WARMER MIXTAPES #936 | by Linden Berelowitz [Linden Jay]

1. D'Angelo | One Mo'Gin
No matter where I am in the World, if i'm feeling Positive or Negative, this tune is like an Automatic Reset back to Zero. The amount of times I've left a stressful situation or session, or sitting on a plane from one place to the next, the second I hear Questlove's Snare, Pino Palladino's Bass and D'Angelo's Voice and Keys, it instantly calms my mind.

 2. Stevie Wonder | Have A Talk With God
This record was way before it's time. I remember listening to it in the car with my dad whilst driving in Cape Town, South Africa and my innocent mind thinking damn, this is some futuristic shit for a track written in 1976. It sounds like some early, Underproduced Fying Lotus Beat! As I'm doing this interview sitting at my desk in my Studio, the album Songs In The Key Of Life that this track's off is framed right above my Monitor.

3. Noisia | The Tide 
As a Drummer and Producer, this track is like my Bible. It's the most unbelievable demonstation of Sound Design and insane Drum Programming. Noisia have had a huge influence on the way I play Drums and their incredible Sound Design (particularly their Baselines) is always something I look up to. For one of my final Drum Exams at Berklee, I actually notated this whole tune by hand and then performed it on Drums - it was definitely a workout!

4. Missy Elliott | Work It 
I have a clear memory of listening to this track in Geography Class on one headphone tucked round the back of my hoody so the teacher couldn't see… It's just one of those tunes that was before it's time and everyone loved and still loves. Can't fault Timbaland's Production on this one!

5. Count Basie & His Orchestra | Lil' Darlin'
To me this is the definitive Less Is More record. My good friend Nick Hakim who I studied with in Boston showed me this tune once in the early hours of the morning. His tracks have so many elements of this feel in it. I feel like a king would get back after a long day out, light a cigar and listen to this track. Not every track has to have a stonking 4/4 Kick Drum Pattern - but I do Love it!



6. Michael Jackson | Rock With You
This is some of the best Musicianship you can ever hear on a record. The combination of Quincy Jones' Arrangements, one of the Greatest Rhythm Sections of All Time and obviously Michael Jackson's Vocals is the perfect equation for an All Time Classic. There's a Classic story with this track: I'd been suffering from a bad back for a few years and then at an After Party in Dijon, France with Reeps One, when this track came on, out of nowhere I decided to start Breakdancing in the middle of a circle of Hip Hop heads. The track just felt so good I couldn't resist to bust some moves… I felt the pain the next morning and it set me back a few months in my repairing process, haha.

7. James Blake | Air & Lack Thereof
One of those song for late night long car journeys. I think I listened this about 20 times driving back from Bestival a few years ago. Everyone was asleep in the car so I just zoned out to this…

8. Flying Lotus | $tunt$
In one word I'd describe this track as gritty. I'm a huge FlyLo fan and this track always stuck out in particular. It's a really great Hip Hop/Dance Crossover and I've never really heard anything like it. It's kind of got a Justice vibe to it and on that note…

9. Justice | Let There Be Light
Justice brought that Rock 'N' Roll Distorted Guitar vibe back to Dance Music (in a non Dubsteppy way). This tune reminds me of being at School, going to the Drum Room on lunch breaks and smashing the absolute living daylights of the Drum Kit with headphones turned up way too loud. Every time I listen back to this track I still can't believe how Distorted it is and it reminds me that I need to keep my Music gritty as well as smooth and clean.

10. Jaylib | The Red (Instrumental)
I had to save the best 'til last… J Dilla (James Yancey) is without a doubt my biggest influence in my approach to Beat Making. You may not hear it directly in my work but Dilla's feel has massively shaped the 'Bouncy' style that I use a lot in my tunes. For months of my life I've had his Discography on loop and I chose this track as it's a prime example of how he makes the simplest things so amazing. No one else out there can make a Kick, Snare and Hi Hat feel so good. R.I.P.!