Saturday, May 19, 2012

Low End Calisthenics


I'm not one for purity.  I think "selling out" is a term naive kids with twitter accounts and curfews throw around (talk to me when you can pay your rent turning knobs and mixing beats.  I know I can't).  I think lectures from music snobs and online flamewars about what constitutes "real" [fill in the musical genre here] and "commercial" [fill in the musical genre here] are short-sighted and boring.  And I don't understand some peoples' insistence on stylistic purity when it comes to mixtapes.  Maybe it's my history of wandering from room to room at mid-90s raves checking all the different sounds and styles bubbling up from the main room, side rooms, lounges, and alt stages, or maybe it's just my technologically-enabled attention deficit disorder when it comes to consuming media, but I think sacrificing variety for pedigree or purity/conformity is dull.  Who wants to keep cranking out mix after mix of the same narrow subgenres of the same micro/hybrid styles?  It's one of the things I love about La MoDa Mixtapes:  the variety from one mix to the next, both between Mosart212 and I, and even set to set from each of us.  Variety is the spice of life, right?

The mix below starts with some funky, shuffling grooves but transitions into some serious peak-time bangers.  I programmed a vocal-heavy selection on this one, trying (and, I hope, succeeding) to keep the energy level high and sprinkling a bit of pop sensibility throughout this mix (again, variety being the spice of life, I don't consider "pop" to be a dirty word, if done right and in moderation).

If you like what you hear, please click the link on the right and sign up for the La MoDa Mixtapes podcast feedburner.  And please stay tuned, lots more bass music heading your way!...


1.  Mr. Sam Frank - Simple Life (Roska Remix Ltd.)
2.  Graphics - MacGrackleton
3.  Tentsnake - Coma Cat (Stanton Warriors Re Bump)
4.  Slyde - Escapism
5.  Stanton Warriors - Who Are the Warriors (Digital Sounds Remix)
6.  Kanye vs Incredible Bongo Band - Apache Power (Slyde ReRub)
7.  DJ Louder - Missin Missy
8.  Rihanna - Where Have You Been (Rebel Sketchy Rihedit)
9.  Hostage - I Get High (Mooqee B-Breaks ReRub)
10. Stanton Warriors - Tr0n Punk (Stanton Warriors 2011 Tour ReBounce)
11. Slyde - Lucky Disco Pants (Slyde Breaks Mix)
12. The Freakazoids - Freak and Hustle (2012 Remix)
13. Gorgon City - The Truth ft. Janai
14. Peo De Pitte - Grey Tape
15. Mord Fustang, Thomas Bangalter & Elite Force - Lick the Scratch (RVMPD)
16. Roman d'Amour - Make Love Tonight (Peo De Pitte Remix)
17. Roni Size Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag (Lee Mortimer Bootleg)
18. Santigold - Disparate Youth (Gorgon City Remix)


Direct link to MP3

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Always


Really stoked about this mix, I've been really rinsing these "nu jungle" sounds recently.  Sub Slayers records has absolutely been KILLING it lately, and there's plenty of the latest offerings from Jay Cunning's outfit on this mix.  There's also a lot of Deekline and Ed Solo in this mix, spanning from the very recent to the pseudo-classics (the "Outta Space" booty is timeless!).  The last song here, the "Always VIP" remix, is sublime.  It rips the vocals from one of my favorite ILS tracks of all time and injects it with some serious jungle sensibilities.

Remember, follow the links on the right to sign up for La MoDa Mixtapes' podcasts.  If you had, you'd already be listening to this new mix.....  


1.  Zed Bias ft. Juiceman & Simba - Ring the Alarm (Jigga Up) VIP
2.  Yoof - Prophecy
3.  GOLD - 45 War
4.  Yoof - Gangster4life
5.  DJ Deekline pres. Cut & Run - Outta Space (Booty Space Extended Mix)
6.  Tayo - Wildlife Dub
7.  Journeyman & Barrcode - Positive Vibes (Kieran M Remix)
8.  Phuture Assassin - Ganja Madness (Backdraft Remix)
9.  Cut La Roc - Freeze (Ben & Lex Remix)
10. Sanxion - Vampyros Lesbos
11. Dan Sena - Song of Siren (RackNRuin Remix)
12. Karton - Chase it High (Left/Right Remix)
13. Sanxion - Tear it Up
14. DJ Quest & Sonz of Mecha - I Got Style
15. Slyde - Hold Tight
16. Eddie Voyager - Sunshine
17. Defkline & Red Polo - Take it Back (Phatman & Robin Mix)
18. Daft Punk - Aerodynamic (Specimen A & James D'ley Refix)
19. Ed Solo & Skool of Thought - Always There 
20. Ed Solo & Deekline - Always RIP (Eddie K & Minus Remix)(Deekline & Ed Solo VIP Mix)





Monday, February 20, 2012

mosart's got an album


mosart212 (me) has released an album. its pretty incredible. the feedback on the album has been surreal - in the last week i have spoken/chatted/emailed with some of my musical heros and people who have inspired me - mosart212 chatting with Mike Gao....?! yupp.

