For Matthew Africa, a mixtape

This mix is very close to my heart in that it's a tribute to my friend Matthew Africa, whom we tragically lost in a car accident earlier this September. For those of you who were lucky enough to know him, I'm sure you share my joy in remembering him while also feeling the still acute pain of losing him. Matthew was an extraordinary guy. A sweet, thoughtful and generous friend who despite his astounding musical knowledge, unparalleled record collection (at least 2 of everything!) and massive talent on the turntables lived every moment of his life with deep humility and respect. Matthew and I met while volunteering at KALX in the late 90s and I was fortunate enough to have him DJ my wedding back in 2005. Matthew was a very special person who had a profound effect on so many of our lives. He will live in our hearts and our headphones forever. 

In this collection I've pulled together songs that Matthew turned me on to, music that I know he liked and tracks that remind me of him. Here are a few song notes (full track list and mix below):

Rodger Collins - "Foxy Girls In Oakland": I had to include this one not only because it pays tribute to the ladies of Matthew's Oakland but also because it was reissued on the Luv 'n Haight record label to which Matthew contributed. He was working at SF record store Groove Merchant in the early 90s when store owners Mike and Jody McFadin launched the label and Matthew helped compile and write liner notes for some of their releases. Listen to his selection of Luv 'n Haight faves here. 

Quincy Jones - "Summer In The City": This song is a tribute to Matthew's crazy record collection which included tons of original breaks and beats. "Summer In The City" was released on Quincy's 4-sider I Heard That! and is probably the first record I ever went digging for based on a hip hop sample. After hearing The Pharcyde's "Passing Me By" I had to get my hands on the LP from which the sample came. After searching for what felt like forever at the time, I found a mostly decent copy of I Heard That! for $15 at Big Al's Record Barn in San Jose. I wanted to use the vinyl version for this mix but unfortunately it's crackle and wide dynamics were no match for today's CD mastering.

Lijadu Sisters - "Life's Gone Down Low":  Matthew included this song on a couple of his mixes and it was the first song I heard in my head after I found out about his death. It's such a wonderfully melancholic funk song. It has a sad theme but an ultimately positive message. The Lijadu Sisters are twin sisters from Nigeria who were mostly unknown in the US until Knitting Factory reissued some of their albums over the last few years. Mostly unknown to everyone but Matthew, that is. Of course he had this song on the original 45.

Peter King - "Prisioner of Law":  I met Matthew while volunteering at KALX, UC Berkeley's free-format radio station. I first discovered the reissue of Peter King's excellent album, Shango in the feature section at KALX and I'm pretty sure that Matthew reviewed it. If not this record, he reviewed many like it and a good Matthew Africa review meant the record was solid. I often picked records for my show based on Matthew's reviews.

Bobbi Humphrey - "Jasper Country Man": One of my favorite Matthew Africa mixes is the tribute he did to two of his favorite producers, the Mizell Brothers. Responsible for many of the funky soul jazz records of the 70s, the Mizell Brothers wrote, produced and performed on the songs of Donald Byrd, Johnny Hammond, Gary Bartz, Bobbi Humphrey and others who were sampled like crazy by 90s hip hop artists. Check out Matthew's Mizell Brothers mix here. 

Darondo - "Didn't I": This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Also reissued on Luv 'n Haight, I know it was one of Matthew's favorites too.

DeBarge - "I Like It": Matthew once responded to an El DeBarge dis by saying something like he'd be honored to play any track from the DeBarge family. This one is my personal fave.

The Ohio Players - "Ecstasy (Matthew Africa extended edit)": Another Matthew favorite. He said he didn't play it enough because it was too short (originally 2 mins 27 seconds) so he created a beautiful extended version. This song above all others gets me all teary thinking of Matthew every time I hear it. I must look a crazy hot mess to people driving next to me on the freeway when the song comes on my car stereo and I sing "I could never do without you, Oh no oh no" at the top of my lungs with tears streaming down my face. 

