The good folks over at LunchBox Theory and DJ Underdog douse your soul with a hearty heaping of afro-funk and soul with the Africa Undone, Pt 2 mixtape.  And the best part aside from the banging music is that the mix is FREE!!! So, download now..Yes, NOW!!

Download: Africa Undone 2

Tracklisting:

1    .LunchBox Geographic Intro – More Than a Riot ft. Talib Kweli & Dead Presidential Candidates 04:49

2.   Olotunji – Legba 03:00

3.    FEMI KUTI – TRUTH DON DIE 01:32

4.    BLACK MOTION – Set Me Free 02:58

5.    FELA – ITT BLACK COFFEE 04:17

6.    OPOLOPO – FELA COUP 03:21

7.    EUPHONICK AND DJ CLARK- AGBADOU 06:27

8.    D’banj – Oliver 03:50

9.    TOTO La Momposina – La Mezcla (Jose Marquez Remix) 07:24

10.  Culoe De Song ft Shota – Yini Ngawe 02:25

11.  COATI MUNDI- SANTOS OSUN OSUN 05:20

12.  FELA – FIGHT 02:33

13.  CULOE DE SONG – GAMBIAN FOREST 03:26

14.  SAHEL – KUTI STOMP 04:24

15.  BLACK MOTION – TURN ON THE SUN 03:09

16.  kas – fi me le 02:28

17.  Jesse Matador – Décalé Gwada 01:54

18.  Molare feat Mokobe – On Es Ensemble 02:19

19.  DJ Outlaw – BACKROAD 02:58

20. CHAMPION DJ – LIGHTER VIP 02:48

21. CHAMPION DJ – LIGHTER LIGHTER 01:44

22. LIL SILVA – BONGO CHAT 01:56

23. Ilê Aiyê – BELEZA 03:30

24  KING KONG – ALO 01:45

25. OSUNLADE – PRENNA 03:16

26. BLACK MOTION – TURN AROUND 04:27

27. BLACK MOTION- TAKE ME HIGH 03:30

28. Fela Kuti – Fefe Naa Efe 06:25

29. FELA – Boddhi Satva’s Ancestral MEDITATION 02:38

DJ Brainchild has put together one of the best Aaliyah Tribute mixes filled with album cuts, b-sides, remixes, guest appearances, and soundtrack contributions.  There are so many reasons why we love Baby Girl, the songs on this mix are just a few of the reasons why.  It’s  still hard to believe that its been 10 years since that unfortunate plane crash that claimed the lives of Aaliyah, Luis Morales III, Eric Forman, Anthony Dodd, Scott Gallin, Douglas Kratz, Christopher Maldonado, Keith Wallace and Gina Smith.

 1. Intro
2. If Your Girl Only Knew
3. Come Back In One Piece (feat. DMX)
4. A Girl Like You (feat. Treach)
5. Hot Like Fire
6. Loose Rap
7. Those Were The Days
8. Are You Ready
9. Try Again
10. Back & Forth
11. Rock The Boat
12. At Your Best (You Are Love)
13. It’s Whatever
14. One In A Million
15. We Need A Resolution (feat. Timbaland)
16. Heartbroken
17. Death Of A Playa
18. Are You That Somebody
19. Man Undercover
20. John Blaze
21. 4 Page Letter

Download: 10-Year Letter: An Aaliyah Anniversary + Tribute Mix

Life is fiction, competition and contradiction
Petty perceptions, window dressing for misdirection
Love is a lotto, I know I know you know what I know
Hope is so hollow, that’s why winos follow the bottle
And people pressure, make death a hidden treasure
A guilty pleasure, lonely language inside a letter
It’s now or never, move it, move it, love it or lose it
‘Fore it’s recruited, then included in something stupid
It’s nature’s nature, pay the player and say your prayers
Naysayers, the haters, the major players, the beggars
You ’bout it, ’bout it, don’t allow it, pout witout it
Then those who doubt it, doomed to die to death of cowards
The world is yours, in a world we can’t afford
So ignore the law; start a fire, then start a war
If you’re sick and tired of your access denied
Free will died long before blogs and iPods…
(c) P.O.R.N. “Radio Daze”

P.O.R.N. is featured on two tracks on the album, “Walk Alone” and “Radio Daze”, the latter being quoted in a review by Andrew Shapter of The Huffington Post, “Why The Roots May Have The Best Album of 2010″.

