mix) 
11. Sully; Broadway G 
12. Si Begg; High Volume (Si Begg VIP remix)
13. DJ C; Jump up and Bounce (Remix Instrumental)
14. DJ C; Jump up and Bounce (Remix ft. Ms. Thing)
15. South Rakkas Crew feat MC Gi & Mr Dockery; Hands Up (South Rakkas self-remix)
16. Supra 1; Ghoster
17. Jamtech Foundation; Park The 9 (ft. Voltage)
18. Sully; Cadillac
19. Sub Swara; Belgrade Riddim (DJ C Remix)
20. DJ C; Clown Dub
21. DJ C; Du Ting
22. DJ C; Mad Again (Du Ting Mix)
23. Mochipet & The Hustle Heads; Get Your Whistle Wet (DJ C Remix)
24. DJ C; Whistle Dub
25. Felix The Housecat; Kick Drum (Jeekoos Remix)
26. RSD; Kingfisher
27. DJ C & Zulu; Exhibition Virtues (Elected Remix Instrumental)
28. DJ C & Zulu; Exhibition Virtues (elected remix)

Over the last couple years my life has undergone some quantum shifts. For example, I’ve transitioned from full-time DJ, music-blogger/producer, to full-time Creative Director at an economic development organization. I also became a husband and a home-owner. These new roles are super-exciting, fun, and challenging, but alas, they’ve left me with less time to focus on all-things-music.

That said, I’d like to share 2 DJ mixes I’ve made in light of these events.

The more recent of the two I presented to my wife, Sharon at the first anniversary of our wedding. It’s a compilation of songs featuring female vocalists.

The mix was inspired by the Little Dragon song “Feather.” Their singer, Yukimi Nagano’s voice is so amazing that it inspired in my mind a chain reaction of other songs with incredible female singers:

MP3 Download
DJ C; Sirens for my Muse ->
[See post to listen to audio]

The other mix, which I made exactly a year earlier, is a compilation containing some of Sharon’s and my favorite tunes. It was given out on CD as a gift to guests at our wedding:

MP3 Download
DJ C; Sharon & Jake Present 33 Golden Hits ->
[See post to listen to audio]

Neither of these mixes focus on the usual Mashit fare of bass-heavy, electronic-dance-music. But stay tuned to this podcast. I’ve got one of those classic Mashit mixes already done and will post it here soon.

Track-lists after the break:

Track-List
DJ C; Sirens for my Muse

1. Alison Krauss; “Down To The River To Pray”
2. Exillon (ft. Cat Power); “Moonshiner Remix”
3. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss; “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”
4. Various; “Hater”
5. Tracy Chapman; “The Promise”
6. Massive Attack; “Teardrop”
7. Lauryn Hill Featuring Carlos Santana; “To Zion”
8. Handsome Boy Modeling School; “The Truth”
9. Portishead; “Wandering Star”
10. Cowboy Junkies; “Sweet Jane”
11. Mazzy Star; “Blue Light”
12. Little Dragon; “Feather”
13. Throwing Muses; “Green”
14. Milanese; “Caramel Cognac”
15. The Breeders; “Drivin’ On 9″

Track-List
DJ C; Sharon & Jake Present 33 Golden Hits

1. The Wailers; “Mellow Mood”
2. The Jamaicans; “Ba Ba Boom”
3. Robert Plant and Allison Krauss; “Killing the Blues”
4. The Congos; “Row Fisherman”
5. Barrington Levy; “She’s Mine”
6. Sean Paul; “Punkie”
7. TLC; “Waterfalls”
8. DJ Flack; “Honeymoon Breeze”
9. Wendy Rene; “After Laughter Comes Tears”
10. The Magnetic Fields; “Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing”
11. Neutral Milk Hotel; “King of Carrot Flowers Part 1″
12. Oscar Aleman; “Besame Mucho”
13. Cab Calloway & His Orchestra; “Minnie The Moocher”
14. Led Zepplin; “Ramble On”
15. M.I.A.; “Galang Remix”
16. Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band; “Express Yourself”
17. Desmond Dekker; “007″
18. Staple Singers; “I’ll Take You There”
19. Oscar Aleman; “Caminos Cruzados (Malaguena)”
20. Stevie Wonder; “Sugar”
21. The Breeders; “Last Splash”
22. Wilco; “Jesus, Etc.”
23. Jamie Lidell; “Multiply”
24. The Beatles; “Two of Us”
25. Gnarls Barkley; “Crazy (Creezy Hype Heatwave Remix)”
26. Mr. Scruff; “Get a Move On”
27. Sufjan Stevens; “Chicago”
28. Enur feat. Natasja; “Calabria”
29. Balkan Beat Box; “Bulgarian Chicks (Featuring Vlada Tom)”
30. Damian Marley; “All Night”
31. DJ C (ft. Chris Isaak, The Supremes, Switch, & Stereotyp); “Set Me Free from this Wicked Game”
32. Sam Cooke; “Sugar Dumpling”
33. Hrvatski; “Gemini (Revision)”

