What do you play to welcome the heir to the throne of underground NYC hip-hop to Mexico? Such was the challenge laid in front of Mexico City’s Phaedra and Eevee when it came to shaping a mixtape meant to celebrate the touchdown of NYC bruja rapper Princess Nokia this weekend.
The DJs rose to the occasion, arming a track sequence that threads through Sikuri’s Neo-Andino “Retorno,” off the fresh DNTFCK compilation, to gasping Girl Unit remixes of Nguzunguzu, the warped dembow of Spain’s Kid Cala, and Norwegian vocalist and producer Ida Dillan’s hype remix of 666’s “SupaDupaFly.”
With few rap songs besides the climax (Branko’s criminally underplayed “Take Off” featuring Nokia herself), the mixtape is less an auditory approximation of Destiny’s lyrical masterpieces, and more of an homage to her talent for narrative and self-contextualization. These tracks find Eevee and Phaedra are gazing off into an infinity pool horizon. Feel free to chill with them in these waters.
The dynamic flow of the samples is no doubt due to the DJs’ tight friendship — Eevee and Phaedra love sharing tracks like they love to get booked for B2B sets. Plus, they share similar approaches to track selection. Like Eevee told Barrio Nini last year, “I feel like there’s always going to be a really good track or sample, regardless of genre. I’m always more attracted to the sounds I like from each genre.” Phaedra, who is named not for the mythic queen of Athens, but as she said in an interview with Digger, for the album by German sequencer masters Tangerine Dream, is also known for her frenetically layered, complex appearances behind the decks.
For those of you who didn’t catch our last update, Princess Nokia will make her Guadalajara debut at CyberWitches and Derré Tida’s party on Friday before heading to Las Estacas, Morelos for Bahidorá, where her Saturday afternoon set overlaps with Kali Uchis (a nightmare for all Bahidorá attendees!).
Press play on our premiere of the mix above.
Princess Nokia plays the CyberWitches and Derré Tida party on Friday, February 17. Check out the aftershow with Sonora Mulata, Phaedra, Eevee, and Baby Bruise the same night. For more info, click here.
