With the holiday season in full swing and Santa busy separating the naughty from the nice, weve been blasting our favorite Christmas themed sounds around the clock here in the soulhead office. And we thought we would be remiss not to share a sampling of these festive tunes with you, our beloved readers.
So below, weve included a handful of awesome mixtape streams & downloads that are guaranteed to keep you and yours rockin around the Christmas tree all week long.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
The Notorious B.I.G. x Cookin Soul & DJ Whoo Kid | Ready for Xmas
What better way to ring in the holidays than with refreshed, Christmas-themed versions of throwback Biggie gems? Not a mixtape youll want to place in your childrens stockings, mind you, but it might just make a thoughtful gift for the more seasoned hip-hop heads in your family or circle of friends. [Track Listing]
Stream Here:
Safari Sound | Safari Sound Presents: A Reggae Christmas
The anxiety of Christmas shopping, planning and traveling getting you down? Well, one listen to this chilled-out mix featuring the delightful sounds of Reggae icons Horace Andy, Johnny Clarke, John Holt, Freddie McGregor, Toots & The Maytals, among many others, and your burdens are sure to disappear into thin air. [Track Listing]
Stream Here:
Chris Read & Mark Hype | The Worlds Greatest Christmas Mixtape
How can you not love a mix that kicks off with Debbie Harry and Fab 5 Freddys intro from the ultra-rare Yuletide Throwdown remix of Blondies Rapture? Featuring Fiona Apple, James Brown, Cheech & Chong, Bing Crosby, Eartha Kitt, Tom Waits, and a host of other artists, this is arguably the most varied and intriguing assemblage of songs among the mixtapes included here. [Track Listing]
Stream Here:
The Soul Preacher | Soulful Santa Gets Prepared
Jam-packed with holiday tunes courtesy of an impressive crop of legendary artists including Ray Charles, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, B.B. King, Otis Redding, and Stevie Wonder, this mix will ensure that you enjoy a soulful, jazzy and funky little Christmas, just as The Soul Preacher promises. [Track Listing]
Stream Here:
Kid Vector | The Rebirth of Yule
Mucho props are in order to Kid Vector for lacing us with these thrillingly reimagined electro and hip-hop imbued versions of classic big band, jazz and lounge holiday anthems. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, and Charlie Parker have never sounded as contemporary as they most definitely do here. A whimsical winter wonderland of a mix. [Track Listing]
Stream Here:
Mad Decent | A Very Decent Christmas
Global DJ extraordinaire and sonic mastermind Diplo founded the Mad Decent record label in 2005, and since then, the company has developed quite the expansive artist roster and discography of certifiable bangers. A few years ago, the label released a handful of Christmas-tinged reworkings of select singles from a sampling of Mad Decent artists, and subsequently unveiled a follow-up installment entitled A Very Very Decent Christmas late last year and a third installment just last week. Bang on.
Stream Here:
Cookin Soul | Xmas Mix
Revered for their unrivaled crate-diggin prowess and meticulous mixing savvy, the Spanish production/DJ duo strikes mixtape gold once again with this holiday-flavored offering. Among the many highlights are a young Michael Jackson introducing the proceedings before the mix segues into the Jackson 5s I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Kurtis Blows holiday hip-hop anthem Christmas Rappin, and Donny Hathaways classic This Christmas.
Stream Here:
Mick Boogie | A Mick Boogie Christmas
Now performing and recoding under the simplified moniker MICK, the Brooklyn-based DJ has been a powerful presence within the hip-hop mixtape community for years. Here, he delivers an undeniably entertaining mix comprised of old-school and new-school talents, as well as an updated 2012 version of Run DMCs classic Christmas in Hollis remixed by DMC himself. [Track Listing]
Free Download Here:
http://iammick.com/themes/Mick-Theme/music/Summertime_The_Mixtape_Vol__4.zip