Myself & my trusted resident DJ, Doc Adam,
have collaborated w/ Los Angeles-based clothing line, Twelve Bar
to bring you a special two-part Fresh Selects Retrospective mix.

This first installment of The Porch Sessions,
is meant to be a time capsule of sorts –
an audible freeze frame of the first 12 months of music posted on Fresh Selects.
I wanted to compile everything from the site’s first year
just to kind of sum it all up,
put a period at the end of the sentence,
& cement the foundation for us to build on for the next steps.
It can also serve as a starter kit
for anyone who found out about the site after the fact,
as well as a thank you to everyone that’s been down since day one.

I went through all of the posts from the site’s first year
& selected some of my personal favorite tracks,
plus all of the ones that garnered the most response.
Almost all of the songs included in the mix were exclusives
released or premiered thru the site
& they all played a part in shaping the sound & style that I had been going for.
To convey the full progression as it unfolded,
I wanted to put them all in one mix
(which actually ended up being two separate, hour-long mixes
because there was just too much music)
& let them play in chronological order.

Since mixing songs in order of release,
& not by BPM/tempo/mood, etc.
basically goes against all the most basic rules of making a mixtape -
I knew I had to get the very best to make it happen right.
Enter Doc Adam (no pause).
Plus his apartment has The Porch, so it was a no-brainer.

Included are some kind words from the even kinder people @ Twelve Bar,
who presented the mix & co-premiered it on their site today as well,
+ the tracklisting w/ links to all the original posts
so you can get the full versions & back stories on all of the songs.
I’m still in the process of updating some of the older posts
from the first version of the site,
so if you find any dead links just leave a comment & I’ll fix it.

Free download of the one-track, hour-long mix can be found below,
& be on the look out for Part 2 of The Porch Sessions RTRSPCTV coming soon.

There is a lot we could say about FRSH SLCTS – the Portland-based digital label and multimedia platform that has been providing you with the best in hip-hop, soul and cutting-edge music since 2008. All of it would be good. But the main thrust is right there in their name, albeit without the vowels as is their style. Seemingly everything they do is fresh. Freshly presented, freshly considered, freshly packaged, and freshly curated. And that is the second part right there. Because the “selects” element of the name is also key, as they hand-pick artists and songs with the educated touch of a musical magician, never failing to bring out the very best available. And so when the chance came to bring you the exclusive FRSH SLCTS Retrospective mix, an anthology of some of their favorite songs from their early years, we jumped at it.

1. devonwho – Dungeonraps (2088 Archives)
2. DaveNotti – Notti Break #5 (Notti Breaks 2008)
3. PPP feat. J Dilla – Shotgun (Waajeed’s Plinky Remix) (single)
4. TaRaach & Konphlict feat. Big Tone & Kawshus – Socialize (single)
5. TaRaach & Konphlict – 10 Feet High (Giraffe Pussy) (single)
6. Miguel – Overload (Mischief: The Mixtape)
7. Little Dragon – Twice (live) (FRSH KPT SCRT)
8. M64 – Rhythm Of The Drum (single)
9. M64 – Helium (single)
10. Invincible & Finale – Don’t Sleep (single)
11. PPP feat. Coultrain – Angel (Waajeed Remix) (single)
12. Coultrain – The Wanderer (single)
13. SA-RA feat. Bilal – Master Teacher (demo #1) (“Master Teacher” EP)
14. SA-RA feat. Georgia Anne Muldrow – Master Teacher (demo #2) (“Master Teacher” EP)
15. SA-RA – Master Teazer (KenBts.’ Revenge Edit) (“Master Teacher” EP)
16. Hi-Res – Thisworld (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
17. devonwho – Hold Up Zelda (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
18. Finale – Ice (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
19. Knxwledge – Relief. (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
20. Fatima – Wildchild (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
21. Noni Limar – Monogamy (FRSH SLCTS – Loose Joints)
22. Super Smoky Soul feat. Guilty Simpson – Knockout Kings (New Worlds PRVW)
23. Karma Stewart – Withdrawal (The Karma EP)
24. PPP feat. Coultrain & Jamila Raegan – Synchronicity (Abundance Mixtape)
25. PPP feat. Coultrain & Jamila Raegan – Can’t You Feel It (Abundance Mixtape)
26. Fatima – Do I Know You? (FRSH KPT SCRT)
27. Ab & Daru feat. T3 – Dirty Soul (A Work In Progress PRVW)
28. Blu – Say Say (FSR #1)
29. SA-RA Creative Partners – High Moon Lust (FSR #1)
30. Cubic Zirconia – I Wanna Freebase You (FSR #1)
31. Johnson&Jonson feat. Miguel – Stadium (FSR #1)
32. Suzi Analogue – SageBurns (World. Excerpts 1-9)

Selected by KNNY FRSH
Edited by Doc Adam
Presented by Twelve Bar
Artwork by Twelve Bar & Dennis de Groot
Hosted by ♎ & ♐ for Team 1984

In case you haven’t figured it out by now – FRSH SLCTS is based in Portland, Oregon.
Apparently, we’re “not known for [our] hip-hop” –
so myself & the esteemed gentlemen at Ante Up PDX
have put together a full length compilation of why we should be.

What started out as a DJ mix for Ante Up (one of PRTLND’s livest dance parties),
put together by 2/3′s of the crew, Ronin Roc & Doc Adam,
for the party’s first year anniversary -
is now presented in full, tracked-out form
w/ all types of new exclusive tracks selected by yours truly.
The final outcome is an (overly-)full 24 track, 80 minute compilation,
w/ no host & no DJ, & all tracks being up to CD quality,
so each song is free to be spread around through radio, podcast, DJ sets, mixtapes, etc.

With the title, This Is PRTLND, sure to get us in some trouble already,
we did our best to include a little bit of (what we saw as) the best of everything –
the now (Illmaculate, TxE, Luck-One),
the O.G.’s (Lifesavas, Cool Nutz, Bosko),
the future (Vinnie DeWayne, Mat Randol, Young X),
the beats (devonwho, DaveNotti, Hi-Res)
& even some out of town guests (Freeway, Mayer Hawthorne, !llmind).
There’s still much that we left out – so we look forward to doing further installments in the near future.

Below (in respective order) you can see the full tracklisting, four previews from the comp, free download & full liner notes.
Dig in!

1. Stewart Villain – Pac Man’s Demise
2. TxE – The Intro (prod. TROX)
3. iLLAJ – AIRplane (DaveNotti Remix)
4. Al-One feat. Freeway & DJ Wicked – Can’t Stop (prod. Chase Moore)
5. Vinnie DeWayne – St. John’s Bridge (prod. PaperChase)
6. Hi-Res – Waffle Fries
7. Tope feat. Cool Nutz & Illmaculate – Yours
8. Mat Randol feat. Jon Belz – Cloudy (prod. Kid-A)
9. DaveNotti – Fire Mountain (instrumental)
10. N.VS x Calvin Valentine feat. BE.Water & Sam Trump – Who Run It (prod. G_Force)
11. Illmaculate feat. OnlyOne & J-Rome – Last Warning (prod. Illmind)
12. Al-One feat. KP & Bosko – May Be The One (prod. TROX)
13. M64 x Grillade – In The Pocket (Remix)
14. AM: Neja (Theory Hazit & Othello) – 1,000 Paper Cranes (prod. Mayer Hawthorne)
15. Hi-Res – Default Grooves (Wireframe)
16. Braille – Up (prod. Xperiment)
17. DaiN – DaiNtendo
18. Young X feat. Epp – Take Note (prod. Stewart Villain)
19. Theory Hazit – We Are The Ones (devonwho Remix)
20. Living Proof – Independent (prod. Tope)
21. Luck-One – Listen To The Rain (prod. Tony Ozier)
22. Lawz Spoken x Epp – Send Me An Angel
23. Lifesavas – And The Soul Goes On (prod. Rev Shines)
24. Natasha Kmeto – A Way To Love Me (devonwho Remix)

Selected by KNNY FRSH for Fresh Selects and Ronin Roc & Doc Adam for Ante Up
Artwork by Ronin Roc
Shout out to DJ Nature

1. Stewart Villain “Pac Man’s Demise”
Produced by Stewart Villain
Stewart (formerly known as Stewie Vuiton) is a beast! This kid is definitely one of my favorites doing it in the city right now – especially for the younger crowd. Usually the first song I’ll like by a younger Portland rapper will be because Stewie was on the beat. I’m willing to bet thats not a coincidence.

2. TxE “The Intro”
Produced by TROX
Scratches by DJ FlipFlop
from Rain In Cali Tour EP
This is the intro joint from TxE’s debut EP – one of my favorite releases of last year. I’m currently working with them on a re-release of this EP w/ exclusive bonus tracks as we speak, so stay tuned!

