J Dilla's 'Back To The Crib' Mixtape is the Perfect Road Trip Soundtrack

This is something truly special. To celebrate the 10th anniversary re-release of J Dilla's The Shining, BBE co-founder Peter Adarkwah shared a mixtape that J Dilla personally made him back in late 1999/early 2000. As he put it, "this tape was playing in the car. I recall Think Twice was on the tape and I suggested there and then that he do a cover with Erykah for the BBE album. We didn't get the Erykah feature, but people sure remember James' cover. We drove past a sign, it said Welcome To Detroit and I suggested that would be a good name for the album. When we pulled over James gave me the tape and said this is yours, or words to effect."

This is the tape; 46+ minutes of the kind of gems you'd expect from hanging with Dilla, including material from Cameo, Donald Byrd, Michael Jackson, and so many others. Perfect late summer soundtrack.

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EPROM's Solid Steel Mix Might Murder Your Bassbins

Just so we're clear, EPROM is one of my favorite producers doing it right now. There's something about the fuzzy, gut-wrenching bass he puts on his tunes that gets me every time. Dude's great as a solo artist, but also has a project with Alix Perez (SHADES) that has been doing it for me as well (keep it locked for their forthcoming EP on Alix's 1985 Music imprint).

For this new mix from EPROM, he not only drops a host of material from his recently-released Samurai EP, but he drops new SHADES material, some of his older remixes, and even a bunch of unreleased solo productions. This is one to bang out to, trust.

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Scott Melker Brought the Soul House to Miami, Celebrates With a New Mix Series

For NYC heads in the know, you're up on Soul House, aka the Thursday night institution that DJs Scott Melker and Cosmo Baker kicked off in 2003, bringing heads in the know the best in house, hip-hop, R&B, soul, funk, and much, much more. The event was so popular, it ended up becoming a top-10 party in the city.

Melker's now living in Miami, but that doesn't mean the Soul House party has to stop. Soul House is now going down every Thursday at the 1 Hotel South Beach Rooftop, but if you're not in Miami, don't fret. The first volume of the Soul House mix series is here, and features a number of your most favorite jams, including '90s classics from The Notorious B.I.G., TLC, Radiohead, A Tribe Called Quest, and others, as well as remixes and mash-ups from DJ Eleven, Sammy Bananas, Durkin, and Scott Melker himself.

Hit play on the stream down below and get transported back, and download the full mix from Brooklyn Radio.

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Joell Ortiz, Nitty Scott, Bodega Bamz, and Salaam Remi Are No Panty

You gotta love this. If you're a fan of bars, names like Joell Ortiz, Nitty Scott, and Bodega Bamz have to be in your playlist. If you love production, and have followed the sound for the last few decades, Salaam Remi should be in your playlist. Who knows why they all linked together, but thank Brown Jesus for Westside Highway Story, the first mixtape from this supergroup that goes by the name No Panty.

This project features all kinds of fun sample choices over hard-hitting drums. It's part quirky, part murky, and all fly. You can stream the full project below, and download it for free via Live Mixtapes.

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The Music of 'Stranger Things' is Birthing Some Impressive Tributes

Hopefully, you've been consumed by one of Netflix's most impressive series to date, Stranger Things. It's a love letter to the '80s, featuring a squad of middle schoolers living in Indiana who are infatuated with that #nerdlife and have to figure out how to combat some true terror. It's everything you loved about '80s music, fashion, and films like The Goonies wrapped up in one perfectly amazing eight-episode program.

One of the biggest hits from the series has been the music, which is drenched in '80s synths and inspiring a bunch of new school takes on the sound. We've thrown some of our favorites down below, but if you find others, please feel free to shoot us an email (subject line STRANGER THINGS) and we'll add to the collection.

Make sure you cop the soundtrack, which is available in two parts via digital download and on vinyl.

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