I am on a quest to find some other really good longform mixes / mixtapes of the hip-hop or Ninja Tune variety.

January 19, 2011 3:22 PM

Here's some long-form mixes that I like: can you give me recommendations for more?

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - The Hard Sell
DJ Andy Smith - The Document
Kid Koala - Scratchcratchratchatch
Steinski - A Rough Mix

These are not a go-to genre for me...I've just come across them one by one over the years and have really enjoyed them at the time. I'm sure there are alot more out there, and if there are some incredible ones that I'm missing out on I hope you will let me know.

posted by rubbergutfranklin to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Try the autechre mixes?
posted by subtle-t at 3:29 PM on January 19, 2011

Most hiphop DJs make mixtapes, so there's literally hundreds in this style. RJD2's "Your Face or your Kneecaps" is pretty good, so is Tommy Guerrero's "Another Late Night". I also really like Rob Swift's "Pure Moods".
posted by Hoopo at 3:32 PM on January 19, 2011

Oh! And Stones Throw Records puts out lots of mixes. Peanut Butter Wolf's Jukebox 45s and Stones Throw 101 weren't bad. They usually have new stuff from their own artists mixed with old stuff they've re-issued.
posted by Hoopo at 3:39 PM on January 19, 2011

I've been enjoying the mixes posted by Pomp & Clout. There are nine right now, each by different DJs, in various styles.
posted by Prince_of_Cups at 4:20 PM on January 19, 2011

What do you mean by "long-form"? Not 30 minute jobs? Also, these seem like they span genres, not just sticking with hip-hop or "dance" music.

Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow have a lot of mixes floating around (like Product Placement). Here are two Cut Chemist mixes on Soundcloud. In the same key of "more from the folks you know," DJ Andy Smith has a good collection of mixes on CD.

The Avalanches have a few great mixes around, like "Gimix" (considered the rough draft of their official album), their mixes for Breezeblock, and the local Australian set "Triple J Mix Up" (credited to Avalanches as a whole, or their DJ Dexter or Dexta). You can also search for avalanches live mix to find a variety of items.

In a similar feel, Lemon Jelly mixes are good things. Search for Breezeblock mixes in general, and you're bound to find more gems. Sometimes they're more DJs set in their genres, other times you'll get Björk, who introduces each song she plays.

If you like Kid Koala, you might like a chap who toured with him a few times (and who I've posted on the Blue): DJ Jester. He has a few mixes on CD, including Heavily Booted and River Walk Riots. He has more releases that are more of sample-based albums, like Secret Love, and Genuine Electric Latin Love Machine - Introducing The Neat Beat (a group release, with other Texan producers, I believe.

Another master of the mix, but of a different sort: Mr. Scruff (another FPP of mine). Unlike DJ Shadow, who only posts snippets and a few songs on Soundcloud, Mr. Scruff has posted a ridiculous amount of material, including many of his longeset of long-form mixes (link to his 6 hr 26 min 2010-11 NYE show). His long shows don't feature the same amount of blending and mixing you'd hear from most DJs, rather he seems to "curate" a collection of tunes.
posted by filthy light thief at 4:46 PM on January 19, 2011 [3 favorites]

Check out the NYCTrust and The Rub DJs.

If you tell us a little more about what you like, or what you're responding to in those mixes, we might be able to provide better recommendations.

If you dig obscure breaks, it's hard to do much better than Shadow and Cut Chemist (though dudes like Gilles Peterson and Keb Darge are great diggers). If you like blends/mash-ups/whatever, DJ Z-Trip is a name to look into (ditto DJ P, Caps and Jones, the Rub's 'It's the Motherfucking Remix' mixes, etc.). If you like beat-juggling, try the Beat Junkies (X-Ecutioners, too). If you like turntable-as-instrument, check out the various Invisibl Skratch Picklz DJs (and the Ned Hoddings dudes, and the Allies crew, etc.). If you like weird stoner-ish stuff, you might like the 1200 Hobos or the Bulletproof Space Travelers or Madlib. And I feel like I should mention Chris Read, Mike the 2600 King, DJ Muro, man, give me a minute, I'll think of some more people.

I like breaks. Some of my favorite mixes are Roc Raida's 52 Beats (no disrespect to Kid Capri), Monkone's Breaking Rocks, Cash Money's Head Bangin' Funk 45s and Q-Bert's Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze (Ron G's Beat Kingdom is great, but it has too many shouts on it).
posted by box at 7:29 PM on January 19, 2011

good refs here, i'll add a couple:

strictly beats is a blog posts some cool bootleg beat/mix tapes/remix tapes that are often long form.

Sixtoo's Duration album sounds sort of like an extended long DJ Shadow song, highly recommended .
posted by yeahyeahyeahwhoo at 7:16 AM on January 20, 2011

Ah, on the note of "albums like mixtapes," might I suggest Diplo's Florida? It's still his only album to date, not counting the early Sound and Fury thing.

Diplo has a few proper Mix CDs out, too: that MIA - Piracy funds Terrorism mix, Top Ranking mix of/for Santogold, a weird Huntsville mixtape with a bucket of odd samples (from Orbital to The Monkees!), I Like Turtles, and a MixMag freebie. Check his Mad Decent label site for more freebies, like his Chasing the Dragon psych/garage mix (aka Pomp & Clout mix #1).
posted by filthy light thief at 8:59 AM on January 20, 2011

Also, anything you can find by J. Rocc of the Beat Junkies. As far as I'm concerned, he makes the best mixes I've ever heard: if you appreciate mixing, juggling, crate digging, and nice transitions, he's your man.
posted by Hoopo at 9:32 AM on January 20, 2011

Anything by DJ Yoda (specifically his How To Cut and Paste series.

If you haven't heard Coldcut's "Journeys by DJ", youre missing out on one of the classics of the genre.
posted by softlord at 8:04 AM on January 21, 2011 [1 favorite]