Mixtape featuring French trip-hop, alternative hip-hop and turntablism style music with tracks by The Architect, IAM, Chinese Man and more. These tracks have been selected for their heavy beats, with each one dropping with a punch and lingering for a bit before the next one kicks in. Several tracks have also been edited for a juicier play. Enjoy!

Album art by Daft Tales (@daft_tales on Instagram).

Drop Hop (Vol 1)

Mixtape featuring turntablists and beatmakers from France and India, including Chill Bump, Chinese Man, Malfnktion, Raka Ashok and Degiheugi. This volume has a slower hip-hop tempo with a larger focus on melody and scratching. I've messed lesser with the individual tracks this time, but taken my liberty while mixing them and thrown in a few of my own baby scratches too! Enjoy :)

Album art by Daft Tales (@daft_tales on Instagram).

Drop Hop (Vol 2)

Bringing us to the end of the Drop Hop mixtape series, this volume's primary feature is Mr. Green and (the late) Malik B. Chill Bump and Degiheugi also make a reappearance amidst Malik B.'s verses, and I've mixed in a couple of tracks by CunninLynguists towards the end. I've edited some tracks to beef them up, chopped some up to bring the feeling of a live set, and left some to play and just do their thing. This one has a more classic hip-hop beat and several infectious rhythms! Enjoy :)

This series has been fun to play with, but it lacks coherence. It's time to switch it up a notch. I'll resurface, hopefully, with woven narratives and more scratching of my own. 

Album art by Daft Tales (@daft_tales on Instagram).

Drop Hop (Vol 3)

'your romantic dialectic [is dead]' is a pop/RnB mixtape accompanied by a collection of three poems (see [1,2,3] below), that observe indulgence evolving from bitterness to acceptance and letting go. This tape features Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Aaron Taylor, Jacob Collier and Camilo.

[1] https://allpoetry.com/poem/17662644---Let-s-get-high----by-frame-condition
[2] https://allpoetry.com/poem/17620018-Two-worlds-apart-by-frame-condition
[3] https://allpoetry.com/poem/17586702-You-beautiful-thing-by-frame-condition

your romantic dialectic [is dead]

What happens when you fall in love with a ghost? 

'your romantic dialectic [was a figment]' is an experimental mixtape accompanied by a collection of three poems (see [1,2,3] below) that dwell on this question. This mixtape features Leonard Cohen's poetic verses and electronic music by Against All Logic, Darkside, Fred Again and Nicolas Jaar.

[1] https://allpoetry.com/poem/17738329-Who-s-kidding-who-by-frame-condition
[2] https://allpoetry.com/poem/17769837-Ghost-of-you-by-frame-condition
[3] https://allpoetry.com/poem/17548055-Being-from-a-lost-era-by-frame-condition

your romantic dialectic [was a figment]

My Tamil identity is a complicated one. It's neither strong, nor something I can simply shake off.

This mixtape is an unapologetic celebration of Tamil hip-hop, featuring the iconic Vallavan album by Yogi B and Natchatra and a peek into SVDP's Made in Jaffna. Several gems in these albums have been shadowed by the success of two notable hits from them: Madai Thiranthu and Neeye Oli, which I've used to open and close this tape.

I've gotten more daring with the scratches in this mixtape. You'll either love it for what it is or hate it for how it sounds. Either way, the scratches are here to stay, as is my Tamil identity ;)

Unapologetically Tamil

Just some seriously sexy French hip-hop! 

This tape is a deep-dive into Hocus Pocus, a jazzy hip-hop band from France. Hocus Pocus is a noteworthy band, not just for their gorgeous production, but also their smooth blending of French and English vocals and rap. They achieved this by collaborating with American rappers T-Love and The Procussions, among others.

There's a brief preview of 20syl (the MC of Hocus Pocus) as a producer and Dafuniks, a soulful hip-hop band from Denmark. I've also thrown in a belter by Dyalla, a beat-maker from the UK, and a classic by Cesária Évora.

If you'd like to hear more from this lot:

- Hocus Pocus: https://www.discogs.com/artist/394728-Hocus-Pocus-4
- 20syl: https://mr20syl.bandcamp.com/music
- Dafuniks: https://dafunikscph.bandcamp.com/music
- Dyalla: https://dyalla.bandcamp.com/music
- T-Love: https://www.discogs.com/artist/25141-T-Love
- The Procussions: https://www.discogs.com/artist/229159-The-Procussions

Je ne comprends pas

India as a country is prone to division. It's been used against us time and again, which makes it particularly exciting when there's an emerging theme of unity. This time around it's from the south, and it's the sound of hip-hop. This mixtape showcases two exciting producers, Parimal Shais and Kalla Sha, their associates, and the hottest rappers they're working with: Irfana Hameed, MC Couper, and Killa K. I'm obsessed that it's happening in Malayalam and Tamil. What an incredible time to be a south Indian hip-hop head!

Here's a tracklist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4kZkyEGocsMgFgKUDA9PXX

If you like them, I hope you'll find a way to support them somehow. It's an upcoming scene and needs the attention it deserves to thrive. Happy listening x

SSHH

What does Spring feel like, for you? Does it match the prescribed version? Here's what mine sounds like. The ups, downs, cracks and crevices. 

This mixtape is a blend of genre-bending electronic music, synth-pop and hip-hop, generously interleaved with repetitive dance floor rhythms. Featuring Parimal Shais, Navz 47, JANANI, Darkside, Bolis Pupul, Charlotte Adigéry, Yuksek, George T, Doechii, IIija Rudman and Monie Love.

Shoutout to all the brilliant EHFM DJs, who led me to many of the artists and record labels behind the tracks on this tape! 

Here's a tracklist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0o5jitanYgLLQiuK9MeAU5

nachi

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