3. iLLA “AIRplane (Notti Remix)”
Remixed by DaveNotti
Original version produced by Stewart Villain
available on iTunes
If ever there was a reason to bring the term jiggy back – its iLLA. Formerly iLLAJ (not to be confused w/ Illa J from Detroit), iLLA is like… Portland’s Diddy. If you were out at a club or a party & DIDN’T see iLL there w/ a bottle, jumping on some furniture with some sunglasses on – then you were probably weren’t at the right party that night.
Notti killed this remix too!! One of my favorite beats from him to date. He stepped outta his comfort zone a little bit & matched iLLA’s vibe perfectly, & then iLLA re-spit his verses to the new beat which I thought was dope – kinda like how The Pharcyde used to do their remixes back in the day.

4. Al-One “Can’t Stop” featuring Freeway
Produced by Chase Moore
Scratches by DJ Wicked
This a joint Al-One (from Sandpeople, you might remember him from the Green Tape joint, “Cold Numbness”) leaked last year. It features the one and only, Philly Freezer, who Al met backstage when I booked Jake One & Freeway at my concert series @ The Fix last March. Thankfully, Free delivers much more than a typical token/phoned-in famous-rap-guy-cameo kinda verse – he kinda went OFF on this one actually! I think the banger-ass beat from North Cali’s Chase Moore, & Al’s verse had a lot to do with that. There’s no reason this song shouldn’t have blown up outside of the city.

5. V DeWayne “St. John’s Bridge”
Produced by PaperChase
from the Solitary mixtape
St. John’s is a neighborhood in North Portland, and for those who know – the St. John’s Bridge is one of the best views in the city. I first heard about Vinnie DeWayne from another St. John’s resident, Illmaculate – other than that, he just seemed to kind of come out nowhere. But I’m glad he did, he showed a lot of potential on his first mixtape, which he released himself through DatPiff & seemed to do pretty well with. He also shot a video to this joint which shows you some of PRTLND, including the Bridge.

6. Hi-Res “Waffle Fries”
Produced by Hi-Res
Hi-Res’ 1080 Beats is still one of my favorite projects that I’ve put out. Glad to have him back w/ two contributions here, plus an all new instrumental project dropping in a few weeks.

7. Tope “Yours” featuring Cool Nutz & Illmaculate
Produced by Tope
from the Soul Music album
This track is kind of a big deal. To have Tope from TxE/Living Proof, Cool Nutz the O.G. and Illmaculate all one track is crazy. I’ve always thought as Cool Nutz being to Portland what Proof is/was to Detroit – the great unifier who connects all the dots of the different crews within the city together. All three of them bring it on this track, and this is might be one of my favorite Tope beats as well.

8. Mat Randol “Cloudy” featuring Jon Belz
Produced by Kid-A
Backing vocals by Nikoyia & Voice
from the From Now Til Then mixtape
& also included on the SIVC Tape Vol. IV: Affiliated Artists mixtape
Mat Randol has been making a name for himself for a minute. Both under his own title of Choze & as a member of Neu Beginin. I think he’s definitely gonna be a name to watch so look out for more from him in the near future.
I hadn’t heard of Jon Belz until this, but he swagged his verse the fuck out! Definitely checking for him from now as well. Also, anyone who’s been here & gets down like that – knows that Portland has some of the country’s finest tree – so I figured it’s only right to have at least one song about smoking on here.

9. DaveNotti “Fire Mountain”
Produced by DaveNotti
Notti back at it w/ what he does best. Killing it with the NBA Jam “ON FIRE!” sample. Look out for Notti’s Get Live! coming here as soon as we finish it!

10. N.VS x Calvin Valentine “Who Run It” featuring BE.Water & Sam Trump
Produced by G_Force aka Calvin Valentine
Trumpet by Sam Trump
from the Trophy Cases EP
All the artists on this one make up 4 out of the 7 man group, Fang Tshida – an Oregon x Chicago hybrid group. N.VS and Calvin just started working another project, alongside DaiN and fellow members of the Fang, called Purple Haze Politics – so look out for more on that coming soon.

11. Illmaculate “Last Warning” featuring OnlyOne & J-Rome
Produced by !llmind
from the B.L.A.P. – Portland Edition mixtape
This track is another banger – something completely different from when we last heard Illmaculate. This one came together as part of Illmind‘s B.L.A.P. traveling showcase when it came to Portland last year. He provided this beat and asked for local MC’s to record a track over it & the winners would be featured on the mixtape. Well, he never dropped his compilation, so I’m putting it on mine. Joining the Ill’s on the track are OnlyOne from Sandpeople & Green Tape crooner, J-Rome.
And if you still haven’t heard The Green Tape yet – we’ve got a problem. Go fix that. Nowishly.

