I'm sure I wasn't the only person in my circle of musical acquaintances to catch the NPR broadcasts on New Orleans over the past couple of weeks ... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5237773
... but I wonder if anyone else was as deeply struck as I was at the interview with the Big Chiefs -- Darryl Montana and Larry Bannock -- two of the city's black residents who celebrate Mardi Gras in Indian finery, a tradition they call "masking" .... I heard this segment about 2 weeks ago and could not get their words out of my head ... thus does a mix get born. I called this one "Empathy" and it is the voice of Darryl Montana that opens the program (overlaid with All India Radio's Losing Houston) and sets the tone...

In the Downtempo mailing list this past year, one of the listmembers made a post that included a quote to the effect that sympathy for another's circumstances is the first step on the path to enlightenment. Whatever people may feel about the catastrophe on the Gulf Coast and the recovery attempts in the wake of Katrina and Rita, I can't imagine hearing Darryl Montana speak and not feeling a sense of Whoa, how the hell would I cope with that? It was a short step from there to the last track, Sade's Why Can't We Live Together? ... with inspiration provided along the way by the great tip on Gnarls Barkley's Crazy ... thanks to Warner Bros. promo for that last one.

Listen closely, you'll also hear RJD2, Norah Jones, Lamb, Thievery Corporation, UB40 and more....

Empathy, y'all.

Where do I begin?

This mix has class running through it like brighton through a stick of rock! (Sorry - that really is a reference lost to non-UK residents!)

A Mix that not only soothes the savage beast with it's gentle undulating rhythms early on, but also has a sociopolitical edge to it - not just the inspired use of Darryl & Larry (I Love the "we're in transition" overdub used during the actual mix transition), but also the Sarah Jones DJ Vadim tune Your Revolution.

Tempo fluctuates nicely, cutting across musical styles - bringing in one of my fave tunes from Birminghams finest pop reggae combo UB40 into another classic tune - Why Can't We Live Together, a version I'd not heard before from Sade, that I think I Love nearly as much as the Timmy Thomas original.


Encore, Encore!

R.

Agree with Wildr on this one

This had more class than an Eton day out (another UK-based reference )

The whole mix flowed beautifully ... not just spot-on mixing per se, but the whole feel, ebb & flow of it.

I'm not going to say any more ..... let the set do the talking

Neb.

Thanks for the comments, guys ... it's a rare thing that a non-musical element gets me started on creating a mix, and I felt lucky to have heard that NPR segment to begin with ... I didn't want to lay on the thematic bits with too heavy a hand, but this set definitely carved it's own path thru the crate.

cant get enough ub40. nice mix by the way.

Thanks! Totally agree about UB40, their sound just never gets old -- but then, I am a dub reggae head from way back...

Which reminds me ... I am due to drop another Dub & Dubber mix one of these days soon. Wonder if I can drum up a tag team partner for that?

Very very nice mix. . . While packing my CDs and Books, I've been really enjoying this mix.

wow, i caught that intro for the first time. moving. that's all i can say.

Glad to hear you were feelin' it ... it still kills me, every time

Talking of Dub Sounds....I'm sure your have one or two items from the master King Tubby himself ???? and the great producer Bunny Lee ???

King Tubby, most definitely ... Bunny Lee, mmmm, I'll have to check some of the small print on those CDs ...

Sooooo, Steve, does this mean you're a dub reggae fan also?

Just caught this mix (I know im bit late with it). Damn what quality! I love the use of different styles in it and the mix of older and more recent tracks (Gnarls Barkley's Crazy is great). The mixing was also tight (a lot better than my attempts at downtempo mixing).

Listening to this has made me realise that I havent been checking out enough of the BeatConscious mixes lately.

Bunny Lee was the main Producer for those awesome DUB Sounds from King Tubby The Original founder of the "DUB" sound and what innovation and mixing.Kiny Tubby started off working on Rocksteady tunes and started to remove the vocal track , boosting the bass and guitar parts and dropping echo and.or delay .. to get that cracking sound....If only the man was still around to share his secrets

dani, thanks ... geez, where's my little blushie icon when I need it!?! by all means, come back and check out a few more sets

Steve, I'm gonna pull out that King Tubby CD and revisit some of the glory days ... it's past time for a new Dub & Dubber mix on BeatConscious