The album has been in the works for a couple of years. i had a lot of people basically saying the same thing to me - "dont be a fucking dumbass... get your stuff together and put out an album. its gonna be good." and so i did and it is !

a lot of other people were kinda freaking out about me giving it away for free, but i felt that was the way it had to be for my (re)introduction to the world. i dont feel right charging people for the album, i didnt feel like "grinding" and selling the shit out the trunk uh my car. no disrespect to those who go after it in that way, but thats an avenue i jut didnt wanna tread down, at least not this early in the game. blah, blah, artistic integrity, blah, blah, blah, from my heart, blah, blah, blah enjoy it.

for now you can download the album for free, or give a donation, here
as of this writing there have been close to 800 plays on the tracks in just one week. feel free to pass the album on, blog it, repost it, share it, steal it, give it away. let it be free.

peace
mosart212

HERE IS A TRACK FROM THE ALBUM


DOWNLOAD ALBUM HERE:

Saturday, February 11, 2012

WHTHFCK



We here at La MoDa will be picking up our posting schedule in 2012, providing more of the same great dj mixes you've come to expect from Mantisounds and Mosart212.  First up from Mantisounds for 2012 is a 20 track mix of deep dubby bubbly dubstep and future garage from me.  Starts low and stays low, I hope you enjoy!



1.  Modeselektor ft. Paul St. Hillaire - Let Your Love Grow
2.  Radikal Guru - Wisdom Dub
3.  J:Kenzo and Rod Azlan - Ruffhouse
4.  Truth - Perfect Combination
5.  An-ten-nae - What the Fuk
6.  Phaeleh - Soulfunk
7.  Freestylers - Say Yes (Jinx In Dub Remix)
8.  Phaeleh - Broken
9.  Silkie - New York City
10. J:Kenzo - Therapy
11. Woz - Junky
12. Schlatchthofbronx - We Nah Fraid
13. Skream & Silkie - Untitled
14. Skream - XMAS Day Swagger
15. Dutty Dubz - Structured Madness
16. A-Track & DJ Zinc - Stingray (Benga Remix)
17. RQM - Atomic Fusion (Son of Kick Remix)
18. Daft Punk - One More Time (George Lenton Remix)
19. Blue Foundation - Eyes on Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
20. Sebastien Tellier - Divine (Midnight Juggernauts Remix)

Sunday, January 29, 2012

mosart212 ... on the air....

hey kids I'M BACK! mosart212 here, and boy have i missed yallz. been mad busy getting myself ready for the release of my solo debut - PASSIVE/AGGRESIVE, amongst other things. There are so many little loose ends and tid bits and stuffs to take care of when you are self releasing your sweat and blood. Stay tuned for more news on that front...

this mix is a return to form - a mosart212 instant classic - beats from the dustbin, oldies but goodies, rare grooves, and of course a healthy dose of bloops and bleeps, and of course some well placed mega nerdy samples, this time courtesy of the "flatlands: a romance in many directions" audio book... enjoy

2012 the year of LaMoDa/Mantisounds/mosart2(o)12....


Friday, December 30, 2011

Losing Games


So it's been quite some time since we here at La MoDa Mixtapes have posted a podcast.  Oh, we've been staying busy (check out Mo's most recent deep-as-a-Chilean-mine offering for BrooklynRadio here), but it HAS been more than a fortnight or so since we last dropped a La MoDa Mixtapes exclusive for y'all.

Since our last official post, the Occupy Wall Street movement was born, the Enormous Room closed, Muammar Gaddafi was ousted, Kim Jong Il stopped looking at shit and Steve Jobs ascended to the great App store in the sky.

Oh, and Justin Bieber and/or Korn killed dubstep.  Or something.

I've been trying my best to avoid this topic since I last picked that scab back in January.  Being a little long in the tooth, I've tried to take the long view on this whole "dubstep is dead/brohstep makes me sad" topic.  I really have.  I mean, it all sounds so familiar to me (see:  death of jungle, death of trance, death of UK Garage, death of grime, death of hip hop, and on and on and on).  But, after a few recent articles/posts from other writers/artists making some valid points, I figured I'd strap on my hip boots and wade into these murky waters.  (If you're just here for the music, please feel free to skip to the bottom of this post).

