More than enough has been written about Diplo, and if I have to ever read another interview where he talks about moving to North Philly, starting Hollertronix, breaking up with MIA, or popularizing Crunk, I may have to start poppin’ glocks down at the local alt weekly offices.But with amidst all the furious typing, one part of his empire gets overlooked: Mad Decent Radio, the DJ mix podcast he puts out for his Mad Decent record label.
The Most Recent Mix, The South Rakkas Crew’s South Rakkas Megasound, is exactly what I want to hear as the weather gets warmer. It’s total sunshine music, but at the same time hard enough to piledrive you into the ground. There’s no concept of dynamics or tension and release – only massive bass, hands in the air highs and ear damaging 808 percussion, all turned up as loud as possible. It was apparently created to represent Canada in the Riddim World Cup last year, which is not an event I could have made up.

The mix is over an hour long, and mostly consists of 5 floor flattening, skeletal, “electro-dancehall” riddims that SRC produced. They mix together anywhere from 6 to 23 tracks with each riddim, periodically switching things up with a remix, and constantly dropping huuuge cheesy airhorn effects and lazers. Also, in true dancehall fashion, the DJs shout over everything. Few things are better than hearing “BIG UP CANADAAAAAA” over and over again in thick Jamaican accents.

The real highlight, though, is the riddims, especially Clappas, which sounds like drunk robots with casiotones blasting “Spirit in the Sky” over an enormous PA.

Also, the mix is out to promote SRC’s new EP for Mad Decent, remixes of the track Mad Again. I love the use of icy, fashion-disco synths on a dancehall track. If you’re a dj, you probably have this already, but I guess I just can’t miss out on an opportunity to BIG UP CANADAAAAAAA!!! BULLET BULLET!!!

South Rakkas Megasound Mix:
http://web.mac.com/diplo1978/mad_decent_radio_worldwide/mad_decent_radio/Entries/2008/4/10_mad_decent_worldwide_radio_26_-_SOUTH_RAKKAS_MEGASOUND_-_MAD_AGAIN_OUT_NOW!!.html

The ridiculous tracklist: (excel spreadsheet!)
http://www.maddecent.com/src/Rakkas%20World.xls

Mad Decent: http://maddecent.com/