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Hot Peppers

John Phillips — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:00:04 +0000

As this post goes live, I’ll be vacationing it up in the Caribbean. But I recorded this funky house mix last week, and honestly, I think it’s one of the best ones I’ve made. I might have said that before, but I’ve listened to this thing at least 5 times in the past week. And I’m not done listening to it yet. So check it out, and hopefully you feel the same!

Enjoy!

Chill Mode Mix Vol. 8

John Phillips — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:00:32 +0000

I’m just not realizing that it’s been almost a year since the last Chill Mode Mix was posted here. That’s pretty pathetic, and I can guarantee that it won’t be this long until the next one is recorded. I’m getting pretty comfortable with my new controller though, so these will start smoothing out and sounding better and better.

But here are the tracks…

14k – Marbles
M.E.D. – JWF (Instrumental)
Hazy Rooms – Herbal Essence
Apani – Abracadabra
Mumbles – The Guidelines
M.E.D. Ft. Talib Kweli – Classic
Redman – Yesh Yesh Ya’ll (Instrumental)
GZA – Shadowboxin (Instrumental)
Big Pun – Boomerang (Instrumental)
Cappadonna – Dart Throwing
Pharcyde – Groupie Therapy (Instrumental)
The Notorious B.I.G. – I Got a Story to Tell
A Tribe Called Quest – Like It Like That
Group Home – Supa Star
Nas – One Love
J Dilla – Shouts (Alt) (Instrumental)
Necro – Dead Body Disposal (Instrumental)

Enjoy!

DillaVersary

John Phillips — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:46:08 +0000

The past week has been really sweet. To start it off, I got some new equipment to mix with. I can’t even explain how excited I am to have this. While I’m still adjusting to it, my mixes should be much better. And this is my first hip-hop mix on it. And it arrived just on time, because….

It’s Dilla week! I’ve been listening to his stuff all week, and it was time to mix up my annual all-Dilla beats mix to celebrate his life and work. This was a great one to mix too, and I live broadcasted it as well (more on that later). It’s just over 90 minutes.

Here’s are the tracks, all Dilla production with some interview snippets sprinkled in…..

J Dilla – Make Em NV (Instrumental)
J Dilla – Beat 14
Pharcyde – Drop (Instrumental)
Frank N Dank – Sex On The Beach
Slum Village – Fall In Love Remix (Instrumental)
Slum Village – Selfish (Instrumental)
Common – Heat (Instrumental)
Slum Village – Are You Ready
Common Sense – The Question
Pharcyde – Runnin’ (Instrumental)
Pharcyde – Somethin’ That Means Somethin’ (Instrumental)
Amp Fiddler – Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly
A Tribe Called Quest – Find A Way
J Dilla – Reckless Driving (Instrumental)
Common Sense – Thelonius
J Dilla – U and Ur Smile
Phat Kat – Dont Nobody Care About Us (Instrumental)
Das Efx – Microphone Master (Jay Dee Remix)
The Roots Feat. Elo – Dynamite!
J Dilla – Shouts (Alt)
A Tribe Called Quest – Moms
Phife Dawg – 4 Horsemen
Slum Village – Fantastic (Instrumental)
Slum Village – Players
J Dilla – Dreamy
J Dilla – Doo Doo
J Dilla – The $
De La Soul – Stakes Is High Remix (Instrumental)
De La Soul – Stakes Is High
Que D – Rock Box
Brother Jack McDuff – Oblighetto (Jay Dee Remix)

Enjoy!

Photo credit above by Stones Throw

Guest Mix: Diallo From Detroit – Move if You’re Feeling it

John Phillips — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:05:46 +0000

I’ve finally wrangled in another guest mix, this time featuring my buddy Diallo, who is responsible for letting me play at Sakana Sushi Lounge with him. This is a damn good music, with some good house flavor.

So check it out! And you can listen to more of Diallo’s stuff over on SoundCloud.

Lost in the Craft

John Phillips — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:46:55 +0000

Happy new year to all my PR listeners. Thought I’d get the new year started here with some funky house music. Lots of new tracks that I picked up over the holiday season that I mixed up for your speakers. I think the mix turned out well. I’ve been using Traktor as my software because djay has been annoying me a bit. The levels on some of the tracks are a bit off, so I’m still adjusting to it.

But check it out and enjoy!

Table Manners

John Phillips — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:20:07 +0000

This site was long overdue for a new hip hop mix, and I was well aware of this. So I decided to finally lay down a new mix of chillness for your headphones. It’s a little rough around the edges, but I had to battle through some technical and software issues. But there are some gems that you not haven’t heard here before, and others that you have. Either way, it all sounds good.

Here are the tracks…

Godfather Don – Status
J Dilla – U and Ur Smile
Talib Kweli & Mos Def – Thieves In The Night
The Roots Ft. Greg Porn & Track North – Kool On
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Thuggin’
Godfather Don – She’s Gone
Nujabes – Rainyway Back Home
Anotha Level – What’s That Cha Say
De La Soul – In The Woods
The Fab 5 – Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka (Instrumental)
Slum Village – Untitled/Fantastic (Instrumental)
Gang Starr – Half And Half (Instrumental)
Mobb Deep – Hell On Earth (Instrumental)
Lootpack – Hityawitdat
Group Home – Up Against the Wall
Beatnuts – Find That
Godfather Don – For Ma Pa

Enjoy!

Rustico

John Phillips — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:48:32 +0000

I had been waiting for the release of the next major version of djay for quite some time and finally, a couple weeks ago, it was released. I must say, that it was worth the wait. They’ve added some great features. Aside from some minor lag with my controller, I’m liking it, and of course I had to do some mixing….specifically, of some house music.

So give it a listen if you want some boogie in your life.

Enjoy!

Fall Movement

John Phillips — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:06:18 +0000

We are back in the house (no pun intended) with another upbeat mix. I bought of bunch of new house tracks that I had yet to mix together. So this mix are the collection of tracks that I got, and there are some good ones. The first half of the mix felt rusty while mixing, but when I listened to the recording, it sounded pretty good. Much better than it felt mixing.

So check it out and enjoy!

Tastefully Seasoned

John Phillips — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 23:33:23 +0000

We’re back with some more chill hip hop! I feel that I’ve been neglecting the exact genre of music that I love that made me want to start this site. And I have been trying to find some time to mix up something chill. And this definitely fits that bill! There’s a couple rough cuts and blends, but overall, should be enjoyable to kick back to.

Here is the track listing:

RJD2 – Final Frontier
Prince Paul – MC Hustler (Horror City)
People Under The Stairs – OST (Remix)
Phife Dawg Ft. No Name – 4 Horsemen
Cella Dwellas – Medina Style
Redman – Tonight’s Da Night
Blame One – Paperthin Aka Blame One Intro
The Pharcyde – Bullshit
Clever Jeff – For Real
Atmosphere – In Her Music Box
Atmosphere – Woman With The Tattooed Hands (Instrumental)
Necro – Agent Orange (Instrumental)
Gangstarr – All For The Cash
Nas – N.Y. State Of Mind
Deltron 3030 – Love Story (Instrumental)
Raekwon – Heaven & Hell

Enjoy!

Live at OneDeep’s Birthday Party

John Phillips — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:19:42 +0000

Last weekend OneDeep had a birthday party. He asked if I would play some tunes for a while, and of course I couldn’t decline that. I had just bought a bunch of new house tracks and needed a place to play them anyways.

OneDeep kicked things off with about a one hour set, and I followed with another 2 hours. Then he ended things off with another 30ish minutes. All funky. All house music. I had started to put together a playlist, then thought I’d just do things in true Press Record form, and just play what I feel at the time. And we recorded it all.

I split up the downloads into 4 parts. OneDeep’s are parts 1 & 4, mine are parts 2 & 3:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Enjoy!

Vibe With The Tribe Again

John Phillips — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:43:11 +0000

I had the pleasure of seeing Beats, Rhymes, & Life, the documentary on A Tribe Called Quest. I won’t go into a full on movie review, but lets just say it’s my favorite documentary now, and I want to see it again. It really took me down memory lane, and I can confidently say that I’ve listened to Tribe more than any other artist/group. If it’s playing your area….go see it asap! You won’t regret it.

It almost goes without saying that watching that movie inspired me to want to do another Tribe mix, to follow up from the first one that I did last year. I feel rusty mixing hip hop, but it still turned out pretty decent.

Enjoy and go see that movie!

Summer Session One

John Phillips — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:15:47 +0000

We’re back with another fast paced, upbeat, funky mix for your listening pleasure. I recently converted to another application (Traktor), because it allows me to see waveforms, something that djay hasn’t implemented quite yet.

So I’m still getting adjusted to this new app, but so far it’s working out well. Some of the levels of the tracks might be a bit off, and sometimes the recordings skip around. Working on figuring that out, so sorry for that.

Otherwise, enjoy this one! The last 20 minutes is the best part!

Guest Mix: JFD Mushroom Summer Edition by @die A.

John Phillips — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:35:52 +0000

A couple weeks ago, I was scouring SoundCloud for some new mixes, and came across @die A., from the Netherlands, and his JFD Mushroom Summer Edition mix. I loved it. And if you’ve ever listened to any of Mark Farina’s Mushroom Jazz mixes, then you’ll love this mix too. After listening to it, I decided to reach out to @die A. to see if he would be interested in hooking me up with a guest mix here. Gladly, he gave me the one I had just listened to.

So if you like any of the music you’ve been listening to here, then you will definitely like this guest mix. So check it out! No tracklisting for this one.

Enjoy, and thanks to @die A. for providing this mix.

Wild Wasabi

John Phillips — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:02:53 +0000

This past Friday I was invited back to Sakana for a night of mixing up some house music. This time we were going to do a legitimate live recording of each of the dj’s. But….. we didn’t have an extra cord to hookup my laptop…which sucks, because I feel like it was the best live set I’ve done. It felt very good. And the world will never know….

So like I’ve done in the past, I re-recorded the set that I did at home so that I could share it with you folks. There’s one big user error in the recording, that I forgot to edit out. Lets just say I pressed the wrong button. So just ignore it. Otherwise, I think this is a great set and great tracks.

Enjoy!

Afternoon Snacks

John Phillips — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:30:33 +0000

I figured it was time to return to some hip hop. I got inspired (read: felt guilty) by spending one too many hours on turntable.fm in the past week. I will say, that I felt very rusty mixing hip hop again. It had been at least a month since I’ve mixed some hip hop, because I’ve been on a big house music kick. So there are a couple rough blends, but nothing terrible. I wasn’t going to even post this, but I had to listen to it a few times before convincing myself it was legit. But I like it.

Here’s the tracks…

Pete Rock & CL Smooth – In The House (Instrumental)
Pete Rock Ft. Mc Eiht – One Life To Live
Ghostface Killah – Mighty Healthy
KRS One – Sound of Da Police
Akinyele – Worldwide
K-Def – Take a Drive
Nujabes – Eclipse
Mos Def – Habitat (Instrumental)
Yesterdays New Quintet – Uno Esta
Delphonics/Ghostface Killah – After the Smoke Is Clear
Jay-Z Ft. Mary J. Blige – Cant Knock the Hustle
Busta Rhymes – Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See
Rob Swift – I’m Leaving

Enjoy.

Greenery

John Phillips — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:02:06 +0000

We’re back with a mix of tracks and remixes from one of my favorite house music producers, Wattie Green. When I first started hearing his production, I was hooked. It’s exactly the type of funky/jazzy/swing house music that I like listening to. Any given track from Wattie gets me moving. For the past couple weeks I had been thinking of doing this mix, and seeing him DJ live last week with Mark Farina motivated me even more to get this mix done.

This isn’t exactly a best-of, but just a bunch of tracks of his that I’ve bought over the past few months. So check out the funkiness!

Enjoy!

Funky Sneakers

John Phillips — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:47:02 +0000

The other day I wanted mix a running list of house tracks that I had. Most of it was new songs that I recently bought. So I recorded the mix. Listened to it. And was disappointed. I know the theme of this site is to just press record and mix. I would also like to think that I should be happy with the mix I did. But this time I wasn’t, and it annoyed my life. So this mix here is a redux of the other one that I was unhappy with.

This one is muuuucch better. Very funky.

Also, I created an archives section to go back and check out past mixes I’ve down, without having to use the search bar or page through.

So ch-ch-check it out and enjoy!

Chill Mode Mix Vol. 7

John Phillips — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:16:38 +0000

Here we go with the latest installment of the Chill Mode Mix series. I have to say that this might be my favorite type of mix to do on this site. I don’t like doing them often because I really want to make sure the track selection reflects the title. It took me some time to get into a groove with this mix, so some of the transitions aren’t as crisp as I’d like. But it’s still good.

Here are the tracks…

Natural Resource – Negro League Baseball (Instrumental)
Thes One – Yacht Club (Instrumental)
Declaime – Roll ‘Em Right (Instrumental)
Giano, Michael Knight – Walking The Dog
Funkdoobiest – Rock On (Remix)
Pharcyde – Somethin’ That Means Somethin’ (Instrumental)
Rasco – Sophisticated Mic Pro’s
Pharoahe Monch – Behind Closed Doors (Instrumental)
Swollen Members – Consumption (Instrumental)
Del the Funky Homosapien – Stress the World
J. Rocc – Thru The Tulips
Necro – Violins Of Violence (Instrumental)
High & Mighty – The Meaning
The Fab 5 – Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka (Instrumental)
Dr. Dre – Housewife (Instrumental)
Lord Finesse – No Gimmicks (Instrumental)
Slum Village – Players (Instrumental)

Enjoy!

Inspections

John Phillips — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:47:36 +0000

I was invited for another dj session at Sakana Sushi Lounge, so of course I had to put together another fresh set. We did an actual live recording of the whole session of 3 dj’s, but the recording didn’t turn out too hot. We had a few technical difficulties, had to switch recording apps, and yadda yadda. And it picked up voices. Needless to say, the live recording didn’t turn out too hot, but it’ll be linked up below anyways.

So this mix is the re-recorded set I did at Sakana. It’s my favorite house mix yet. We’re going to perfect the live recordings though, so I can provide the live action sets. I’m also going to get away from the “house” theme in the titles of my house mixes. It was fun for a bit, but I’m sick of it now.

Here’s the link some of the live set w/voices and such. My parts come in at 8:40 and 1:10:00.

Enjoy.

PS – I’ll get back to the hip hop mixes soon, I promise. But house music is extremely fun to mix.

OneDeep – Lab ObsSession

John Phillips — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 05:46:27 +0000

Hot off the press, OneDeep provides another journey into some deep house. I like this mix a lot, and listened to it a few times. Not much else info to add, so just give it a listen.

Enjoy.

One For Nate

John Phillips — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:30:20 +0000

Like anyone else that heard the news, I was very bummed to hear that Nate Dogg had passed away. Whenever I thought of west coast hip hop, or G-funk, he always came to mind. His voice brought so much to the tracks that he was on, even when he wasn’t the main artist on the track. I don’t think there will be anyone else like him….ever. I listened to his classics just about all day.

With that said, it was a no brainer that I should make a mix dedicated to him, to celebrate his work. This mix is little over an hour, and I could have kept going. So many classics!

Nate Dogg – Stone Cold
Nate Dogg Ft. Butch Cassidy & 2pac – Me & My Homies
Fabolous Ft. Nate Dogg – Cant deny it
Nate Dogg Ft. Warren G – Nobody Does It Better
Dr. Dre – Deeez Nutz
Snoop Dogg Ft. Xzibit – Bitch Please
Snoop Dogg Ft. Dr. Dre & Nate Gogg – Lay Low
Westside Connection – Gangsta Nation
Dr. Dre Ft. Snoop Dogg, Akon, & Nate Dogg – Kush
Nate Dogg Ft. Dr. Dre – Your Wife
Obie Trice Ft. Nate Dogg – The Set Up
Warren G Ft. Nate Dogg – Regulate
Nate Dogg Ft. Snoop Dogg – Never Leave Me Alone
Snoop Dogg – Ain’t No Fun
Ludacris Ft. Nate Dogg – Area Codes
Chico & Coolwadda Ft. Nate Dogg – High Come Down
213 – Absolutely
Snoop Dogg Ft. Redman & Nate Dogg – The Way You Shake It
Dr. Dre – Let’s Get High (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

R.I.P. Nate Dogg

House Jacked

John Phillips — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:52:33 +0000

This mix is a doozy. After listening to OneDeep’s debut mix here about 10 times, I wanted to experiment with a few different ways blend tracks. So that experiment came out in this mix. It took a bit to settle into the way I wanted to mix tracks. It’s pretty long, weighing in at a splash under an hour and a half. But it’s good, fun, and energetic.

Enjoy!

Guest Mix: Gettin a Feel by OneDeep

John Phillips — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:49:44 +0000

After a year of putting up mixes and such, I’m glad to say that I have a partner in crime on this site. OneDeep, aka my brother, just got himself some equipment, and I’ve convinced him to start getting me mixes to put up here. So this mix is one of his first, and I’ve listened to it many o’ times. I think it’s damn good for being one of the first mixes he’s made….ever. He’ll mostly be doing house mixes, so it’ll be nice to mix in other stuff with the [mostly] hip hop stuff I’ve been doing.

Enjoy!

Cruisin’

John Phillips — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:35:13 +0000

I can’t believe it’s been year since launching this site. I wanted to do a post on the exact date, but I had a lot going on getting ready to go on a cruise….. which was extremely relaxing, chill, and much needed. Which also brings me to the name of this mix. These are a bunch of tracks that are very chill, and laid back. Good background tunes while relaxing, driving, or whatever.

Here’s the tracklisting…

Funky DL – It’s About Time
Homeliss Derilex – Fraudulent
D.I.T.C. – Day One
GZA – Duel Of The Iron Mic (Instrumental)
Cloudkickers – And So Kiddies (Instrumental)
Natural Resource – They Lied
Dilated Peoples – The Platform
Madlib – Episode VIII
Planet Asia – Boiler Makers
Funky DL – Underground Hip-Hop
Homeliss Derelix – Operations
Lord Finesse – Taking It Lyte (Instrumental)
Defari – Never Lose Touch
Cypress Hill – Hits From The Bong
People Under The Stairs – Sunroof (Instrumental)

Enjoy!

Candles for Dilla

John Phillips — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 15:10:20 +0000

Yesterday, February 7th, marked the birthday of the late Dilla. So not only did I listen to his music all day to celebrate, I thought it would be a good idea to mix up some Dilla tunes as well. Of course, since you’re reading this…. it was recorded.

I could have mixed his music for hours. His discography is ridiculously amazing, and large. This is, in no way, my version of a “best of Dilla” mix though. They’re just tracks that I felt like listening to at the time….all produced by Dilla.

Anywho, I’ll post the tracklisting later. But for now….

Enjoy.

UPDATE: It just occurred to me that some listeners may be interested in hearing that full interview that I grabbed the snippet from at the beginning of this mix. It’s a great interview that’s just over 40 minutes. So I’ve posted it here to listen to, or you can download it here.

House Broken

John Phillips — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 17:35:16 +0000

I had the pleasure of being in invited to DJ at Sakana Sushi Lounge along with DJ Diallo. I had a blast, and it was fun to get out and DJ in the wild again. It was also my first time DJ’ing a house set outside of the confines of my own house. I think did fairly decent considering I had a good 10 minutes to learn to use Serato and CJD’s before jumping on.

So unfortunately, I didn’t have my own equipment there to record my set….however, I did record a practice session of my set, which is what you’re about to listen to. Here are the tracks:

The Pointer Sisters – Send Him-Back (Pilooski Edit)
Cajmere & Gene Farris – Red Line
Mario Dubbz – Always There
DJ Rhythm – Brazilian Soul (The Jazzy Joint Mix)
Corduroy Mavericks – Lets Get Down
Jon Allegro – Inspector Haddock
Iz & Diz – Operator
Funk Mediterraneo – Mediterranean Jazz (J.Caprice & John Thomas Remix)
Joss Moog – Room 27
Gramophonedzie – Why Don’t You (Original Mix)
South of Roosevelt – Take The Bomb
Brett Johnson – Stopmakingsense
White Lotus Society – Space Cadillac (Derrick Carter Dub)
Gene Farris – Here I Am Baby (Mark Farina Mix)
Arco – First Time
Johnny Corporate – Sunday Shoutin’ (B Boys Shouting Dub)

Enjoy. And more guest mixes coming soon!

Guest Mix: Rocktronic by Lune Noir

John Phillips — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:03:37 +0000

One of my long(er) term plans for this site was to eventually have guest DJ’s submit mixes, and diversify the sound a little bit. I’m glad to say that I’ve finally got our first guest. I’d like to welcome DJ Meph (@djmeph), half of Lune Noir, to the mix (no pun intended). I first met him the night I DJ’d at the Magic Stick, a few months back. This mix is called Rocktronic, and it’s definitely legit. I enjoyed the few times I listened to it. You can also download over at the Lune Noir website.

Here’s the tracks:

Lune Noir – Rocktronic Intro Bashup
Wolfgang Gartner – Front To Back
Gramophonedzie – Why Dont You
Yelle – Ce Jeu (The Twelves Mix)
En Masse – Backbone
Santiago and Bushido – Head Trick
4Kuba – Rock Your Floor
Kill The Noise – Hey You (Le Castle Vania Remix)
Krafty Kuts, A Skillz – Happiness
MGMT – Electric Feel (True Pseudo Remix)
Daft Punk – Around The World (Kid Dub Remix)
Far Too Loud – All Is Machine
Hadouken – Crank It Up (Noisia Remix)

Enjoy!

Chaos Therapy

John Phillips — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:53:07 +0000

This was a good week for me with music, in both hearing new stuff, and rediscovering old music that I hadn’t heard in a while. So I had a few tracks in my head that I felt like putting together. This mix starts off a little different than others, with some spoken word. It’s very chill. The whole mix is a little shorter than normal too.

Here’s the tracks:

Malik Yusef – My City
The Hue Ft. Kissey Asplund – Stressin’
The Fab 5 – Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka
Declaime – Let It Be Known
Roots – Push up ya Lighter
The Beatnuts – Thinkin’ Bout Cash (Instrumental)
L.M.D. – Real Talk
Chubb Rock – What a Year
Common – Reminding Me (Of Sef)
Madlib – Love/Hate (Instrumental)

Enjoy!

Flakes

John Phillips — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:19:47 +0000

Happy new year PR listeners! I’ve finally gotten around to getting another mix done. The holiday season jammed things up, and didn’t offer as much free time as I thought I’d have. I actually did record one, but had some technical difficulties, so I chose not to post it. So here we go with the first mix of 2011, and I dig it. Here’s your tracklisting:

Method Man & Redman – How High (LP Version)
Ol Dirty Bastard – Brooklyn Zoo (Instrumental)
Ol Dirty Bastard – Brooklyn Zoo [Lord Digga Remix]
Ali Vegas – The Specialist
Jaylib – The Red
Pharcyde – Groupie Therapy (Instrumental)
Thes One – Target
Jazz Spastiks Ft. Junclassic – Hot Shit!
A Tribe Called Quest – What Really Goes On
A Tribe Called Quest – God Lives Through
No I.D. – Super Nova
Jazz Spastiks – Amber Leaf
Gang Starr – Code of the Streets
Masterminds – Liberty (Instrumental)
Mos Def – Mathematics
Capone-N-Noreaga – Bang, Bang (Instrumental)
Digable Planets – Graffiti
Giano & Michael Knight – Walking The Dog
J Dilla – U and Ur Smile
The Pharcyde – Runnin’

Chill Mode Mix Vol. 6

John Phillips — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 03:08:22 +0000

I thought it was time for another installment of the Chill Mode Mix series. I actually didn’t think about this being apart of the series until I was about halfway through. I probably should have started it off with more instrumentals, like the previous ones…. but there are plenty of instrumentals in here to, you know, chill to. Here’s the tracks:

Jazz Spastiks – Yes, Yes Feat. Rebels to the Grain
Dug Infinite – Exceptance
MC Eiht – Late Nite Hype Part 2
Lootpack – On Point
Black Star – Twice Inna Lifetime (Instrumental)
No I.D. – I Used To Love H.E.R. (Remix)
Jazz Spastiks Ft. C-dash – Dashtastik
MF Doom – Licorice
Atmosphere – Free Or Dead (Instrumental)
Busta Rhymes – Break Ya Neck (Instrumental)
Jay-Z – People Are Talking (Instrumental)
Dr. Dre – Bitch Niggaz (Instrumental)
J Dilla – Alien Family (Instrumental)
Shyheim Ft. Squig- Shoalin Style
Quasimoto – Microphone Mathematics
Non Phixion – Black Helicopters (Instrumental)
Showbiz & A.G. – You Know Now [Remix]
Aaliyah – If Your Girl Only Knew (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – The Breakdown

Enjoy!

P.S. I have two tracks in this mix from Jazz Spastiks. One of the best groups I’ve heard in a while, and you should check out their album 12 Bit Spit. You will definitely be hearing more of their tracks in my mixes to come. They’re that good.

House Guests

John Phillips — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:27:29 +0000

I recorded two mixes this week. One was just ok that I’m not sure I’m going to post, and the other is this one. I’m sure by now, based on past mix names, you can guess that this is another house mix. I’m getting better at mixing these. And the more houses mixes I make, the more I like mixing house.

No tracklisting for this one. Enjoy!

Clean House

John Phillips — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 02:25:11 +0000

I was not expecting to record another mix this week, but sometimes I hear certain songs that make me want to put them in a mix. Next thing you know I’m writing a description of the mix that I just recorded. I’m still learning better ways to mix house music, in addition to learning more about the music itself. So some of the songs in this mix have been in previous mixes, but I think most of them haven’t been. I love the first half of the mix.

No tracklisting for this one, but enjoy.

Dusk Session Volume 3

John Phillips — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:46:05 +0000

We’re back with volume 3 of the Dusk Session series. It has a different vibe than the previous two. It wasn’t a smooth as I wanted it to be, but whatever. I still like it. Here’s the tracklisting.

Pete Rock Ft. Krumbsnatcha – Beef
Shin-Ski – ShinSight Trio / Heart
Jigmastas – Matrimony
Frank-N-Dank – Sex On The Beach
Dr. Dre Ft. Snoop – Just Dippin’
Mos Def – Do It Now
Method Man And Redman – I Know Sumptn
Q-Tip – Let’s Ride
2Pac – All Eyez On Me
Noreaga – Oh No (Instrumental)
Snoop Dogg – Ride On (Caught Up)! (Instrumental)
Planet Asia – Holdin’ The Crown
Tha Alkaholiks – Daaam! [Remix]
Mobb Deep – Drink Away the Pain (Situations)

Enjoy.

Toe Jam

John Phillips — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:54:07 +0000

I wanted to change the mood up from the last mix I did, and go in the opposite direction. I wanted this one to be more upbeat. It needed more energy. And that’s exactly what it has. I pretty much danced the whole time I was recording this. I think it was the most fun I had recording a mix. I even giggled out loud when I thought of the name to this mix.

Here’s the tracklisting…

Outkast – Da Art Of Storytelling Pt. 1 (Instrumental)
Outkast – Rosa Parks (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – Trippin At The Disco
Pete Rock & CL Smooth – They Reminisce Over You
Souls of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinity
House Of Pain – Jump Around (Pete Rock Remx)
Coolio – Rollin’ With My Homies
Starving Artist Crew – The Kick Clap
Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance (Instrumental)
Busta Rhymes – Touch It (Instrumental)
Jay-Z – Change Clothes
The Black Eyed Peas – My Style (DJ Premier Remix)
Alkaholiks – Best You Can
Mobb Deep – Got It Twisted
Biggie Smalls – Party And Bullshit
Onyx – Shout
A Tribe Called Quest – Luck Of Lucien

Enjoy!

Shades

John Phillips — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:46:58 +0000

Back again with a new mix. This one is a bit grittier/darker than usual, but it’s just what I felt like listening to this evening. So the title reflects that. Not much else to say, but here’s the tracklisting.