The Gap Band - "Outstanding": Matthew called "Ecstasy" one of the "most joyous records" he knew so I had to follow it with "Outstanding" which is one of the most joyous records I know and a good one to cheer me up after Ecstasy makes me a little sad. It's another song which I will always sing at the top of my lungs and turn up really loud every time it plays.

Natural Resource - "I Love This World": I also had to include some 90s hip hop on this mix since Matthew was pretty much a hip hop expert and had a special affinity for 90s indie hip hop. I had to literally dig for this 12" behind a bunch of bins of outgrown baby clothes and boxes of cables and wires in my garage. Somewhat shamefully, I hadn't yet unpacked my records after our last move but I sho nuff dusted them off for this mix. I didn't even realize how rare this record is until I started looking into it. I don't think this song was ever released on any format other than vinyl and of course it's no longer in print. The female voice on this cut is the fantastic Jean Grae who went by the name What? What? at the time. Released in 1997,  "I Love This World" is one of my favorite indie hip hop singles of the 90s. The 12" was initially recommended to me by Ken Hamilton (KFJC's Spiderman) when we worked together at Rasputin in San Jose. Ken was another great Bay Area DJ whose death was tragic and untimely. This song is here as a tribute to both Matthew and Ken. 

Melvin Bliss - "Synthetic Substitution": Perhaps one of the most sampled records ever, "Synthetic Substitution" is a really weird and sinister soul tune about man-made things replacing everything natural, including, potentially Melvin's lady. Sampled by everyone from the Ultramagnetic MCs to Easy E (some artists multiple times on different songs), the drum beat intro of this song is instantly recognizable. Matthew compiled an incredible 47-song deep mix of songs that sampled "Synthetic Substitution". Check it out here. There's a documentary on Melvin Bliss's life. Peep the trailer here. 

Nice & Smooth - "Hip Hop Junkies (Spanish Fly Mix)": Whenever this song played, Matthew was compelled to instantly hit the dance floor. I can see him dancing in my head every time I hear it. 

Sly & The Family Stone - "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa": Sly and The Family Stone were one of Matthew's faves and I've always loved the nearly subterranean bass on this track. It's a slower, nastier version of Sly's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)". "Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa" is another excellent melancholic funk song but it doesn't necessarily come across as such unless you really listen to the lyrics (which are kind of hard to decipher beyond the bass vibration). It's the deepest track on There's A Riot Goin' On and perhaps one of the deepest funk songs ever.

Track list:

1. The Detroit Emeralds - Baby Let Me Take You
2. Eddie Jacobs Exchange - Pull My Coat
3. Esther Williams - Last Night Changed it All
4. Rodger Collins - Foxy Girls In Oakland
5. Al Green - I'm a Ram
6. Esther Marrow - Chains of Love
7. Mike James Kirkland - Hang On In There
8. Gwen McCrae - 90% Of Me Is You
9. Heath Bros. - Smilin' Billy Suite Pt. 2
10. Siah & Yeshua - Pyrite
11. Quincy Jones - Summer In The City
12. Lorez Alexandria - I'm Wishin'
13. The Isley Brothers - Summer Breeze
14. Lijadu Sisters - Life's Gone Down Low
15. Peter King - Prisoner of Law
16. Bobbi Humphrey - Jasper Country Man
17. B.T. Express - Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)
18. Essence - Fever (Instrumental)
19. Darondo - Didn't I
20. DeBarge - I Like It
21. The Ohio Players - Ecstasy (Matthew Africa extended edit)
22. Outstanding - The Gap Band
23. Heartbeat - Larry Levan
24. Natural Resource - I Love This World
25. Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf - Methods
26. Womack & Womack - T.K.O.
27. Nancy Wilson - Tell Me The Truth
28. Thomas East - Slippin' Around
29. Melvin Bliss - Synthetic Substitution
30. Nice & Smooth - Hip Hop Junkies (Spanish Fly Mix)
31. Ray Barretto - Acid
32. Gary Bartz - Music Is My Sanctuary
33. Slave - Just A Touch Of Love
34. Jody Gayles - You Gotta Push
35. Creative Source - You Can't Hide Love
36. Remember Me - The Trinikas
37. Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa