Only a few months removed from their W2NDCH2LL instrumental tapes, the folks over at Mishka have returned with a brand new batch of head nodding beats. Instead of limiting their scope to one city, specifically Chicago, surf. & turf. find the brand highlighting talent from all over the United States. If you find it hard following all of the up-and-coming producers and movements—let's be honest, who doesn't—this is the collection for you. This double disk contains thirty eight never released instrumentals from a slew of artists, some established names appear alongside musicians who normally garner little press.
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Please be advised that with close to forty songs, even though majority clock in around two minutes, surf. & turf. is a long a tape: running over ninety minutes. Surprisingly, most of the tracks have a vibe close enough to their neighbor that the transitions are seamless; really helping the time seem to fly. However, you should have some heavy listening or be on a serious road trip, if planning to listen to this behemoth in one sitting.
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As previously noted, every region of continental America is represented. From Steel Tipped Dove who calls New York home, to Bay Area bred Al Jieh, there is a sound or an ambassador of your favorite musical city. surf. & turf's cohesive nature becomes more impressive when the cross-country factor is taken into account; it would be impractical to house all the producers together to create one chill vibe beat tape, yet they still pulled it off. Kudos.
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Veteran producers are definitely surf. & turf.'s selling point; the line up is filled with intriguing names typically found in the credits of major artists' for purchase full lengths. Yet here they are, in their full glory and free. Blue Sky Black Death, Swiff D, Nicodxmvs, Steel Tipped Dove, and Al Jieh all make appearances. Typically, they received more song time than their young counterparts, with BSBD's "Act This Way" running close to five minutes long. However, their skills and tools are noticeably a step above, which helps them shine.
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Although, some of the best records on this thing come from the upstarts and relatively unknowns. There are too many solid newcomers on this tape to not fill up your "recently added" iTunes playlist for weeks to come. Lyle Horowitz, PurpDogg, Keyboard Kid, Block Beattaz, Baghdaddy and more will make their indelible mark on your ear canals and memory. Some of the rawer rougher cuts, aren't mixed as perfectly as they could be, have the most replay value.
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surf. & turf. is an impressive achievement and mixtape. There is so much to love about it, you will be racing back to it, time and time again. There are definitely a few clunkers, which is to be expected from its breadth, but the overall result from this noble experiment is success. Check this out, especially if you are a fan of instrumentals. Stream surf. below.
