In 2007 around the birthday of the late James Yancey aka J Dilla, Carlos Nino mentioned he and collaborator/composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson would be creating an album of J Dilla covers by way of a full orchestra band. Favorite cuts such as Dilla-produced “Nag Champa” from Common’s “Like Water for Chocolate” and “Find A Way” from A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Love Movement” trickled into the light via Myspace among other places creating a great amount of hype around the project. “Suite for Ma Dukes” is not only a tribute to the late Dilla but also to his mother, Maureen Yancey aka Ma Dukes. This is beautiful music right here. All 4 covers on “Suite for Ma Dukes” are extremely lovely and preserve the uniqueness and soulfulness of Dilla’s production in his absence. According to a recent blog post at Mochilla, if you listen carefully rain can be heard during the bassoon sections of “Antiquity.” Miguel Atwood-Ferguson explains that the rain hitting the sky light of the Bomb Shelter recording studio that it was Dilla.

Mochilla has started putting out mixes by known producers and DJs. The mixes are entirely up to them whether they include any of their own material or simply the work of others. Kutmah's "Dusted Soul" is a nice 52 track DJ mix of acts ranging from Madlib and Ta'Raach to Mr. Oizo and Hudson Mohawke. I've always been a fan of Kutmah's mixes (check "Cities to Mountaintops" if you can), track selections, and even his own productions (check "Warm Like the Sunshine" EP). Kutmah's mixing style is raw. He doesn't perform any mixing tricks or crazy scratches (while certainly capable) throughout "Dusted Soul." Instead he lets the dirty and raw beats speak for themselves. Highly recommended for those commutes to work or if you've got a few friends over and are wanting to listening to some head nodding beats.