12. Al-One “May Be The One” featuring KP of Good Biz & Bosko
Produced by TROX
Talkbox by Bosko
Released as a single on iTunes
& also appears on Bosko – Talkbox King: Electrospit Vol. 1
A big part of the more traditional Portland sound is the influence of classic West Coast rap, i.e. G-Funk and The Bay. This track is the perfect example of that hybrid done right. With a lowrider-friendly beat from the man TROX, with two Portland O.G.’s along for the ride – KP (originally from Proz And Conz) and the reigning Talkbox King himself, Bosko (as heard on Big Boi’s “Shutterbugg,” Kanye’s “The New Workout Plan,” T.I.’s “Let Me Tell You Something,” etc.) making the song super-official – this is definitely one to ride out to.

13. M64 x Grillade “In The Pocket (Remix)”
Remixed by Keelay & The Park
Original produced by Ohmega Watts
Released as a single
M64 (made up of Ragen Fykes & Ohmega Watts) were the first group to make it directly from this site onto vinyl, thanks to Record Breakin. And with this, it all comes full circle as Ragen’s new group, Grillade (alongside the Bay Area’s Keelay & The Park) do a full-on redux of that 7″ single’s b-side, “In The Pocket” w/ reworked lyrics from Ragen & ‘Mega as well.

14. AM:Neja “1,000 Paper Cranes”
Produced by Mayer Hawthorne aka DJ Haircut
from the AM: Neja EP
This is a highlight from Othello & Theory Hazit‘s six track EP they put out earlier this year. Theory’s verse on this one is almost too real. I always thought DJ Haircut (better known as Mayer Hawthorne) & the rest of the Lab Techs were underrated as producers – and this one even further solidifies that.

15. Hi-Res “Default Grooves (Wireframe)”
Produced by Hi-Res
Maaan! This dude Hi-Res won’t let me NOT like one his beats. Just as I was getting a little tired of this one, it changes into one of his best yet! Res is criminally slept on right now – but we’re working on changing that.

16. Braille “Up”
Produced by Xperiment
from Weapon Aid
With this track rounding it out, all three members that make up one of Portland’s best groups – Lightheaded (Braille, Othello & Ohmega Watts) are accounted for on this compilation – just as it should be. One of my favorite things that Braille does for the city is recruit! Thanks to him – we’ve drafted Theory Hazit from Cincinatti, Othello from Seattle, and plenty of others. One of the latest recruits is the homie Xperiment from Denver, Colorado – best known for being a finalist in last year’s Red Bull Big Tune beat battle. The two collaborated on “Up” from what I think is one of Braille’s hardest performances to date.

17. DaiN “DaiNtendo”
Produced by DaiN
Released as a single on iTunes
DaiN – originally from New Orleans – is also one of Portland’s best kept secrets. After releasing his under-promoted debut album in 2009, DaiN signed to new upstart label Wandering Worx after they saw an impromptu performance of his at The Fix. From what I’ve heard so far, the new album should definitely let the secret be known soon enough.

18. Young X “Take Note” featuring Epp
Produced by Stewart Villain
from the forthcoming Back 2 Plan X mixtape
& also included on the SIVC Tape Vol. IV: Affiliated Artists mixtape
Young X is another young spitter from the town. I had been hearing about him for a minute but it wasn’t until I had heard this song and another upcoming one with TxE that I really paid attention to him. Epp is quickly becoming the Portland Cameo King and his verse is another perfect example as to why. Plus I don’t think Biggie vocal samples on songs will ever get old.

19. Theory Hazit “We Are The Ones (devonwho Remix)”
Remixed by devonwho
Original produced by Toni Shift
Original appears on Modern Marvels
Picking up right where they left off from on their previous collaboration, “The Hiemlich” from devonwho’s WaVES EP, devon & Theory are it again. This time devon delivers a whomix of a track from Theory Hazit’s Modern Marvels album with producer Toni Shift.

20. Living Proof “Independent”
Produced by Tope
from Full Speed
Living Proof is made up of Tope from TxE and Prem – this is one of my favorite tracks off of their second album, Full Speed. “Mall security is a mark-ass bitch” might be one of my favorite hooks ever. That’s some real Portland shit!

21. Luck-One “Listen To The Rain” featuring Tony Ozier
Produced by Tony Ozier
Guitar by Donnell Kennedy
from True Theory
Luck is one of the most serious MC’s in the city, and he brings that seriousness with him to this song – a collaboration with Tony Ozier. Tony is a Michigan transplant who has since set up a funk dynasty of sorts here in Portland, the almighty Doo-Doo Funk Allstars.