Not a shabby introduction for the West Philly native and Money Making Jam Boy member. P.O.R.N. is currently hard at work on his mixtape due out in January. Philly DJ’s Mike Nyce and Rich Medina are collaborating on this upcoming project, and he’s expecting contributions from fellow Jam Boy, Truck North and Philly rapper Peedi Crakk among others.

You can follow P.O.R.N. on Twitter at @porndmc and check back here at The Couch Sessions for info and download links when available…this is a project from a dope new emcee you won’t want to miss!

The Money Making Jam Boys consists of: P.O.R.N., Truck North, STS Slim, Black Thought and long-time Roots Crew affiliate Dice Raw.

Download: The Dream Suite – featuring Andreya Triana (Mediafire link)

From the hypnotic beats of Flying Lotus, to the downtempo vibes of Bonobo, Andreya Triana has taken the world of electronica by storm. Her voice floats effortlessly from heart-wrenching soul to the most abstract of timbres. Andreya’s honest delivery and total commitment to every word that falls from her lips have begun to captivate hearts all across the globe.

The Couch Sessions pays tribute to this princess of soul by way of The Dream Suite. The audio experience is blended as a 31 minute mix showcasing some of Ms. Triana’s back catalog, remixes and rarities, sprinkled with ambient hip-hop instrumentalism and field recordings from the great city of London.

Enjoy.

Tracklisting

1. TM Juke & the Jack Baker Trio (feat. Andreya Triana) – That Gut Feeling
2. Natural Self (feat. Andreya Triana) – The Rising
3. Aaron Jerome (feat. Andreya Triana) – Angel Lady
4. Hocus Pocus – Piece No. 14
5. kidkanevil (feat. Andreya Triana) – Good Morning, What’s New?
6. Lokua – A Thousand Pages
7. Some Freak, Andreya Triana, Ritorell – The Light (Dorian Concept Remix)
8. Andreya Triana – Lost Where I Belong (Acoustic)
9. Hocus Pocus – Piece No. 6
10. Bonobo (feat. Andreya Triana) – Eyes Down (Floating Points Mix)

From the gritty, underground mixtape, “Dope Becomes Her,” Philly MC, Zarinah, or Goldie Jawn as she is also known, throws down some mighty lyrical talent, one of many for the singer, dancer and actress.

Mixed by Mr Sonny James, aka DJ Statik of the Illvibe Collective, and featuring Chaundon, Joe Scudda, Sunmoon and DJ Jay Ski, the mixtape is a decent display of Zarinah’s force and lyricism, and here’s the “but.” Somewhere in the production, somebody threw in all the bells and whistles, turning some decent drum beats and scratches into an over-processed, messy and sometimes cartoony distraction.

Despite the beats, perhaps a little too much chorus repetition, and way too much talking by everybody other than Zarinah, the mixtape is not without some shining moments, including Untrue, ft. Chaundon, Dangerous and D.O.A. remix.

I look forward to hearing more from the talented fem MC, I only hope that next time the beats aren’t so restless.

Paige in Full: She Ain’t No Joke (Joke Joke Joke)
by sim1ontharun

Real talk: when I read the tagline for Paige in Full,–”a b-girl’s visual mixtape”–I rolled my eyes and thought, “A visual mixtape?! What the eff is that? Mixtape my bleep!” Since I was a child, my parents have dragged me to the theatre, and although there are a few classic films I’ve peeped more than once, I don’t remember a time in the last ten years when I attended a performance two nights in a row, unless I was in the show myself. So, when I tell ya’ll that I went to see the infinitely charming and talented brother-sister duo, Paige Hernandez and Nick tha 1da, in Paige in Full two consecutive nights, I hope you’ll understand that in the words of Rakim, “[This play] ain’t no joke…joke joke joke.”

