The word mixtape has plenty of different interpretations. It used to be that mixtapes were actually DJ sets recorded on cassette tapes, but with the coming of the digital music age, the name remained the same, but the definition expanded. Nowadays, people call mixtapes many different things, some of which are not necessarily mixed and most of which were never taped. Here we try to cover them all. In this column, Juan Data gives you a worthy one every week.
DJ: Vintage
MIXTAPE: Tropical Bass Funk
Buenos Aires’ DJ Vintage is a DJ I’ve been following closely for a few years already, mainly because we came out from the same scene, with similar influences, around the same time, and even though I’ve never met him we have lots of friends in common.
He’s a very versatile DJ when it comes to mixing different genres from diverse latitudes and he’s also a confessed addict to vinyl collecting, two factors that I appreciate on a DJ. Why didn’t I introduce him before on this column you wonder? Well, mainly because most of his released mixtapes lacked in the Latino department and focused more in Anglophone funk, soul, reggae and rap.
His newest mixtape however, aims toward the current global bass sound, hence, there’s plenty of moombahton beats and some ñu-cumbia blended in (with precise clean transitions) within funky remixes and mashups. So, don’t let his stage name misguide you, there’s nothing really vintage on this session (except maybe a Stevie Wonder track–remixed). It’s not a digger’s tape, actually quite the opposite–yet another sign of his aforementioned versatility.