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May 01, 2015 mixtapes By Laura Studarus

On June 1-5, Marina Di Ravenna, Italy will host the fourth edition of Beaches Brew—a free festival featuring the Thee Oh Sees, Viet Cong, Shabazz Palaces, and more. As per our tradition, we’re running a series of mixtapes leading up to the event. The first comes from DJ Fitz, who will be spinning on June 1 alongside Wooden Wisdom, which is Elijah Wood (yep, that Elijah Wood) and Zach Cowie (a.k.a. Turquoise Wisdom).

“If a Turkish disco diva, a Nigerian record producer, and a Brazilian cabaret dancer all got together circa 1976, I would be playing their party,” DJ Fitz says of his mix, which he calls Tropical Funk Vibes. Listen below. If you’re headed to Italy, you can grab all the event details here.

DJ Fitz Mixtape (Beaches Brew Edition) by Under_Radar_Mag on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

1. Asha Putli: Flying Fish - Gritty funk from the mid-70s, featuring the amazing, breathy vocals of one of India’s finest divas, Asha Putli.

2.Nohelani Cypriano: Lihue – “This is the first Hawaiian Funk Jam I ever heard, from the late 70s; soulful boogie with sensual, spacy vocals from a true legend of Hawaiian music. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.

3. Mike Lundy: Rhythm of Life - Another Hawaiian Funk Bomb, courtesy of the relatively obscure, but very very worthy, Mr. Mike Lundy.

4. The Headhunters: God Made me Funky - The band who backed Herbie Hancock in the mid 70s made some seriously heavy and deep cuts of their own. This is one of them, featuring bass player Paul Jackson on lead vocals.

5. Leon Lowman: The Want - Surfer, psychedelic synth player, and beach vagabond Leon Lowman laid down some killer grooves in the early 80s on the beaches of Rhode Island, USA. His album Liquid Diamonds is well worth checking out.

6. Mandre: Fair Game - Proto-electro funk from Motown, courtesy of Andre Lewis. This is a cover of an old Crosby, Stills and Nash tune; it keeps the soulful/folk vibe of the original, but adds some trippy synth/808-style keys to the mix.

7. Abeti Masikini: Usisilike (1977) - Masikini is one of the great African singers of the 1970s and beyond. This slow-burning funk jam has heavenly vocals, and was recorded in Paris in 1977 by famed French disco Producer Slim Pezin. This is HOT!

8. Mix Plate: Reggae Music - Another Hawaiian JAM—funky as hell with a reggae buzz. This is a very obscure track, but worth its weight in gold.

9. Linval Thomspon: I love Marijuana (Jamaican Collie version) - Great Jamaican toaster/producer sings about his love of the herb.

(www.facebook.com/BeachesBrewFestival)

(www.beachesbrew.com)