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: DJRC
MIXTAPE: 24hrs Mixtape
While most DJs use the mixtape format to sample their musical palette and show off their mixing skills usingmainly tracks recorded by other artists, some DJ/producers use it as a demo for their own production. That’s the case of Uruguay’s DJRC and his 24hr Mixtape. First he produced 12 different hip hop beats and then invited 18 different local unsigned MC’s to drop their verses on top and we assume this was done within the 24 hours frame, hence the title. Then he put the resulting tracks back to back and voilà, called it a mixtape. Unlike most mixtapes we feature on this column, this one doesn’t come in one unique long file, but broken down into tracks, as most hip hop mixtapes usually do. And when we say hip hop here, it’s not type of hip hop you hear in the clubs and “urban” radios nowadays, but stripped-down downtempo boom-bap beats and rhymes in a very late-90s underground style. If you ever wondered what kids are up to down in that tiny little country called Uruguay, let this be a proper introduction.
To download DJRC’s 24 hr Mixtape, click below: