Ray Dawn - "Shit To Do"

As per usual, Ray Dawn is on his grind and has no time for ain't-shit people in his life. If your hustle is about more than tweeting "#nosleepgang," you can make Ray's latest your mantra.

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Taso Readies His 'New Start'

The TEKLIFE crew has really done the damn thing when it comes to their record label. Not only did they put out DJ Rashad's posthumous Afterlife album, but they recently released DJ Earl's Open Your Eyes; both are prime examples of why the TEKLIFE producers own the footwork scene. If you love the 'LIFE and have been keeping up with Taso's Bandcamp page, you'll know that he's been dropping dope compilations each month. That work has been in preparation for New Start, his forthcoming TEKLIFE album, which is due out on December 16.

Taso's been riding for the 'LIFE for a minute, and as Resident Advisor reports, he respects: "Thank you and much respect for supporting Teklife music. Without you there is no us. This record is dedicated to DJ Rashad and his family." New Start features two collaborations with DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, as well as the likes of Earl, DJ Manny, Gant-Man, DJ Tre, and DJ Taye. One of the Spinn and Rashad collabs, "AM Track," has been remixed by Salva—that rework is available down below.

The vinly version of New Start is limited to 1,000 copies, so pre-order ASAP. Full tracklist down below.

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Coldcut and Adrian Sherwood Inna Dub Meltdown

I don't know if I've said it before, but I'll damn sure say it again: if it wasn't for the work Coldcut has put in over the years, I'm not sure if I'd be as well-versed in the sounds of the world as I have been. These two DJs have been doing it for decades, finding a way to go from being the cut-up masters to exposing the world to numerous sounds; everything from hip-hop to jazz to jungle to reggae has fallen under their razors, being sliced, diced, and ultimately dissected by lovers of sound like myself.

To celebrate the release of their new EP Only Heaven (which features the likes of Roses Gabor, Roots Manuva, and the mighty Switch), these two decided to hit the weekly Solid Steel radio show with a reggae-fied, dub-wise hour of a mix, featuring cuts from Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, The Upsetters, and many more. Not to leave anyone else out, they aligned with the legend Adrian Sherwood, who runs On-U Sound and has worked with Coldcut, Pinch, and others, helping put his stamp on the UK dub/reggae scene. Adrian took over Hour 2 with "a selection of unreleased ,forthcoming and relatively unknown and difficult to find On-U Sound productions / co-productions and a taster of the Coldcut/Onu collaboration , plus a Dub Plate from Ireland's finest, RiRa."

You can stream and download both mixes after the jump

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Young M.A. and De La Soul Get Remixed by Nappy DJ Needles and Benja Styles

I love when DJs have similar DJs, but instead of hitting you with the same flex, they take different paths. Let me explain. We all know that Young M.A.'s "OOOUUU" is one of the biggest records of the year. Homegirl merked her "Chiraq" freestyle, but this record took over radio and had the streets BUZZING! Something about the simpler flow and that infectious "OOOUUU" in the track turned this one into a winner.

In going over my inbox (Ed Note: send new music to rockthedub@gmail.com), I noticed that I had new remixes of this record from Nappy DJ Needles and Benja Styles, who both had the same idea. Why not reconstruct Young M.A.'s 2016 smash with De La Soul's circa-2000 classic "Oooh?" The results? Amazing.

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Every Thanksgiving / Black Friday 2016 Mixtape You Need to Hear

Last year, I was so amazed at the sheer volume of Thanksgiving and Black Friday mixtapes that I had to make a post about them. Similar to the IRL Black Friday shopping day, the deals and sales actually start earlier; this year, Gucci Mane and Boosie Badazz already had projects out on Wednesday night. Them's the breaks.

Either way, if you're done getting lit with your family, here's a look at the mixtapes and releases that dropped during our country's fattest holiday. Turn up.

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Stones Throw Kicks Off Their Subscription Series With Unreleased Jaylib

Now this is great news! Today, Stones Throw announced that for the lovely price of $250, you get one year of Stones Throw vinyl releases. "This includes single albums, double albums, 12-inch singles, 45s, box sets, and special edition reissues," they said. The first release? Madlib and J Dilla's Jaylib remixes, which is getting it's first vinyl release ever. To sweeten that release, the previously-unreleased cut "Da Rawkus" will be featured; word is this banger was recorded in Los Angeles and Detroit in 2002.

For more information on the Stones Throw Subscription service, hit this link; the offer is only good until December 25, 2016, so get your money up. A full stream of "Da Rawkus" is available down below.

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DLR: Escape Into 'Dreamland'

With so much going on in the world of drum & bass, it's easy to become enamored with an artist than totally lose track of everything they've done. I feel like that's what's happened with me following DLR, who I originally knew from his work with Octane before going solo in 2013. Their Method In The Madness was seen as one of the top LPs of 2012, but DLR's moved on from strength-to-strength since.

In 2015, he dropped Seeing Sounds via the always forward-thinking Dispatch Recordings imprint. There's something about the way Ant TC1 and the crew approach the genre, and DLR exemplifies their ethos in quality controlled, forward-thinking drum & bass. Surprisingly, he's back with another full album, Dreamland, which is available today on vinyl and digital download.

Dreamland is much more of a concept project, highlighting the importance of having your personal haven in this massive (and massively fucked up) world while paying homage to drum & bass being done right; we're talking a keen ear for the late '90s vibe, and some top-notch sound design. With a number of captivating interludes guiding the way, it's easy to see the thought DLR put behind this project.

In our convo, DLR and myself look at the reasons behind going back-to-back with album releases, his own private dreamland, and the importance of dnb returning to its punk attitude.

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RTDMIX005: Che Grand

I know we just hit you with a smashing drum & bass RTDMIX from Jaxtella last week, but I felt like we had to do something special for Black Friday, and nothing's bigger than Lessondary crew member Che Grand stepped up for a special ZFTP set for the RTDMIX.

Che's been one of those artists I've loved to see grow; hell, I first interviewed him for this very site ten years ago, and he's just moved from strength to strength. He's known primarily as a rapper (and a very good rapper at that), but lately you might have heard him on the boards, producing Tanya Morgan's entire last project. For years he's been dropping his ZFTP mixes, which have consisted of everything from all-out rap projects to amazingly curated mixes. His contribution to the RTDMIX is more of the latter.

Now, it's customary that all ZFTP mixes don't come with a tracklist, so while I know errthing on this, you won't. Sorry. I can say that there's some dope UK grime on here, some material from Che's studio, and music from the #1 album in the country. Outside of that, press play on this RTDMIX and zone out all the way to Zamunda.

If you want more of Che, he tells me that his next project, I Think I'll Keep It Like It Is, should drop before the end of 2016. No release date yet, but keep it locked to his Bandcamp (or rockthedub.com) for more info.

You can stream this mix below, and if you're so inclined, subscribe to the podcast

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EQ Why Returns With More Footwork Jungle On 'Whythoven Vol. 3: Got My Mind Formatted'

Last month, I shared a banger by the name of "Trash Man" from EQ Why's Whytoven, Vol. 1, which found EQ running through his jungle and dnb influences. There's been some chatter back and forth about the "footwork jungle" scene, which has been a thing for at least four years but is starting to gain more traction via more UK jungle heads diving into the footwork pool, and it looks like EQ has decided to dedicate a number of his more current releases to showcasing his take on the sound.

I say all of that to say I think he nailed it with Whythoven, Vol. 3, which dropped earlier this week. Being a jungle music lover for damn near 20 years, you can tell when someone is just going through the motions and when they're actually a fan and are finding ways to integrate the 160BPM sound into their respective ciphers, and EQ is in the pocket here. He's locked into a delicate blend of everything that makes the footwork and jungle styles so unique; plus, the rhythms he's coming up with via these edited breakbeats are much more of my style. It was also a nice touch to see him put his spin on The Roots' "You Got Me," which itself was a fly hip-hop track that delved into some late-'90s crispy jungle bliss.

You can stream the full project below, and cop the entire release via Bandcamp.

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rockthedub radio 035: Blanksgiving

You seen that burnt tf up turkey? That's how a good chunk of America felt post-election 2016. I had to go to bed before the results were in, but I already knew what was going down. Most of you? Devastated. We're still here, though, and instead of pouting or crying or trying to figure out the shoulda/coulda/woulda, let's spring into action. This new edition of rockthedub radio? That's me springing into action, fresh for Thanksgiving.

This mix has a bit of a slant; it's definitely political, featuring motivating material from A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and Run The Jewels, but I also had to throw in a grip of new-ish material. New cuts from Rapsody, Boogie, Dumbfoundead, and Silent Knight play the middle, mirroring thoughts without being too heavy handed, and I had to include some fresh material as well, so expect some straight-up lit material from Leaf and that new Gucci Mane x Lil Uzi Vert mixtape.

Hopefully, you're able to cope with a family member at your Thanksgiving table talking stupid shit regarding the election. If not, here's ~66 minutes of music to help you tune them out. Have at it.

Stream below, download via iTunes, and check the tracklist down bottom.

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