Kid K is back with the bass, but this time the treble is tweaked in a most explicit manor. The sounds are “extremely small and precise.” That’s how the Kid describes this breed of esoteric, minimal-dubstep-esque material. Give it a listen and define the genre for yourself:

Download:
Kid Kameleon; Extremely Small and Precise Sounds Part 2
[See post to listen to audio]

Tracklist:

1. Arovane; No.8 Amx
2. Sideshow; If Alone Feat Paul S.Hilaire
3. El Rakkas; Seas of Disease (LV Remix)
4. Taal Mala; Plus
5. Shackleton; (No More) Negative Thoughts
6. Simple; rO
7. 2562; Kontrol
8. LV and Josh Idehen; Face of God
9. El Rakkas; I and I  
10. Peverelist Ft. Pinch; Revival
11. Appleblim; Vansan (Gatekeeper Remix)
12. Gatekeeper; Blip
13. Appleblim & Geiom; Shreds
14. Ramadanman And Appleblim; Justify
15. Kanye West; Love Lockdown (Flying Lotus Remix)
16. Burial; Shuttle
17. Mount Kimbie; Taps

Now go check out Kid Kameleon; Extremely Small and Precise Sounds Part 1 over at Spannered.

And for old time’s sake listen back to the last Kid Kameleon-Mashit-Spannered colab, the Aim High and Aim Low mixs.

MP3 Download
Major Lazer; “Hold The Line (DJ C Remix)”
[See post to listen to audio]

More remixes here, including Poirier’s ->

They’ve got a new record out which features Mashit’s own MC Zulu on a couple of tracks, including a remix of “Ransom the Senator.” Here’s a teaser for ya:

Frikstailers “Baile Frick (Original Mix)” ->
[See post to listen to audio]

And here’s what the label has to say:

Revolt Into Style is a new UK based label with an international outlook. Our aim is to release quality music
across genre and style, releasing work by the freshest producers and bands from Argentina’s electronica scene and new talent from Europe. Our working relationship with Latin American label Pino Rec is the foundation on which the business is built. We plan initially to focus attention on the talented producers and artists on the Pino Rec roster, and ultimately to nurture creative collaborations between European and Latin American artists.

On our debut release, the ‘Baile Frik EP’ the Frikstailers come very correct with the title track, a breakbeat baile funk bomb, before remixing Chicago’s MC Zulu to stunning effect; Truthfully is a reggaeton-cumbia-hip hop hybrid, while Ransom The Senator is a glitchy dancehall banger. Also present is an electro booty remix from Peter Digital Orchestra (who releases twisted bleeding-edge hip hop under his Fulgeance moniker.)

Baile Frik EP vinyl is available at Juno Records (http://www.juno.co.uk/labels/Revolt+Into+Style/)

But that’s for next year. Right now I’d like to take a look back at last year. I was asked by the 88 Music Blog to submit one of those top 10 lists that everyone seems to do around the new year, and here’s what I cam up with:

DJ C’s Top 10 Tracks Most Dropped in a 2008 DJ Set
(in no particular order, with links to buy or find out more)

• South Rakkas Crew “Mad Again (Boy 8-Bit Remix)”
• Si Begg “Are You A Big Boy DJ“
• Scuba “Twitch (Jamie Vex’d remix)”
• DJ Elected “Potato 42″
  
• Mochipet (feat. E da Boss & Bicasso of Living Legends) “Banana Split (Frikstailers Remix)”
• Dizzee Rascal”Pussyhole (Oldschool) (Radioclit Remix) (Schlachthofbronx Remix)”
• DJ Flack “Ready For Peace”
• Benga “26 Basslines”
• Cauto “Bona Vida”
• 2562 “Moog Dub”

Speaking of DJ Elected (mentioned in the list above), he’s got a couple awesome new mashups out. Here’s one:

Modeselektor Vs. The Fugees “Ready or da Macca” ->
[See post to listen to audio]

You can get the other one — Strategy Vs. Beyonce & Sean Paul “Strategy Bwoy” — at Elected’s Sirkus Recordings site ->

Notice a theme? That’s right, they’re both instrumentals from the Shockout catalog:

Sirkus Recordings Presents Shockout Mashups

Sirkus mashed up two favorite Shockout Beats and put some
easy lyrics on them. Dancefloor ready uhban digestive.

Happy new year folks. Here’s looking toward the teens!

A couple of their tracks are posted for free DL over at Palms Out Sounds and they’re definitely worth checkin’, but I highly recommend their digi-EP called “Rave Lord” which is available at Juno Download ->

DJ Mix MP3:
The Squire of Gothos “Forest Gateaux Mix” ->
[See post to listen to audio]

1. Nas “life’s a bitch (Squire remix)”
2. Squire Of Gothos “Sandpaper Riddim”
3. Destiny’s Child “Independant woman (squire Remix)”
4. Squire Of Gothos “Jonas’ Birthday”
5. Squire Of Gothos “Graftin’ Every day”
6. Squire Of gothos “?”
7. Onyx “Slam HArder (squire rough remix)”
8. Delacy “Hideaway (Squire of Gizzle remix)”
9. Adina Howard “Freak Like Me (Squire’s Hired Goon remix)”