It's random, i know, but I can't not post one of my favorite Mos Def tracks

Random night chillin w/ some YouTube favorites...

Mos Def, Eminem, Black Thought Freestyle

My buddy Nish sent me this freestyle posted on WorldStarHipHop. Mos Def is always sick, love everything he does from his downtempo soul to hip hop

Designer Drugs - Drop Down (via Penned Madness)

Listening to new Designer Drugs - Drop Down, nonstop. Beats kickin my head in and then drop down a bit, makin me dance on a beatiful sunday afternoon. I kinda want to stop watching football and working on b-school apps, this track is taking over.

Found via Hype Machine and Penned Madness (click link to see original post)

Properly Chilled Lounge Nights

Shout out to Brandon and peeps at Properly Chilled. I haven't been to his lounge night at MARE in Saratoga Springs, NY, but if I were around you gotta believe I'd be there in a second. I'll post again when the next night is coming up, but wanted to let y'all know ahead of time.

Ancient Astronauts

Holy crap its been too long. I'm back with a strong endorsement of Ancient Astronauts. AA is one of ESL Music's newest artists, and they are a downtempo treat. Hip-hop inspired beats from Germany and production and guest vocals from Pharcyde legends. Check it out: "Ancient Astronauts' debut album, titled "We Are To Answer," features a variety of new sonic collaborators including Bootie Brown and Imani of legendary hip hop group The Pharcyde, Azeem, Tippa Irie, Bajka, Phat Old Mamas, Ulf Stricker, Raashan Ahmad and Entropik. A block-rockin’ boom-bappin’ sonic tour-de-force, "We Are to Answer" is a musical vision of life on Earth and beyond!"

Nude vs. Flashbaxx

I hadn't heard of Nude before hearing Flashbaxx's downtempo take on some serious drum and bass. I've only heard Flashbaxx's original work, and their remixes of others' music stays true to their "Jack of all Trades" form. I love the way Flashbaxx takes Nude's hard hitting bass hooks and takes it down a notch to the downtempo listeners comfort zone.

I found myself appreciating not only the way Flashbaxx created chilled treats, but Nude's foundation of jungle beats was still stuck in my head. I had to listen to Nude first - and I found myself hooked on Nude for a good while. Click the link above to listen to the remixes, then click this link to listen to Nude's originals. It'll depend on your mood, but I'm lovin both versions.

Language of the World - Dancing

Check this video of "Dancing" - a random dude named Matt gets sent around the world by his company and decides to do something silly with it. Nearly 11 million people have seen this video and its been sent to me dozens of times in the past months. Everytime I watch it i feel at peace. The music grabs me and helps me find tremendous meaning in this video. The soundtrack nearly brings me to tears - its a wonderful and emotional track by Garry Schyman titled "Praan" (written especially for this video)

Mystic Man & Eshamanjaro Remix - check the "Rambler"

Reso and Hektagon remix Mystic Man & Eshamanjaro’s jazzy and rambling breaks and hip-hop hooks in their own respective style. Reso’s drum and bass influence deconstructs “Minds I” to deliver an extroverted electronica remix of what once was a reflective downtempo self-exploration. Meanwhile, Hektagon remixes “The Rambler” – an appropriate track considering Hektagon’s specialty in mixing dub and breakbeats while staying true to the track’s original intent.

Reso has a tendency to deconstruct. Many of his remixes carry only a sliver of semblance of the original track. True to form, Reso’s remix of “Minds I” only takes broken loops of the original “Minds I” vocal hook and adds completely new techno beats. Even listeners who know “Minds I” wouldn’t recognize Reso’s remix. Reso adds a whole new dimension and removes the introspective tone of the original. The electronica spin creates a new wonder and drum and bass amazement. It’s a techno track now, devoid of what once was “Mind’s I.”

Hektagon tends to hold on to the spirit of the original tracks he remixes. On “The Rambler” Vocal Remix, Hektagon masterfully shifts the song’s energy between dub, techno and jazz while keeping the tumbling drums, big band horns and pinball effects. This remix cuts the best vocal slices from Eshamanjaro and remixes Mystic Man’s beats to create a new flow shifts between a trip-hop lounge vibe and hip hop showcase.

A final remix, Hektagon’s “Rambler” Dub Remix, focuses on the beats and removes the track’s vocals. The original version had a rambling vocal flow that was accentuated by Eshamanjaro’s rhymes. This version makes the music ramble with purpose, creating an engaging and fresh take on an already unique sound.

(originally written by Downbeatscape for ProperlyChilled.com)