2011 was a big year for dubstep.  We saw Britney dip her toe in the pool, we saw Skrillex pop up on the playlists of every high school kid's iPod Nano (and score a grip of Grammy nominations in the process), we learned that the Bieb was going to bless us with his particular brand of wobble pop, and by the end of the year we learned from washed-up nu-metal "pioneer" Jonathan Davis that Korn had in fact "invented" dubstep.  In 2011, dubstep sold us cereal and outerwear and cameras.  And, depending on who you talk to, this all added up to the "death" of dubstep.  And the haterade came out by the GALLON, especially for the man of the moment, Sonny Moore, aka Skrillex. 

The "dubstep is dead" keg has been tapped pretty frequently this year (seriously, Google that shit), from a variety of different angles.  Rather than rehash the whole trajectory of dubstep, I will just link to an article that I think really captured the whole debate rather succinctly:  Who Killed Dubstep? and the follow up article posted on the From Eternity to the Next Beat blog.  As the author stated, "Mainstream acceptance doesn't make good music any worse. The purists might disagree, but personally, I don't need to be part of an elite crowd to enjoy music."  That pretty much summed it up for me.  I don't love Skrillex, but I don't fault that dude his success.  

More importantly, some of the djs and producers I respect and enjoy, who are not exactly Johnny-come-latelys in the world of subsonics, seem to feel the same.  I mean, if Skream can tip his cap to what Skrillex has done (as he does rather effectively in this interview), then who am I to judge?  Anyone who follows DMC Champ and stateside D'n'B player DJ Craze's Twitter feed knows he's also on Team Skrillex.  Hatcha, one of the universally recognized pioneers of the sound, seems just fine with Skrillex's success.  And Skrillex himself argues that he is not a "dubstep" artist, but an electronic musician who incorporates dubstep tempos and formats into his work.

But the blog commenters and forum posters just can't hate him enough.  He has come to embody everything that is "wrong" with "mainstream" dubstep, or "brostep" as the cool kids like to call it.  Being rather uncool myself, I find this whole debate tedious, and a little confusing.  If the people who "invented" dubstep don't give a shit, why should I?  From where I stand, the whole debate can be reduced to a few main beefs:

1.  "it's not REAL dubstep."  Who gets to define "real" dubstep?  And how is it defined?  Because as soon as you define it, you set limits, you build walls.  Is there a dubstep "formula" one must follow to "qualify?"  Doesn't that sound terribly boring?  Or, worse, something music writers sit around lamenting because, let's face it, they're the ones who invent these sub-sub-sub genres and they've got deadlines to make and dilettantes to look down upon.

2.  "s/he is too young/new to the scene."  This line of criticism would argue that anyone who didn't buy white labels from Big Apple Records or go clubbing at FWD>> or tune into pirate radio to hear their dubstep is not authentic enough.  This argument always puzzles me.  I remember the first few raves I went to, and how enamored I was with the sounds of New York house and Detroit Techno.  I'd never been to a NASA party or heard Juan Atkins or Kevin Saunderson play techno in Detroit, but I knew what I liked.  And I paid $20 to get in, just like the cool kids....

3.  "brostep is ruining the scene."  Again, this one confuses me.  If 1000 kids show up to see a Skrillex show, and get their faces melted to "brostep," how is this BAD for Mala or Silkie or Von D?  If your argument is that those 1000 kids don't know the history of dubstep, or don't care to learn, who gives a shit?  Those kids are there to party, not learn.  If 100 of those kids leave that show and do their homework, that doesn't make the other 900 kids stupid.  But it DOES have the potential to open those 100 kids' eyes to the deeper, more underground sounds of the genre.  Is that a bad thing?  Furthermore, if 500 kids show up to see N-Type at a club, and only 50 of them actually know who N-Type is, and 50 more think N-Type sucks because he doesn't play enough face-melting drops, who gives a fuck?  All 500 of those kids paid the cover at the door, so if anything, N-Type is BENEFITING from "brostep."  Skream says as much in the above-linked article:  everyone benefits, if only a little, from the expansion of the scene.  Maybe they have to put up with a few more stupid requests each night, but really, is that so bad?

4.  "s/he doesn't have the proper pedigree."  This argument supposes that, unless you have crates full of underground UK Garage/futuristic 2-Step records in your basement, unless your playlist includes sufficient offerings from Horsepower or Tempa, you're not "coming at dubstep properly."  One of the main knocks against Skrillex is that he was a metal/emo kid until 2008, and this metal/rock influence brings the "wrong" sort of fans to the scene.  Again, this implies a certain level of unsophistication of his fans, due to their lack of pedigree.  In addition to #2 above, this argument also dismisses those who arrived at dubstep from a place that didn't include the original Dubstep Warz broadcasts.  So if your CD book includes more System of a Down than Digital Mystikz, if your crate contains more Leftfield than Loefah, you're disqualified.