As an emerging arts administrator, I was amazed to see an audience diverse in age, ethnicity, and background that multicultural marketing professionals like Donna Walker-Kuhne dream of. The Mead Theatre Lab, located in the creative incubator space, Flashpoint, was tiny. No, like, for real ya’ll, the jawn was like the size of a 45”. But with the Afro-futuristic projections to the side of the stage by Tewodross Melchishua, or what the hip-hop professor refers to as “visual jazz media,” the space felt a lot larger than its actual size. There was a karaoke feel up in there; throughout the show, folks were singin’ along to familiar hip-hop tracks. The audience was immediately at home in the space, connected by this culture that has imbued our lives with “joo-oooy. pain. sun-shii-iine. and rain” since we fell in love with it as kids. Within the first 30 seconds, Paige’s story became our story. And it felt good to be home.

Highlights included “Baltimore: the haiku series,” during which Paige launched into 5-7-5 character acts about crackheads, clubbers and her time at the Baltimore School for the Arts. The dancer in me was also in love with a sequence of swimming/drowning underwater movements and a crucial bass hum in a brief simulated bar encounter on DC’s U Street Corridor. But, the climax came when Paige mourned the death of fallen icons like ‘Pac, Big, and DJ K-Swift, going into a hip-hop conniption. The choreography began to disintegrate, her limbs flailing in fragmented bits of movement, until she lay lifeless on the floor. After a few moments of silence, the audience was audibly holding its breath. The discreet brother behind the turntables, Nick tha 1da, casually spun around to the front of the cassette player, ejected the mixtape and flipped it over to Side B, injecting new life into his torn down sister. She doubled back, ‘rewound,’ and it was all good. Brilliant!

The verdict: Paige Hernandez represents the truest voice of what hip-hop theatre can be for our generation: non-linear, dynamic, personal, intense, community-oriented in content and tone, and fondly nostalgic. The distinct moments of Paige’s life in this 60-minute act allowed us a window into all of our own lives, love, loss, triumphs and missteps, all with a hip-hop lens through which to examine them. There is no doubt in my mind now that #hiphoptheatreisreal and that #visualmixtapesdoexist.

Luckily, the 18 months-in-the-making Paige in Full will appear two more times this summer. For all of those who missed the first run, get Paige in Full and cop an autograph before this sister hits Broadway – or better yet, resurrects the Fly Girls for an Award Tour (with Mohammed my man). Catch Paige in Full at Sulu DC June 19th and at the DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival July 7th and 8th. The 2010 DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival takes place July 6-10.

Special thanks to Nick tha 1da for blessin’ us with an ill exclusive Couch Sessions Paige in Full mini-mix to rep the show. Listen below and enjoy!

Nick tha 1da PAIGE IN FULL mini-mixtape

Download: The Couch Sessions Presents: Sunrise Suite

Are you a “morning person”?  That elusive, desirable trait of successful people?

I wouldn’t know…the most frequent question I’m asked before 10am is, “Are you alright….?”

It’s not that I hate mornings in themselves. I hate the noise and bustle that disrupt the peace & tranquility of sleep.  Loud news show hosts.  Popular radio.  Traffic.  “Honey Do” lists and “Honey why didn’t you do” lists that begin to form as soon as my beautiful wife gains consciousness.  The chorus of random, loud cell-phone banter.

But there’s a lot to love about mornings.  The fact that we’ve been given another day of life.

Stretching, reading scriptures and drinking green tea in peace before the city awakens.

Music has always facilitated the peaceful transition from the private world of my thoughts to forced world of chaos all around.

This play-list is inspired by that sentiment.  No too sleepy…not to ambient…stimulating, but in a calm, gentle way.  Forgive me if that sounds like a laxative…guess it kind of is…albeit a mental one.

Acoustic Jazz, hip-hop and soul is the blend with electronica sprinkles.

Headphone & morning commute friendly.

Peaceful journeys.

