Listen: Mo' Wax - "Urban Archaeology Kickstarter Mix"

Back in May we shared some video footage of Mo' Wax head honcho James Lavelle discussing the re-lanuch of the label and its 21 year anniversary. As reported the James and friends were planning an exhibition titled Urban Archaeology - which would then be turned into a book documenting the Mo’ Wax discography and story alongside a Kickstarter campaign to fund it all. The campaign easily reached its goal and the project is moving full steam ahead.  To celebrate James and Matthew Puffet released a special mix spanning the label’s history featuring tracks by Blackalicious, Hiroshi & Kudo, Innerzone Orchestra, Divine Styler, DJ Shadow, Unkle, Air, Nightmares On Wax, DJ Krush, Dr. Octagon, Liquid Liquid and many more clocking in at just under an hour and a half. 

Tracklist:

UNKLE – Intro (Optional)

DJ Shadow - In/Flux

Air – Modulor Mix

Nightmares On Wax – A Nights Interlude

The Psychonauts – Circles

DJ Krush – Kemuri

UNKLE – Rabbit In Your Headlights (The Underdog Remix)

Dr. Octagon – Blue Flowers

Blackalicious – Alphabet Aerobics

Liquid Liquid – Cavern 

DJ Shadow – Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)

Sam Sever – What’s That Sound? (Main Cut)

Hiroshi & K.U.D.O feat. DJ Milo – Return Of The Original Art-Form

Rob D – Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation)

Divine Styler – Directrix

La Funk Mob – Motor Bass Get Phunked Up (Electrofunk Remix by Ritchie Hawtin)

La Funk Mob – Motor Bass Get Phunked Up 

Innerzone Orchestra – Bug In The Bassbin

Innerzone Orchestra – Bug In The Bassbin (Jazz Mix)

UNKLE feat. Ian Brown – Reign (alternative version)

Rob D – Clubbed To Death (Peshay Remix)

UNKLE – In A State

DJ Shadow – Blood On The Motorway

James Lavelle presents : Urban Archaeology - A Classic Mo' Wax Def Mix by Dale Cooper on Mixcloud

Video: FACT TV - Mo' Wax founder James Lavelle's Archived Collection Part’s 1 & 2

Mo’ Wax, was a huge influence when I was growing up and attending high school, the leftfield hip-hop label that brought you artists like DJ Shadow, and originally introduced "those in the know" to fashion brands like A Bathing Ape turns 21 this year. 

To mark the occasion, the label are planning an exhibition titled Urban Archaeology - which will then be turned into a book documenting the Mo’ Wax discography and story (a little more on that and the forthcoming Kickstarter campaign behind it, here). James Lavelle, who co-founded the label in 1992 and would later form UNKLE with Shadow, has an incredible – bordering on mythical, for fans of the label – lock-up used to store his personal collection of records, Mo’ Wax memorabilia and more, and FACT TV, along with DJ Haus of Unknown to the Unknown and various other ventures, went down to check it out.

So far two episodes have aired and as you’d expect, Lavelle has stories for days.  In part one James shares some stories about personal favs in his collection, his days working at West London record store Honest Jon’s, visual collaborations with Will Bankhead and Massive Attack’s 3D and more.

In part two we see James dig through some of the older and rarer material in his collection – DAT tapes and all – and talks about the major influences on the label over the years.

Throwback Thursdays: Unkle - "Ape Shall Never Kill Ape"

I thought for this Throwback Thursday I would bring back a classic piece of wax from 1997, Unkle - "Ape Shall Never Kill Ape" (Toys Factory Records) featuring Nigo & the Scratch Perverts.  As you might be able to pull from its name, this track is chalk full of samples from the Planet of the Apes film series.

Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) eventually re-released this song on his debut album "Ape Sounds" (MoWax Records) 3 years later and called it "March of the General".  He technically only really produced this album (leaving musical duties to people like James Lavelle, Ben Lee, Money Mark, etc) and acted as art director but has continued to use the ape motif eventually creating his own music label (Ape Sounds) and through out his clothing line, BAPE which is singlehandedly responsible for making hip-hop kids look like fluorescent Anime characters.

BONUS: Nigo - "Kung Fu Fightin"

UNKLE x Medicom Toy Life luggage collection

UNKLE has teamed up with Medicom Toy Life to release a range of bags, there are three styles – a backpack, tote, and messenger waist bag (AKA Fanny pack). The bags feature imagery originally created by Futura over a camouflage print, with some natural leather accents on the upper and the zippers.

Available for pre-order now here.