Anyway, as I've stated before, I enjoy all sorts of bass music.  Though I've been repping breaks for the last 15+ years, I thoroughly enjoy dubstep in ALL its variations, and I wanted to put together a mix that really covered a broad spectrum of sounds, especially those of the 140 bmp variety.  There may be some "brostep" in here, some "fake dubstep," I'm not sure.  I don't know, and I don't care.  

One of my favorite magazines is Waxpoetics, and the editor's note from issue 46 keeps coming back to me as I consider the "dubstep is dead" argument from this last year.  Editor Andre Torres, in discussing the effect that "purists" had on jazz, states "...So though some think they're doing jazz a service by protecting what they feel are traditional elements of the music, they're also doing it a terrible disservice by so narrowly defining jazz that it's forced to stay a niche music forever."  To me, purity is boring.  And it would be tragic if, in 10 years, we look back and realize that this vibrant, diverse, storied genre called "dubstep" was sacrificed on the altar of purity.

Plus, sometimes you just want your face melted.....

1.  Amy Winehouse - Love is a Losing Game (Lucian X & NAPT Redub)

2.  Fugees - Ready or Not (Rastah Mouse Remix)

3.  FJH - Borsche
4.  George Lenton - RDD
5.  Skream - Rollin
6.  FJH - Enter the Dragon
7.  Torqux & Twist - Relentless (16bit remix)
8.  Datsik & Bassnectar - Elevate
9.  B-Phreak - Body Check (Random Scarves Remix)
10. RackNRuin - Skanker Riddim
11. NAPT & Lucian X - Blow Your Mind
12. Freestylers - Say Yes (Ben & Lex Remix)
13. 601 - This Year's Champion
14. Ellis Dee & DJ Twista - Touch Me ft. Marie Louise
15. Shakes - Gangbusters
16. Pyramid - Feel Like Jamming
17. Schema - Move
18. Iman - Only You (RackNRuin Remix)
19. Queen Latifah ft. Al Green - Simply Beautiful (Pyramid Remix)
20. Jose Gonzalez - Crosses (The Boogaloo Crew Bootleg)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Loonies


took this one back to '94. what!?! I asked my boy Mo the other day, "Do they make classics anymore?" Well, do they? 

That was the theme of this mix, the question I pondered. Classics. Means something different to everyone, right?

I'm not saying every song on this mix is a classic, but they sure is a grip of electro jams, nu skool breaks, and techfunk classics from MY formative years sprinkled throughout. Classics should be able to stand next to a track from last week and bark back at 'em, hold their own, right? Never leave your crates, right?  A lot of these never leave mine (or wouldn't, if I ever left my basement or still carried crates...) 

Don't forget to sign up for the podcasts by following the instructions to the right of this page.  ---->  

Relaunch is imminent.  

Stay tuned....

1.  B.L.I.M. - Loonies (2003, TCR)
2.  Stanton Warriors - Dakota (2011, Punks)
3.  Thunderball - Rio Mescalito (Mexicans with Guns Remix) (2011, CDR)
4.  Florence and the Machine - Drumming Song (Boy 8-bit Remix) (2010, CDR)
5.  Left/Right & Digital Pizza - Organizized (Hunter Vaughn Remix) (2011, Sound of Habib)
6.  Adam Freeland and Kevin Beber pres. Street Technique - Down (1998, Ultimatum Breaks)
7.  Steve Bug vs. DJ T - Monsterbaze (2000, Poker Flat Recordings)
8.  DJ Tokyo - Soul Oddity (1996, Astralwerks)
9.  Rebirth (Xpando & DJ Trance) - Go Off (1994, Bassex)
10. Metro LA - Hold Your Wig (Bassbin Twins 96 Remix) (2011, CDR)
11. Freestyle - It's Automatic (Dastrix Remix) (2000, Pandisc)
12. Ming & FS - the Human Condition (2001, OM Records)
13. The Martin Brothers - Duck Face (Elmo is Dead & HEDS DubDuck Edit)(2010, CDR)
14. The Young Punx - Ready for the Fight (the Young Punx Gutter Remix)(2010, MofoHifi Records)
15. Groove Diggerz - Rock Da Beat (2010, ADHD Digital)
16. Daft Punk - TRON Legacy (Adam Freeland's 303 Remix) (2011, Marine Parade)