Friday Free For All: La.Ga.Sta Comp + D.R.A.M. Epic Summer Mixtape

Various Artists – La.Ga.Sta Late Summer Compilation, Vol. 4

Sneaking in just days before the Autumnal Equinox, the La.Ga.Sta music blog has just released the fourth installment of its yearly Late Summer Compilation series, showcasing unreleased and overlooked tracks from some of the most exciting acts in electronic music and nu disco.

This year’s compilation is the best yet and I cannot recommend it enough.

Los Angeles is well represented on the 15-track compilation with previously unreleased contributions from Poolside, Daniel.T. (of Cosmic Kids), and a super tight tropical cover of The Smiths’ “Ask” by Woolfy vs. Projections.

There’s also new tracks by KCRW favorites like Psychemagik, Sinkane, Larry Gus and one of my favorite jams of 2014 by Brooklyn’s Hidden Fees.

And did I mention you get all of this for free?!? Crazy, right?

Just head over to the La.Ga.Sta blog to download the entire compilation.

D.R.A.M – #1 Epic Summer mixtape

I don’t know a whole lot about Virginia-based singer/rapper, D.R.A.M. and Google isn’t much help, but based on the cover for his #1 Epic Summer mixtape (above), he seems like a pretty fun guy.

Need another reason to think D.R.A.M. is a pretty fun guy? This song:

There is so much YES in “Cha Cha“, I hardly know where to begin…Dirty South 808s with heavy low-end? Check.

Super Mario Bros sample? Check.

Unique and catchy delivery? Check.

I’m no musicologist, but I’m pretty sure that “Cha Cha” would not be classified as actual cha cha music, but that is beside the point — it’s a great track.

Elsewhere on the #1 Epic Summer mixtape, D.R.A.M. is at his most interesting when he’s in his irreverent crooner mode, like on “Feet In The Water” and “Never Again“.

#1 Epic Summer, which includes “Cha Cha“, is available as a free download on D.R.A.M.’s website.