During early 2008 whilst listening to J Dilla’s Ruff Draft LP in a haze of lingering smoke and half-drained longnecks, the idea for a concept mixtape dedicated to the life and works of the late great J Dilla began to formulate over the remaining hours of the evening. Over the remaining months Sydney-siders The Igloo and DJ D*Phy teamed up to create The Ruff Craft Mixtape; a concept release doubling as a tribute and ode to one of the worlds most talented and respected hip hop producers hailing from Detroit: The late great James Dewitt Yancey, AKA Jay Dilla. Often dubbed as “your favourite producers favourite producer”, Jay Dee has crafted beats for the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, Common, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul and Slum Village to name a few, along with countless remixes, solo productions and unreleased beat tapes.

The Ruff Craft Mixtape is comprised entirely of the finest hand picked Dilla instrumentals from start to finish, with The Igloo handling mic duties and cuts interlaced by D*Phy over seamless beat mixes. Both artists aim to deliver originality and diversity over Jay Dee’s smooth soundscapes, paying tribute in tracks such as ‘Ode to Dilla’ and to the city of Sydney in ‘Celebrations’. Throughout the mixtape there is plenty of mentions of keeping an art-form pure and staying true to the roots of the music. “Some fucking rappers only kick what’s real/ life’s cheap/ I don’t need to sell out Dill” is a statement of keeping projects like The Ruff Craft Mixtape to an acclaimed underground audience as much as possible.

The Ruff Craft Mixtape was originally made exclusively available as a limited edition release of 100 hand-numbered audio-cassette tapes, staying true to the definition of a 'mix tape' as well as representing the work ethic and analogue preferences of J Dilla’s production techniques and grimy sounds. The A side featured all the tracks mixed and blended together over 45 minutes, with all the instrumentals left to shine for themselves on the B side.

Now almost half a decade later, the project has been released in digital format for those that missed out on cassettes and for purveyors of Dilla's music.

R.I.P Jay Dee.

This Friday. Get in the mood with this mix from Oisima.

Sydney locals Centa Left recently dropped their new clip 'Chloroform'. Fans of raw raps and well crafted beats can expect good things from this crew with more releases around the corner. Stay updated via their Facebook page here.

We all want more, what separates us is those that are willing to give it all up to get there.

An inquisitive impulse propels the engine for this new collection of work by Takie. Intrigued by the notion that no matter how well you know someone, how much time you spend with them and how familiar they are – you can never accurately predict how they will behave. We are bound by chemistry and desire to delve deeply into and unwrap the psyche of those closest to us – to understand why they do what they do. The only way to build these layers of perception is to first let go of the energies we harbor from the past. Shedding the weight of ingrained burdens to lighten the load for what is to come.

'More Is Never Enough' - Takie from Chris Loutfy on Vimeo.

Facebook event here. Check out more of Takie's work here as well as her interview over at Acclaim Magazine!

"For the third episode of H?SHTAG$ -- our web series chronicling Internet-based music -- we turn our attention to the 808 drums and Enya loving, Internet-born micro-culture referred to as "Cloud Rap." Featured artists include Main Attrakionz, Flatbush Zombies, SpaceGhostPurrp, Robb Banks and London's Piff Gang."

Check out the first few episodes that we covered here.

We have a double pass to give away thanks to the kind folks at Way-2-Fonky. Head to our Facebook page for your chance to win!

Via Hurt You Bad.

Stream Below or download here.

Download Mixtape | Free Mixtapes Powered by DatPiff.com

Much love to our homies the Spit Syndicate, and big thanks for the shout out in this track!

For more on the Sunday Gentlemen head to the Spit Syndicate site

Black Is Beautiful is a growing visual database of marker pens from the past few decades, arranged in alphabetical order complete with detailed product shots and product specifications. A must see for any marker enthusiast. Check it out here!

Embassy - Twice (Little Dragon cover) from No Dice Paradise on Vimeo.

"Embassy is a project that blends instrumental hip hip, downtempo electronica with bold jazz harmony and improvisation. Years in the making its sound is thoughtful, considered and constructed with care. Equal parts ambient and moving, this is music that makes you feel. Armed with a refreshingly unique live show this young multi-instrumentalist is stepping boldly forward into the Australian electronic music scene".

Head over to Embassy's Soundcloud here for more beats, covers and remixes.

If you didn't make it down to the launch last night then take a look at these sneak peeks over at Artillery Magazine and source yourself a copy! Definitely one of this countries finest graffiti publications.

Resistance - Australia from Resistance Forever on Vimeo.

Resistance is an Australian hardcover publication compiled of images that document the methods and practices of graffiti culture, not focussing solely on the art itself. This book delves into the endeavours that typically can only be experienced, taking you personally through the adventure. Both the documented images in this book and in this short clip are taken from a singular Australian photographer. This clip shows insight into the contents of the book and the lifestyle led.

Check out Resistance Forever for more.

Don't forget their One Day Sunday's going down once a month at The Projects. Keep updated with the One Day Crew here.

Memorex from Smash TV on Vimeo.

Another great audio visual mashup from the people who bought you Skinemax.

"Memorex is the advertising industry's collective wet dream. The sequel to Smash TV's critically acclaimed "Skinemax", Memorex is a 50 minute VJ odyssey, a tribute to an entire generation who grew up with only a TV and a VCR for a babysitter.

Sourced from over forty hours of 80s commercials pulled from warped VHS tapes, Memorex is a deep exploration of nostalgia and the fading cultural values of an era of excess. It's a re-contextualization of ads - cultural detritus, the lowest of the low - into something altogether more profound, humorous, and at times, even beautiful.

Digging up long forgotten memories for a generation who spent their formative years glued to the boob tube, Memorex is a veritable nostalgia nuke for children of the 80s. Endless beach parties, Saturday morning cartoons, claymation everything, sleek cars, sexy babes, toys you forgot existed, station idents, primitive computer animation, all your favorite sugary cereal mascots, and so much more. An ode to the hyper consumerism and sleek veneer of a simpler time.

The audio provides a perfect accompaniment to the warped and weirdly nostalgic footage, like finding your favorite cassette from childhood after it’s been baking in the sun for 25 years. An authentic audio/visual package, Memorex was designed to look and feel like the real deal. The ultimate VHS tape."

For more info head to Niche Productions.

Visit our webstore here!

"HASHTAG$ is a new series of mini-documentaries from the Red Bull Music Academy, chronicling some of the most fascinating themes emerging from the web in recent times, from #cloudrap to #seapunk, #postdubstep to #advancedpop".

Keep an eye on the Red Bull Music YouTube channel for upcoming episodes.