Jurassic 5 – What’s Golden
Jaylib – Survival Test
Madlib – Money
A Tribe Called Quest – Oh My God
Snoop Dogg – The One & Only (Instrumental)
Alchemist – The Grimey Way (Instrumental)
Freddie Foxxx – R.N.S.
Mobb Deep – Survival Of The Fittest
Group Home – Livin’ Proof
Raekwon – Guillotine (Instrumental)
Leaders Of The New School – What’s Next
Nas – One Love
Lord Finesse – Set It Off Troop
Gang Starr – Code of the Streets
Cypress Hill – Cock The Hammer
Ill Bill – The Anatomy of a School Shooting
Jay-Z Ft Dr. Dre, Rakim – The Watcher 2
Jaylib – Nowadayz (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

Autumnal

John Phillips — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:07:32 +0000

While I was recording this mix, for some reason, it gave me the vibe of fall. Hence the name of this mix. It took me forever to get this thing recorded. The first time I mixed up all these tracks, I loved it before I even listened back through it. Then when I went to listen, I noticed the djay software had crapped out and only recorded 10 minutes. So I gave up for the night, but luckily saved out the history.

So I finally go through it all, and I think it turned out decent. Not great, but it’s still a good listen. Here’s the tracklisting….

J Dilla – Crushin’ (Yeeeeaah!)
Atmosphere – Between The Lines (Instrumental)
SWV – Can We (Instrumental)
Notorious BIG – The What (Instrumental)
A Tribe Called Quest – Sucka Nigga
Domino – Getto Jam
InI – Grown Man Sport (Instrumental)
Jay-Z – Dead Presidents II
Black Star – Brown Skin Lady (Instrumental)
Group Home – Tha Realness
Mobb Deep Ft. Kool G Rap – The Realest
Gang Starr – All For The Cash
Madvillain – All Caps
Organized Konfusion – Why
KRS-ONE – A Friend
Mobb Deep – Thug Muzik (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

Around the House

John Phillips — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:30:39 +0000

I’ve been on a bit of a house kick lately, in terms of what’s in my headphones. I try to jot down as many house tracks as I can, when I come across ones that really move me. Since I mostly only listen to live mixes, I have to break out Shazam to help me find songs to go searching for. So I figured it was a good time to take another crack at a house mix to post.

Most of the transitions are pretty decent, with one shaky one towards the end. But overall, I like this one much better than the first one I did.

No tracklisting for this one.

Enjoy.

Live at Magic Stick

John Phillips — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:20:33 +0000

I had the pleasure of being invited to DJ for a little bit at the highly successful, Chevy sponsored Epictweetup at the Magic Stick in Detroit. So I was pumped to put together a set to play in the background while guests arrived. I wanted it to be a pretty chill mix, but entertaining at the same time.

Picture taken by Wattyz.

I’m listening through the mix now, and I’m thinking it sounds pretty damn good, considering I haven’t done a live gig since 2004. It was kinda tough to hear how the tracks were mixing while there, but listening to it now, it turned out really good. I think my favorite part was Award Tour mixing in from Super Nova. Unfortunately I didn’t realize to start recording til I was already through the Dilla beats…. oh well. Ok enough talking, here’s the tracklist.

De La Soul – Supa Emcees
Wick Wack – Mellow Soul Fruit
Athletic Mic League – Trouble
Sound Providers – Autumn’s Evening Breeze
People Under the Stairs – The Cat
People Under the Stairs – Schooled in the Trade
A Tribe Called Quest – The Chase, Part II
Digable Planets – Jettin
De La Soul – Breakadawn
No I.D.- Super Nova
A Tribe Called Quest – Award Tour
A Tribe Called Quest – Jam
Q-tip – All In
Pharcyde – Drop
Digable Planets – Where I’m From (Aural G. Ride 12′)
Shin-Ski – Funky DL / Not The 1 4 Me
Ini – To Each His Own (Instrumental)
Delton 3030 – Time Keeps On Slipping (Instrumental)
M.E.D. Ft. Noelle – Nightlife
Slum Village – Get Dis Money (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

Quick Hitter Two

John Phillips — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:00:07 +0000

I got the itch just to mix up a couple tracks, in preparation for a set I’m doing this weekend at the Magic Stick for the Epic Tweetup. So I wanted to record a quick one, very similar to the first. There are a couple rough cuts at the beginning, but smooths out eventually. This mix is shorter than normal. So, here’s the track listing for you….

Digable Planets – Where I’m From (Aural G. Ride 12′)
Flipmode Sqaud – Last Night
Beatnuts – Fried Chicken
The Pharcyde – Rush
Clever Jeff – Catch Rek
M.E.D. feat. Noelle – Nightlife
InI – To Each His Own (Instrumental)
Gang Starr – DWYCK
J Dilla – The $ (Instrumental)
J Dilla – The $
De La Soul – Copa (Cabanga) (Instrumental)
Big L – No Endz, No Skinz (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

PUTSing Around

John Phillips — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:00:50 +0000

I never get sick of listening to People Under the Stairs (or PUTS). The duo (Double K and Thes One) is one of the most consistent groups I’ve ever heard, when it comes to quality of their album releases. Great lyrics, and even better production. So making an all PUTS mix had been on my agenda since I first started this site, and I wish I would have done it sooner. I did record one a few months back, and even though I don’t practice these, it sounded far too rushed, so I trashed it.

This one, though, is much better. In fact, I’m going to already say that this is one of the best mixes on this site, along side some of the other favorites.

People Under The Stairs – Rhymin with the Bonez (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – The Trip (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs - The Cat (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – The Cat
People Under The Stairs – O.S.T. (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – L.A. Song
People Under The Stairs – Tour Guide
People Under The Stairs – Earth Travelers
People Under The Stairs – Road Beaters
People Under The Stairs – Back on the Block (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – Afternoon Connection
People Under The Stairs – We’ll Be There (10 Seconds Remix)
People Under The Stairs – Acid Raindrops
People Under The Stairs – LA9X
People Under The Stairs – Knuckle Sandwich
People Under The Stairs – The Tamburo 5
People Under The Stairs – Yield
People Under The Stairs – Plunken Em
People Under The Stairs – Schooled In The Trade

Enjoy.

