Tomorrow would be J. Dilla's birthday, and I know there's a number of events over the next week dedicated to the genius which passed away much too soon. Thought I'd re-post the mixtape I did last year for February, of my favorite Dilla records / samples. RIP J. Dilla.

WaxPoetics Records - Interview Amir Abdullah (Kon&Amir) from alex deforce on Vimeo.

Really dug this. Some grown-man record digging talk. I've been trimming the stacks recently and trying to figure out the balance between obsessive collecting and living life, so it's cool to hear one of the all-time great collectors weigh in on his love of music and where he's at now with crate digging.

Ok so when I was a kid I had this dub of Digital Underground's "Sex Packets." I played that shit a lot. If you don't know bout this album - well, naw, I KNOW everyone over 20 has heard "Humpty Dance" at least a couple times. But the album is a bonafide classic - it's incredibly out-there goofy creative sexed up madness, and also slamm-in' (that's some 90s slang for you youngins) West Coast funk. Shock G had skills on the mic and the beats, and especially the piano.

But what I didn't know when listening was that several tracks on the cassette were only available on tape. Not on CD. Not even on vinyl. That's some classic West Coast, in-the-trunk era exclusiveness for you. So when shit went digital, and I became a vinyl-addict, I lost my sacred dub and suddenly was without a couple key tracks from my childhood.

One of these was the cut above, "A Tribute to the Early Days." Not the most amazing cut, it was just some old school rhymes over a serious funk break. Serious funk. That shit stuck in my head for years, even after I had lost the tape. And then one day, I found the 45 with the break: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMUJeI2UilE&feature=related

This is great. (h/t BusCrates)

Not only is Funkmaster Flex killin it on the classic breakbeats, but even better is Kool DJ Red Alert's commentary, reminiscing on old school clubs, DJs, records, and just the foundation of NYC hip-hop. Pure classic. Shout to Beirut for putting me on to this video.

January 2010: More Winter Warmth
DJ Ian Head

As the year turns over, I figured I'd start things off with a little mix from the past - a blend of beats and underground joints, plus some extra flavor near the end. In December 2007, I made a mix called "Winter December Warmth," which is still one of my favorite monthly mixes I've done. (Update: Apologies to DJ Center, my former roommate, who made the original "Winter Warmth" mix. I made a similar mix called "December Warmth.") I thought I'd continue that vibe a little bit this year, with something I made even earlier (2006) but in a similar vein. Cuz it's cold out there, as we manuever into a whole new decade, dealin with the economy, health care, the "justice" system and all kinds of ways society is pullin us apart while the weather makes us hide under blankets. So this is a chill little mix to just vibe out to, hand wash some dishes in hot water, and zone out to the kick drum.

Keep tuning in this year, I got some surprises, bonus mixes and special heat I've dug up recently to drop in the coming months. For now, here's the tracklisting for the January mix:

Me and my dude Chris Lark are back with our little wrap-up lists for 2009. My lists are first, then his below. Check it!

Hip-hop Albums:

Mos Def “Ecstatic” LP

Malcolm X quotes, a vintage verse from Slick Rick, old school b-boy adlibs (“Fresh!”), parts Afrobeat, parts electronic, and songs without hooks or structures fitting the radio airplay mold – this is one of my favorite albums in recent years. What I love here is that there's literally no “rules” to this album, Mos just flows off a wild assortment of beats (some classics from the Stones Throw camp) with songs that can last under two minutes, or twice that. It's pure newness and creativity, something missing from not just hip-hop but a lot of veteran artists, in my opinion, who are too scared – or just don't want to – take risks. Great cover art too.

The Physics “High Society” EP