Tracklisting:

1. The Cinematic Orchestra – Prelude (live)

2. Mentz – Introduction II

3. Robert Glasper feat. Bilal – All Matter

4. The Roots feat. The Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Dilchestra – Antiquity

5. Tycho – Dictaphone’s Lament

6. Seal – State of Grace (acoustic)

7. Bebel Gilberto – August Day Song (king britt remix)

8. Stevie Wonder – Lookin’ for Another Pure Love

9. Common – Ghetto Heaven part 2 (instrumental)

10. Tonda Trio – Tide

11. Shafiq Husayn – Love Still Hurts

12. Dilla – Flyyyyy

13. Saine – Live a Little

14. The Cinematic Orchestra – Breathe (live)

The time has finally come. After months and months of hard work, press and promo E Major is set to officially release The Major Major Mixtape presented by Under Sound Music & PedX. This thematic collection of songs features E Major collaborating with artists such as Substantial, Cynthia Hawkes, Hezekiah, Dre Beloved, J Soul & more.
DJ Sat One, Eddie Pearson and Dre Beloved lend their production skills to the mixtape as well. DJ Face of 9th Wonder’s True School DJ crew, mixed the project. The Major Major Mixtape is available for FREE download exclusively at http://emajor.bandcamp.com/.

DC fashion line DURKL marches to the beat of a different drummer by comparison to the rest of the city. But they’re not about to change. Thery’re in the process of molding the city to meet them. Having existed for three years in relative anonymity, 2009 has been the year of DURKL in the Capital City. Having moved headquarters from a top floor loft just three blocks from Union Station to a spacious showroom/headquarters/retail space near Gallery Place in the shadows of Capitol Hill, DURKL is now prepared for their most audacious step forward into branding not just themselves, but the entire city in a movement towards creating a revised culture and feel.

DURKL’s latest mix, the Survivor Series Volume One Mixtape, was feted with an amazing blowout affair at their new space at 443 I St., NW in DC on Saturday evening, an event that bridged gaps racially, culturally and socially, all in the name of local music, and yes, professional wrestling.

Produced by Judah (“on the best, sound so sweet,” as Wale would say), and mixed by DJ Maf, this latest DURKL foray into the mixtape is the most DURKL specific of them all so far (the brand has available for download two dance music mixtape creations on their website), as it involves drops from the Ultimate Warrior and the “Macho Man” Randy Savage all over the place, in reference to the “Thanksgiving tradition” of the former World Wrestling Federation (WWF), current World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The creative vision of DURKL, namely that of Will Sharp, on some level, actually has a lot to do with pro wrestling. The heroic iconography of pro wrestling fashion designs of the early 1990s have crept into numerous DURKL fashions, including Bret “The Hitman” Hart’s silver sunglasses, Hulk Hogan’s “Hulk Rules” t-shirt, posters of the Ultimate Warrior ending up on tees, and the use of absurdly bright neon graphics all owe their history to Vince McMahon’s juggernaut promotion.

Featuring a multitude of various local DMV rap acts from DC’s Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade and RA the MC to Baltimore’s Greenspan, to dance music creators Nouveau Riche’s Gavin Holland and disco mastermind Chris Burns as the “Party Bros,” the dance pop of Exactly (featuring DURKL’s Cole Sharp), Suckers’ low-fi, even the ridiculous yet thrashing hair metal of Rattler, you get a sense of the DMV’s intellect, skill and on the rap level, lyrical depth (June Lova’s “LA Sex Scandal” deserves a lot of love in the wordplay department). This compares favorably, in what we could call the “Survivor Series battle,” against the international acts on the mixtape, as Skream’s #1 International hit remix of La Roux’s “In for the Kill,” is here, alongside Sweden’s hottest emcee Adam Tensta, and Australian alt dance rockers Empire of the Sun all make appearances.

If looking for the best representation of what DC brings to the national table, this mixtape allows one to believe that DURKL is indeed on that level.

Download: Okayplayer and IllRoots Present the Remix Project

While a LOT of mixtapes that drop nowaways are no more than digital throwaways destined for the the trash folder, Okayplayer and IllRoot’s Remix Project simply stands out above the rest. The North Carolina based Remix Project, consisting of Apple Juice Kid on the Drums, Matt Brandau, Brevan Hampden, Mark Wells, Dana Chell and DJ Merlin. They remix some of urban culture’s finest songs including Tribe Called Quest, Talib, Outkast, Snoop, Punjabi MC and more. Check it.

