A mixtape can be many things, but one thing is for sure, a mixtape is more than just random songs put in a particular order. It’s about recontextualizing sounds, giving them a new meaning (sometimes very different from the original) by setting them side by side, or juxtapozed in ingenious ways with others. Best thing about mixtapes, most of them are FREE (!), and they’re a great way to discover new music. In this column, Juan Data gives you a worthy one every week.
MIXTAPE: Electropico
DJ: Mr. Pauer
Venezuelan born Toto González, a.k.a. Mr. Pauer is a big player in Miami’s Latin alternative scene, where he’s been holding it down with Fábrika for a while now. So if you’re from over there, he probably doesn’t need an introduction. But he’s about to start gaining coast-to-coast recognition with his first official release, Soundtrack (out February 15th), an EP of his own electropical productions, including one new cumbia-rap track with hit potential (Locos Por Juana’s Itagüi provides the vocals, download below!).
So, for all of you who don’t have the fortune of living in sunny Florida, I think a mixtape done by Mr. Pauer himself will be a proper introduction to give you an approximate idea of what’s going down in Miami’s Latin underground.
It’s a short simple (but technically flawless) mix of just eight tracks in 30 minutes. Meaning you’ll hear most of each song from beginning to end. As a general rule, I dislike this, especially when I’m already too familiar with the songs (as in Los Rakas‘ “Abrázame” remixed by Uproot Andy, which I love but was included in too many mixtapes last year). That’s when I feel tempted to fast forward like, OK, we all know this one, what’s next? However, Mr. Pauer gets a pass because most of the tracks he’s mixing are produced or remixed by himself (the one by Los Rakas is one of the only two exceptions), so of course he wants to show them off. And they’re really good tracks, so he’s allowed to.
Mr. Pauer has a busy calendar for the next few months, sharing stages with the likes of Bomba Estéreo, Quantic, Chico Mann, and The Pinker Tones while promoting his EP and there are talks about visiting the West Coast soon, so stay tuned.
DOWNLOAD MR. PAUER’S ELECTROPICO MIXTAPE HERE.
DOWNLOAD “CUMBION DEL SUR” OFF MR. PAUER’S DEBUT EP SOUNDTRACK HERE.