I’m incredibly proud to announce the second installment of my mix series Driving North. For those of you who are new to this series, the idea is pretty simple: I take the last song of my last mix, and use it as the first song in my new mix. It’s a pretty simple constraint, but it helps give direction and makes for an easy gimmick. If you haven’t heard it already, take a listen to my first installment of Driving North. As always, please feel free to tweet/post/blog about this mix. You can find me on Twitter or Facebook.

About Part 2: This is a dark and moody collection of house, garage, and dubstep. Though I have a really hard time with “brostep” (dubstep that sounds like a chainsaw), there are elements of the genre that are really just incredible. The moodier part of dubstep tends to have heavy R&B influences, something I’ve always appreciated. If you’re looking for more of this sound, I highly recommend you check out extrawater radio by my friend Joe Lzrz.

This is a pretty good mix of new and old, all tied together by more or less one constant: I’ve never been able to play them out. That’s not entirely true, I’m sure I’ve managed to squeeze a couple of these into a set somewhere, but these aren’t typical going-out songs so it’s been nice to finally give them a home.

Download: Ezra Mechaber – Driving North, Part Two (save target as)

Tracklist:

1. School of Seven Bells – Half Asleep (Lusine remix)
2. Florence & The Machine – You Got The Love (XX remix)
3. Paul Kalkbrenner – Sky & Sand
4. CWB feat. Tash Baxter – Into The Twilight
5. Katy B feat. Ms. Dynamite – Lights On
6. French Fries & Chaos In The CBD – With You
7. Joy Orbison – The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow
8. The Count & Sinden – You Make Me Feel So Good
9. Joy Orbison – J. Doe
10. Addison Grove – Footcrab
11. Disclosure – Linstigator
12. Throwing Snow – Un Vingt
13. XI – Light
14. Gold Panda – Snow & Taxis (Throwing Snow remix)
15. Skream feat. Freckles – Give You Everything
16. Todd Edwards – I Might Be (MJ Cole remix)
17. Maddslinky – Special (MJ Cole’s “Back To The Future” remix)
18. Broken Social Scene – All To All (Skeet Skeet remix)
19. Drake – Fireworks (Deadboy Slo Mo House Edit)

Production note: this was recorded in 3 pieces and then cleaned up a little (2 volume edits, tweaking a loop, and smoothing out a recording glitch). The original sounds good, but this is a little shinier.

But anyway. Apparently the really colorfully decorated cabs with the really loud subwoofers are connected to sound systems. “No kidding,” you might say, “That’s how you play music.” No, no, my friend. I mean a sound system, with DJs and whatnot. Oh yes. And they have the craziest music – heavy bass, spacey drums, blaring synths, and amazing zulu hooks. Apparently they organize drag races/raves every once in a while.

While I don’t have the stones to track down a taxibus rave, I do have the stones to try and swap music with the drivers. The plan: make mixtapes, hand them to the driver, and convince them to hand me over their cd. The mix I put together is all heavy bass, some club rhythms, etc. Stuff that is similar to their cds in idea but totally different in execution. In other words, some hectic driving music. And now I present to you…

Ezra Mechaber – Traffic Jams [mp3 download]

Download audio file (ezra%20mechaber%20-%20traffic%20jams.mp3)

Tracklist:

1. The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa [French Fries remix]
2. Major Lazer – Pon De Floor
3. French Fries – Saurus Rhythm
4. Them Jeans – Flying Rats
5. Tonka – Ready For War
6. AC Slater – Jack Got Jacked [Jack Beats remix]
7. Kid Sister – Right Hand Hi [Kingdom remix]
8. Young Punx – Juice And Gin
9. Designer Drugs – Back Up In This [B. Rich remix]
10. Jack Beats – Get Down [VIP edit]
11. Math Head – Turn The Music Up [AC Slater remix]
12. Emalkay – When I Look At You
13. Damien Marley – So It Was Written [Chasing Shadows remix]
14. Basement Jaxx – Feeling’s Gone [Rusko remix]

It’s finally here, ladies and gentlemen. I know I’ve been Wale-in’ you guys for a while with a mixtape some of you thought might never drop (or even exist!). But it’s here. Right here. For download. For those of you who aren’t very computer savvy, you can stream with with the “play” button, or right click the link above it and ‘Save’ it. Crazy, right? Whatever, here’s the tape ‘n’ tracklist.