Tracklisting:

1.Tribe Called Quest- Electric Relaxation
2. Snoop Dogg- Drop It Like It’s Hot
3. Scarface- On My Block
4. Nore- Nothin
5. Jay Z- I Just Wanna Luv U
6. Punjabi MC- Beware of the Boys
7. Soho- Hot Music
8. Ol’ Dirty Bastard- Got your Money
9. Talib Kweli- Get By
10. Outkast- Spottieottiedopalicious
11. Big Boi- The Way You Move
12. Ol Dirty Bastard- Shimmy Shimmy Ya
13. Black Sheep- Choice is Yours
14. Digable Planets- Rebirth of Slick
15. The Foreign Exchange- Sincere
16. Destiny’s Child- Girl
17. Elton John- Benny and the Jets
18. Outkast- Prototype
19. Missy Elliot- Get your Freak On
20. Missy Elliot- Work it
21. Amerie- One Thing
22. Beyonce- Crazy in Love

Download: The Couch Sessions Presents:  The Reflection Suite

No Autotune.  No shout outs.  No guest verses from Ye, Weezy or Drake.  No remixes that aren’t really remixes.

For those of you still in the room, this mix is born from a need for reflection and quiet thought. Suitable for long walks alone at night, teleportation during long train commutes and cubicle escapism.

Guaranteed to be the only mix featuring J Dilla and Gustavo Santaolalla or your money back.

Headphones are completely necessary.

The mix is blended into one mp3 download.  I know you hate that…but give it a try.

Tracklisting:

1. The Bennie Maupin Ensemble – Walter Bishop
2. Carl Berg feat. Kissey Asplund – Breathe
3. 40 Winks – Highwaves
4. Emiliana Torrini – Summerbreeze
5. J. Rawls – A Tribute to Souls
6. Oddissee feat. Muhsinah – That Day
7. Telefon Tel Aviv – Nothing is Worth Losing That
8. Vangelis – Abraham’s Theme
9. Röyksopp – In Space
10. J Dilla/Slum Village – Climax (instrumental)
11. Massive Attack – Exchange
12. Fat Jon – Repaint Tomorrow
13. Gustavo Santaolalla – Walking in Tokyo
14. Elaquent – Tip Toes
15. Owusu & Hannibal – Caroline No
16. Freddie Joachim – Glass
17. Sonny Lester – Green Dolphin Street
18. Tina Dickow – You Know Better
19. Boards of Canada – Sherbert Head
20. Portishead – Roads (Live in NY)

Let me know how you feel.  Peace.

Download: Jahdan Blakkamoore- Bazooka Shot

I’m excited as ever to annouce the new mixtape by Jahdan Blakkamore. You’ve heard me talk about this dude numerous tmes before, and I will keep talking about him until his album Buzzrock Warrior drops September 15th.

Bazooka Shot mixes new music, freestyles, and originals and combines Jahdan’s love of dubstep, dancehall, hip-hop and R&B. Not only does this mix include his “Best I Ever Had” Freestyle, but flips of Lee Scratch Perry and Flo ‘Rida as well. If you’ve like the previous Jahdan stuff that you’ve seen here, then this is a must download.

Buy the track “She Said” (feat. 77Klash) on iTunes

Tracklisting:

1. Jahdan Blakkamoore- More Life (All The Above instrumental)
2. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Walkie Talkie Freestyle (Digidesign riddim)
3. Jahdan Blakkamoore- The Best I Ever Had ft. 77 Klash
4. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Dem Nuh Like It ft. 77 Klash and Spoek Mathambo (produced by Matt Shadetek)
5. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Turn The Other Way (Flo Rida ‘Shone instrumental’)
6. Noble Society- Forgiveness
7. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Never Gonna Stop (produced by DJ /rupture & Matt Shadetek)
8. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Like This (Reggae Got Soul Riddim)
9. Major Lazer feat. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Cash Flow (Dutty Artz Move It Refix)
10. Jahdan Blakkamoore – How We Gonna Get There (produced by Ova Ground)
11. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Dubplate For Moonraker (skit)
12. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Bad News (Rockin’ That Shit riddim)
13. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Cali Field feat. 77 Klash
14. Lee Scratch Perry & Dubblestandart- Blackboard Jungle (Subatomic Sound System Remix feat. Jahdan Blakkamoore)
15. Nate Mars feat. Jahdan Blakkamoore- Above & Beyond Dem