Down Time

John Phillips — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:08:34 +0000

Finally I’ve gotten around to posting another mix. This summer has been the busiest I’ve had in a long time between work, freelance, down time, and wanting to be outside enjoying the weather (and not in front of a computer). But I somehow found a few minutes to squeeze in a mix. And I remembered the tracklisting this time…

A Tribe Called Quest – Check The Rhyme (Instrumental)
Souls Of Mischief – 93 Til Infinity [Remix] (Instrumental)
Mos Def – Habitat (Instrumental)
DJ Jazzy Jeff – We Live In Philly (Instrumental)
Gang Starr – Step In The Arena
Little Brother – Ain’t Nobody Like Me (Instrumental)
Ghostface Killah – After the Smoke Is Clear
Pharcyde – Drop (Instrumental)
Jaylib – Pillz (Instrumental)
Grand Puba – I Like It
Shin-Ski of Martiangang – Funky DL / Not The 1 4 Me (Shin-Ski Remix)
Common – Dooinit (Instrumental)
Pete Rock – No Tears (Instrumental)
Common – Dooinit (Instrumental)
Mobb Deep – Give Up The Goods (Just Step)
Mobb Deep – The Learning (Instrumental)
Big L – 8 Iz Enuff (Instrumental)
Slum Village – Get Dis Money (Instrumental)
Beatnuts – Ya Don’t Stop
Common – Communism (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

The Evening Commute

John Phillips — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:47:26 +0000

One month goes by fast when you’re not recording mixes. So this is sort of a part two to the original Commute mix I did a few months back. This one weighs in at just over an hour, and pretty chill, just like it’s originator.

Unfortunately, I accidentally quit out of djay before saving out the tracklist, and don’t feel like typing out the whole track listing. So, no tracklisting for this one. If there’s a song you want to know, just ask in the comments.

Enjoy.

DOOMed

John Phillips — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:26:39 +0000

While doing the live broadcast last week, I just happened to slide into a few MF DOOM tracks, and didn’t want to stop. So this mix is all DOOM. His style is so chill, and he’s also a great producer. So all of these tracks are either produced by him, or have him rapping over outside production.

Here’s the tracklisting:

MF DOOM – Vompitspit
MF DOOM – Elder Blossoms
MF DOOM – Valerian Root
MF DOOM – Emblica Officinalis
MF DOOM – Podina
MF DOOM – MF DOOM – Chrysanthemum Flowers
MF DOOM – MF DOOM – Buckeyes
MF DOOM – Chrysanthemum Flowers
MF DOOM – Perfect Hair
MF DOOM – Safed Musli
MF DOOM – MF DOOM – Safed Musli
MF DOOM – Four Thieves Vinegar
MF DOOM – Lemon Grass
MF DOOM – DOOMsday
Viktor Vaughn – Ode to Road Rage
Viktor Vaughn – Pop Quiz (Bonus Extra Credit Remix)
J Dilla And DOOM – Sniper Elite
MF DOOM Ft. Sean Price – The Unexpected
DOOM – Gazzillion ear
MF DOOM feat. Danger Mouse – Space Hos
MF DOOM Ft. Cee-Lo – Benzi Box
Madvillain – Accordian
Madvillain – All Caps
MF DOOM – MF DOOM – Licorice

Sidenote: Can’t wait for the next Madvillain album.

Enjoy.

Dusk Session Volume 2

John Phillips — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 13:00:36 +0000

Here is Volume 2 of the Dusk Session series, which I think sounds pretty good. This is the second mix that I’ve live broadcasted and recorded the first hour of. I think that will be the format for my live broadcasts, though. Recording the first hour of the broadcast, and just taking requests for the second hour.

But this mix is good. Lot of songs in here that remind me of college. Here’s the tracklisting…

Pharcyde – Pharcyde (Instrumental)
Pharcyde – Somethin’ That Means Somethin’ (Instrumental)
7L & Esoteric – Protocol
7L & Esoteric Ft. Mr Lif – Opertaing Correctly
Blackalicious – Changes
Rob Swift – I’m Leaving
AZ – Ho Happy Jackie
Consequence – Q.U.E Another E.N.S
Capital D – Redemption
Defari – Killing Spree
Del The Funky Homosapien – You’re In Shambles
OC & Freddie Foxx – M.U.G.
Funkdoobiest – Buck Fifty To Your Face
Typical Cats – Thin Red Line
Redman – Tonites Da Nite (Remix)
People Under The Stairs – Time To Rock Our Shit
Nightmares On Wax – Nights Interlude

Enjoy.

Chill Mode Mix: Necro Edition

John Phillips — Wed, 26 May 2010 12:18:36 +0000

I know we’re hot off the heals of a Chill Mode Mix already, but I feel this needs to be posted. I’ve listened to it a bunch over the past few days, and no longer want to keep it to myself.

So, one of the ideas I had for this CMM series was producer editions. In other words, having the whole mix of all tracks from one producer. In this case, it’s Necro. His lyrics can be a lot to stomach. He invented death-rap, if that says anything. But if you’re like me, you listen to Necro because he’s an amazing producer. One of my favorites in fact. So you should definitely give this if you value great production. It’s all instrumentals (only one song with lyrics), and fits the CMM series well.

I will soon be having a weekly live broadcast where I mix some tunes, and possibly record to post here. I’ve been playing around with it the last few days, and have gotten a good response. So I will announce what day of the week that is going to be shortly, but feel free to tell me what days work for you.

Enjoy. No tracklisting for this one.

Chill Mode Mix Vol. 5

John Phillips — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:10:23 +0000

This is the latest installment of the Chill Mode Mix series, which, from most of the comments I’ve heard about this site, seems to be the favorite. I have to say, that it’s fun making them too, and upon listening to this one more, I got a few ideas for how to mix up the series.