Ezra Mechaber – Show Me What You Got (Demo 2009) [mp3 download]

Download audio file (ezra%20mechaber%20-%20show%20me%20what%20you%20got.mp3)

1.) Jay Z – Show Me What You Got
2.) Jagged Edge – Where The Party At?
3.) Clipse – When The Last Time
4.) Beck – Hell Yes
5.) BoomKat – The Wreckoning
6.) Notorious BIG – Party & Bullshit (Ratatat remix)
7.) 50 Cent x Naughty by Nature (ezra.mechaber blend)
8.) Naughty by Nature – O.P.P.
9.) Jackson 5 (RIP Mike) – I Want You Back (Roger72 & The Walk remix)
10.) Lady Gaga – Summerboy
11.) Mark Ronson feat. Nate Dogg, Ghostface, etc. – Ooh Wee
12.) Kevin Rudolf feat. Nas – NYC
13.) Lomaticc feat. Kardinal Offishall & Sunny Brown – Tonite
14.) The Roots – The Seed 2.0
15.) ABX – Shawty Got Looks (mashup)
16.) Seidah Garrett – Do You Want It Right Now?
17.) Donnis – Party Works
18.) T-Pain feat. Ludacris – Chopped and Screwed (ezra.mechaber blend)
19.) Miguel Migs feat. LT – So Far
20.) Empire of the Sun – We Are The People (Jimmy2Sox remix)
21.) Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling (Barletta edit)
22.) Agent Stereo – Keep On Groovin’
23.) Master Shortie – Dead End (Chew Fu Ghettohouse re-work)
23.) MSTRKRFT feat. NORE – Bounce (A-trak remix)
24.) The Rolling Stones – Satisfaction (DiscoTech remix)
25.) Katy Perry – Waking Up In Vegas (Calvin Harris remix)
26.) The Streets – Weak Become Heroes

Leave a comment, much appreciated.

The wait is over? Oh hot damn, this 75-minutes of music is absolutely my jam. But more about that in a minute. First, the backstory.

The backstory: Wale’s “Back to the Featre” mixtape (a followup to “100 Miles & Running,” and the critically acclaimed “Mixtape About Nothin’”) was due out for release in April. April 29th, actually. How do I remember? I had an iCal appointment to sit down and listen to it. Sadly, April 29th came and went, and there was nary a tweet about it on the hyperactive WaleDC twitter account. So, like an obedient little fan, I sent him a tweet: “@WaleDC Hey man, any word on that mixtape?” No response.

A week later, word surfaced that a May release date was possible, though he didn’t say much on Twitter. Weeks passed, and more release dates came and went without a mixtape. I was discouraged, worried that this mixtape might never come out (Was he having MC-block? If it did come out, would it disappoint?), when a glimmer of hope surfaced. Wale announced that it would be out by June 13th or bust.

Bust.

It wasn’t out, there was no word last weekend about progress, and I was ready to give up. Some way to treat your fans, right? Early this week there was an announcement on his Twitter, simple and to the point: the mixtape is done, putting the final touches on, out this Friday. On Friday, he missed the deadline for getting it online. Damn, right? But then it came out.

IT CAME OUT. Now, back to the future (now). Or rather, Back to the Feature. Straight to my iPod with my obscenely expensive headphones, and when I drove into Boston it went straight into the car stereo. I could. Not. Turn. It. Off.

Over the next week I’ll run through reviews of some of my favorite tracks, but for expediency’s sake, here’s a few good ones: Pot of Gold, Rhyme N Reason, Um Ricka.

Cop it here: http://www.zshare.net/download/61605401574105cb/

I promised you I’d make a recording of the set, and here it is. It was an absolute blast to play up on that stage, and Eve6′s performance was doubly cool. It may have just been background music for the booze, but I’m okay with that. What’s a party without some decent music? I’m not sure if you heard, but there’s another Saturday coming up. I suggest you throw a party, and then throw this on. That’s that party & bullshit. Run-time of an hour and a half.

Ezra Mechaber – D Day 2009 live set [mp3 download]

Download audio file (ezra%20mechaber%20-%20dday09.mp3)

Tracklist:

Notorious BIG vs. Peter Bjorn & John – Party & Bullshit (Dave Wrangler Mash-up)
Lexicon – Rock to the Rhythm
MGMT – Electric Feel
50 Cent – Hate It Or Love It (acappella)
Nappy Roots – Good Day
Notorious BIG – Juicy
Asher Roth – I Love College (ezra.mechaber’s re-edit)
Oasis – Wonderwall
Young Berg – Sexy Can I
50 Cent & The Game – How We Do
MIA – Paper Planes (DFA remix)
Blue Scholars – Morning of America
Chiddy Bang – On Our Way
Colin Munroe feat. Young Buck – I’m Fine
Blue Scholars – Still Got Love
Born Jamericans – Yardcore
Cam’ron & Kanye West – Down & Out
The Game & Lil Wayne – Red Magic
Colin Munroe feat. Joell Ortiz – Piano Lessons
MGMT – Time To Pretend
Kid Sister – Family Reunion
X & Hell, Shazam – My Fkn Hat
Kevin Rudolf feat. Nas – NYC
Lomaticc & Kardinal Offishall – Tonite
Fatboy Slim – Praise You (mash up vs. Madonna’s 4 minutes)
3rd Eye Blind – Never Let You Go
Alaine – Make Me Weak
Donnis – Party Works
Lady GaGa – Money Honey
Empire of the Sun – We Are The People (Jimmy 2sox remix)
Veronica Maggio – Stevie Tech Nicks
Schmoov x Pitbull – Swirl vs. Culo (ezra.mechaber blend)

edit: Tracklist when I feel like writing it, photos will go up soon. Oh, and the new banner is a picture of myself from ArtAwake, taken by Andrew Slominski.

edit 2: Tracklist is up.

Without further ado…

I’ve wanted to do this post for a while, and I finally have enough mp3s for it. There are tracks, mixtapes, and a DJ set from Z-Trip. This will take you days to digest, and it’s incredible. Please don’t take this as some lame political statement – I’ll be voting for Obama but that’s not why I’m posting these. I’m posting these because there’s some great music in here. And it’s got a theme. I do love themes.

Barack Obama – Yes We Can

Download audio file (yes-we-can.mp3)

This started it all, with Will.I.Am getting everyone together to sing on top of his speech.

House Music United – Yes We Can

Download audio file (yes-we-can_original-mix.mp3)

This song is the shit. The intro is probably a straight 2 minutes, but this is one of the best “come together” house tracks I’ve heard. Novelty? Sure, but how many other house tracks sample a real political speech and make it sound this good?

Nas – Black President

Download audio file (black-president-prod-by-dj-green-lantern.mp3)

Sample Tupac, sample Barack Obama, add a badass drumline and John Legend singing a hook, you wouldn’t even need Nas to make this song a banger. And yet, it gets that much better. The lyrics include the following, some pretty heavy stuff in there.

New-improved JFK on the way
It ain’t the 60′s again
Niqqas ain’t hippies again
We ain’t falling for the same traps
Standing on the balconies
Where they shot the King at
McCain got apologies
Ain’t nobody hearing that
People need honesty

Joell Ortiz – A Letter To Obama (this link will be up eventually, but it’s down now!)

This song is so full of melancholy – the way the beat starts every phrase, the way Joell can’t quite get out the lyrics fast enough like he’s got too much to say. The way it disgusts him how other rappers treat money, and the stories he has. There’s not much about this song I don’t like.

Ludacris – Politics (Obama is Here)

Download audio file (politics-obama-is-here.mp3)

Ah yes, Luda. Slamming Hillary (that b$%^! is irrelevant) and Jesse Jackson (Talking slick and apologizing for what? If you said it then you meant it – how you want it, head or gut?), he bumps Obama and disses McCain (He ”don’t belong in any chair unless he’s paralyzed”). This song hits hard and the lyrics are pretty damn funny. My favorite line though might be this one:

all you other politicians trying to hate on my man,
watch us win majority vote in every state on my man

It’s just so cocky, so proud, and I can’t wait to see it *crosses fingers* happen.

Big Boi feat. Mary J Blige – Somethin’s Gotta Give

Download audio file (sumthings-gotta-give-feat-mary-j-blige.mp3)

I can’t even begin to relate to this song, but I know I love the beat (that slap bass) and I know that Big Boi’s lines are pretty damn good (If you can’t swim in the car pool? Cute) even when Mary J’s lines besides the chorus get on my nerves sometimes.

John Brown – Sarah Palin (I Wanna Lay Pipe)

Download audio file (sarah-palin_i-wanna-lay-pipe.mp3)

Listen, I’m not saying it’s good, but it’s a little funny the first few times. So he’s just a contestant on that VH1 show about white rappers, it’s a good double entendre and I’m a sucker for double entendres. Like you wouldn’t believe.

Mixtapes! Yes, there are whole mixtapes. I haven’t personally listened to either yet, but there are some hot tracks on both of them that I’ve heard.

Can I Kick It? Yes We Can

From Mick Boogie, the title alone is genius.

Yes We Can

From Green Lantern and Russell Simmons. Some really great tracks on here interspersed with vocal snippets from Obama on hip-hop, change, and the election.

Andddddd… a DJ set from DJ Z-Trip! Called “The Party for Change,” it’s an hour long message. There’s some weird shit, and there’s some incredible shit. From a legend like this, it’s definitely worth a listen.

The Link: http://www.djztrip.com/obama/