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While there has been some actual resurgence in the art of the mixtape (though who has a tape player anymore?) we use that term loosely to mean a lot of things in the digital age. One thing is for sure – a mixtape is pretty much always free. 2011 saw a lot of artists simply giving away entire album’s worth of music to listeners for the cost of a click. Here are 11 of our favorites.
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Chicago duo The Hood Internet bring you Trillwave. These guys refuse to box themselves into playing or even liking one genre – they like rap, indie, r+b, hip-hop, and rock and they like it all at the same time. So, when they smush it all together, what comes out is very clever mashups: Birdman and Washed Out, Jamie Foxx and Röyksopp, Drake and Beach House, you get the idea.
[Badge num="10" class="eleven"/] Waaaaay back in 1995 Fiend was on Master P’s No Limit label with the likes of Mystikal. Back then hip hop had very different sound, especially on that label: simplistic, synth-based and aggressive. Reappearing now as International Jones, you’d hardly even know Fiend is the same guy. All the tracks are laid back, with meticulous production (yes, that IS Marvin Gaye) and a very mellow roll. The blog Space Age Hustle refers to this sound as “cloud rap” saying “the more we thought about it, the more we felt that there was enough steam behind this growing movement towards blunted, ethereal, otherworldly beats and lyrics.” In honor of the Tribe documentary which came out earlier this year, Toronto DJ M-Rock put out this expertly mixed 60-track hour of good times, with all your favorite Tribe songs. You want this. Ok fine this is technically a podcast not a mixtape, but whatever – you still want it. Chicago’s Chrissy Murderbot killed it this year with his super fun, high energy set, and there’s no one else quite like him. Check out the video for his debut album, Women’s Studies, and you can also check out his label Sleazetone Records. XLR8R bring us this podcast from their always spot-on series, and it features Mr. Murderbot in top form, presenting his raved-up dancehall, electro, techno, and booty-bass in an hour long mix. This mix came out early in 2011, just as Clams was starting to make a serious name for himself with the likes of Soulja Boy, Mobb Deep’s Havoc and Lil’ B – though he’d never actually met any of them. Or eaten clams casino. Back then he was living with his mom in NJ, studying to become a physical therapist, and making beats on the side. At this point I think the physical therapy might be on the back burner. His production is beautiful if often a touch melancholic. Full of synth and often layered with lush vocals and sparkling samples, these instrumentals stand firmly on their own. Heads up rock n roll fans: Al Lover sent us this one and boy are we glad. A journey into the depths of fuzzed out boom bap chaos, it’s a collection of current garage / psych rock tunes from the likes of Jeff The Brotherhood, Thee Oh Sees and Shapes Have Fangs, chopped up into tweaked-out, instrumental hip-hop slabs. Inspired by the revitalized garage / psych scene in SF, Lover takes his own approach incorporating an MPC and guitar pedals to very sexy effect. 
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Ok, this one is a banger. London-based DJ/producer Meat Katie (Mark Pember) has built up a bit of a reputation for laying waste to whatever dance floor he presides over, and this mix does not disappoint. It is complete and utter wickedness: main room, 3am, gritty bass-lines, hard breaks and a 100-minute set that is sure to get your blood pumping.
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Seriously, this stuff is batshit crazy. First came the awesome skate video for Spread Eagle Across The Block . Then came “Guillotine” featuring possibly the scariest man in America – he makes Zach de la Rocha look like a sleeping kitten. Everyone involved with the project was rocking the anonymous thing too – seems ducking the spotlight got you famous in 2011. Turns out this is the work of LAs MC Rage and Hella’s Zach Hill. 13 tracks of relentless, bass-blasting, hip-hop madness, dipping into everything from glitched-out dubstep and warped reggaeton, to uber-processed metal guitars and samples from every genre, culture and era that you can think of.
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The debut mixtape from Harlem rapper A$AP Rocky was a huge success, as was the video for breakout track “Peso.” The mix boasts five cuts with production from Clams Casino along with guest appearances from Main Attrakionz and Spaceghostpurrp. Rocky inked a deal for a cool $3 million with Sony/RCA’s Polo Grounds Music, so you’ll be hearing more from him for sure.
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It’s absolute genius. The name says it all. It’s Wu-Tang. It’s Fugazi. It’s Wugazi. It’s like an early 90’s dream is what it is. Download at once, listen repeatedly.
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Hands down, no question, House Of Balloons is the winner. Not only is it get the top slot for 2011’s mixtapes, this album far surpasses many of this year’s traditional releases you were supposed to pay for. The way the entire project unfolded: the slowly leaked videos, the mystery surrounding the individual(s) behind the project (we now know it’s Toronto-based Abel Tesfaye and sometimes Drake) only fanned the buzzy flames. Once the complete album dropped, the hipster band samples (Siouxsie and the Banshees, Beach House), the next level production, Tesfay’s incredible voice and some of the sexiest, darkest and most disturbing lyrical content of the year sealed the deal. You like? Check out the second installment, Thursday, and the final piece, Echoes of Silence, which released yesterday.
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