There are a couple not-so-smooth transitions. I really need to be more patient with some of these mixes, but sometimes I just get a little too pumped to bring in the next track. Anyways, here’s the tracklisting…

Madlib – Episode XI
K-DEF – Hey Funkbox
Atmosphere – Apple (Instrumental)
Mobb Deep – G.O.D. Pt. 3 (Instrumental)
Necro Ft. Ill Bill – Our Life (Instrumental)
J-Zone – Kizzy’s Revenge (Instrumental)
Quasimoto – Low Class Conspiracy (Instrumental)
Asheru & Blue Black – Smiley (Instrumental)
Group Home – Up Against Tha Wall (Instrumental)
A Tribe Called Quest – God Lives Through
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien – Phony Phranchise (Domino Remix Instrumental)
Hieroglyphics – The Who (Del Mix Instrumental)
Kardinal Offishall – Ol’ Time Kilin (Instrumental)
Method Man & Redman – Let’s Do It (Instrumental)
Mos Def – Body Rock (Instrumental)
Nas – One Love (Instrumental)
Pep Love – The Grind (Instrumental)
Royce Da 5 9 – Boom (Instrumental)
RZA & GZA – Third World (Instrumental)
Wu-Tang Clan – Can It All Be So Simple (Instrumental)

Enjoy.

Beats by Madlib

John Phillips — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:00:56 +0000

To say that I listen to Madlib (and Madlib produced tracks) would be a huge understatement. He’s yet another producer in my top 5, if not top 3. I try to get everything that he has his hands in, which is a pretty big list. I thought it would be a good idea to make an all Madlib-produced mix. By no means is this a “Best of” type of mix. It’s just random tracks produced by him, both old and new.

I think my favorite part of this mix is about 11:20 in (Blunt Break). I think that interlude is just amazing. Here’s the tracklisting…

Madlib – Real Days
Lootpack – Hityawitdat
Madvillain – 3.214
Diverse – Ain’t Right
Madlib – Blunt Break
Madlib – Distant Land
Madlib Ft. Frezna- Yo Yo Affair Pt. 1 & 2
Madlib – Track 17
Lootpack – On Point
Quasimoto & Declaime – Don’t Trip
Lootpack – On Point
Guilty Simpson & Madlib – Hood Sentence
Madlib – Mind Touch
Madlib – Collie and Beer
Madlib – Pikes Strike
Madlib – Chops and Thangs
Madlib – Lost Lust
Strong Arm Steady ft. Planet Asia – Chittlins & Pepsi
Quasimoto – Microphone Mathematics
Lootpack ft. God’s Gift – Antidote To Da Antidope
Madlib – Rapper X Radio
Madlib – Episode XI
Lootpack – Miss Deja Vu
Madlib – Montara

Enjoy

7th Day Disco

John Phillips — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:18:26 +0000

Annnnd we’re back. Seems like it’s been forever since I’ve made a mix. Busy busy times. Even though my move didn’t happen quite yet, I had to hook back up the speakers and show this site some attention. This mix is of the funky disco variety.

KC & The Sunshine Band – Get Down Tonight
Young & Company – I Like What You’re Doin’ To Me
Indeep – Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life
Andrea True Connection – More, More, More (Pt. 1)
Heatwave – Boogie Nights
Cheryl Lynn – Got To Be Real
KC & The Sunshine Band – (Shake, Shake, Shake)
Chic – Le Freak
G.Q. – Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)
Donna Summer – Bad Girls
Narada Michael Walden – I Shoulda Loved Ya

Enjoy, and hopefully it won’t be another 3 weeks before I post another mix.

Morning Coffee Funk

John Phillips — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:06:46 +0000

This mix is flat out funky. I was just listening to some tunes this morning thought it would be nice to do another non hip hop mix. There are a couple hip hop jams sprinkled in, but they’re still funky, and mesh well with the vibe of this mix. Here’s the roster…

The Funky Lowlives – Latazz
Roy Ayers – Running Away
Brothers 7 – Evil Ways
Herman Hitson – Ain’t No Other Way
Clifford Nyren – Keep Running Away (Egon’s Edit)
Divine Styler – Ain’t Sayin Nothin (Instrumental)
Ugly Duckling – Bang For Your Buck (Instrumental)
Thes One – Uhh! [New Mix]
M-BAND – Egg Roll
James Brown – Get on the Good Foot, Part 1
Quantic Ft. Alice Russell – Sound Of Everything
Stetsasonic – Talkin’ All That Jazz (Dominoes Instrumental)
Ugly Duckling – Yudee! (Instrumental)
Blackbyrds – Rock Creek Park
Jurassic 5 – Swing Set (Instrumental)
People Under The Stairs – Trippin At The Disco
Sandi & Matues – The World
Gene Anderson – The Loneliest One
The Prepositions – Something Different

Enjoy the funk.

The Commute

John Phillips — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 16:08:22 +0000

I was talking with a buddy of mine, who’s a subscriber to the PR site, and he suggested making a mix that’s good on a morning (or evening) commute. So I mixed through a few tracks that I thought I’d want to hear on a commute. Here’s the tracklisting:

No I.D. – Super Nova
Invincible – No Easy Answers
Nas – Halftime
A Tribe Called Quest – What Really Goes On
Jay-Z – Can’t Knock The Hustle
Beatnuts – Get Funky
Illa J – DFTF (Instrumental)
Illa J ft. Affion Crockett – DFTF
Jeru Tha Damaja – Crooklyn Dodgers (Instrumental)
Jeru The Damaja, Chubb Rock, and O.C. – Crooklyn Dodgers
Funkdoobiest – Lost in thought
Blackalicious – Swan Lake
Quantic Ft. Alice Russell – So Long
MED & Poke – The Ox (805)
Madlib – Dill Withers Theme

Let me know if you have any requests for mixes. I’m always looking for new ideas and such. Enjoy.