22. Lawz Spoken x Epp “Send Me An Angel”
Produced by Lawz Spoken
from the upcoming album, Ferrari Rap Vol. 2
This is the first single for an album I’ll be putting out through the site – the second in Lawz Spoken‘s Ferrari Rap series – this time a full-length collaboration with Epp from TxE. This beat is so simple and such an obvious sample – but yet, Lawz still made that shit work like only he can. Shout out to Doc Adam for the mix on this one as well.

23. Lifesavas “And The Soul Goes On”
Produced by Rev Shines
from Google’s Best Ever Mixtape: Portland
It would be blasphemy to have a compilation covering Portland hip-hop and not include these guys. Vursatyl, Jumbo & Rev Shines are one of Portland’s best success stories – having signed to Quannum in the early 2000′s, released two albums (so far) & toured the world. This is their first new song in a few years & by the sound of it, you’d think they’d never left.

24. Natasha Kmeto “A Way To Love Me (devonwho Remix)”
Remixed by devonwho
Original produced by Natasha Kmeto
Original appears on Expressor
I thought it’d be nice to end this on a note that sounded completely different from all the previous tracks. Portland’s production/beat/dubstep scene is worthy of a whole ‘nother post/mixtape in itself – but one of my favorites out of that group would have to be singer/producer, Natasha Kmeto. Here you can hear her singing some heartwrenching vocals over a non-album devonwho remix from her latest release, Expressor.

Hot off the heels of her debut single – Ragen Fykes, one half of M64 with producer Ohmega Watts, has blessed us with a free download mini-EP to mark the occasion. The single, “Rhythm Of The Drum” b/w “In The Pocket,” came out as both a limited edition 7″ and digital single this past Tuesday, courtesy of Record Breakin Music. This release is especially significant to me, as not only are Ragen & Ohmega two of my favorite artists, but this marks the first time a song that was first exclusive to the site (“Rhythm Of The Drum” was posted back in September), being picked up and officially released by a label. A few other FRESHclusives have recently been picked up by different labels as well – so look out for more news on that later. But big ups to DJ Junior of Record Breakin for believing in the cause and please go out and support the single.

But as for today, what we have is a little gift from Ragen, With Love. The three track mini-EP features rough mixes of two unreleased solo tracks – “In Love,” produced by Othello & “Love Life,” produced by devonwho – as well as another M64 track I leaked last year, “Helium,” in case you missed it then.

You can stream all three tracks below before downloading. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Big ups to Deluge from Punchdouble/MOOVMNT for providing the artwork.

Today marks the debut of my new podcast, simply titled Fresh Selects Radio. Even though this is the first episode, it feels like the second in a way, because its more or less a follow-up to the Loose Joints mixtape I put together last fall. Just like that, its a collection showcasing both new and unreleased tracks from some of my favorite artists, some projects I’ll be working on in the near future, artists you should be on the lookout for, and more. I’ve also thrown in a few tracks that have been previously been posted on the site that you might’ve missed. But unlike the Loose Joints .zip, this podcast is one single track, which freed me up and allowed me to include some super-exclusives that I know I couldn’t post as individual downloads.

Originally, I was going to host the podcast like a radio show – but instead I decided to let the music speak for itself. If you feel like it sounds unfinished, I left the instrumental interludes I was going to talk over in the mix, so feel free to fill in the blanks yourself. However, if people get on some bullshit and rip some of the exclusives from the mix and re-post them as downloads on other sites, then next time out I’ll have to talk all over all the good shit – so just behave yourselves & act right and I’ll be able to keep bringing you the latest & greatest without any problems.

I might still write up some liner notes to go along with the tracks, but it might be a while. We’ll see what the feedback & response is like first (*cough*leaveacomment!*cough) and then take it from there. So yeah, lemme know what you think. In the meantime, the tracklisting with the artists’ MySpace links is listed here and then you can download or stream the mix below.


1. DaveNotti – FSR Intro (Thrilla Music Group)
2. Blu – Say Say (CD-R)
3. Finale feat. Invincible – The Waiting Game (prod. Khrysis) (iM/Universal)
4. Waajeed – Fat Bottom Girls (Bling47)
5. Konphlict – Socialize (prod. TaRaach) (Lovelution)
6. M64 (Ragen Fykes & Ohmega Watts) - Helium (prod. Ohmega Watts) (TBA)
7. Hi-Res – Yahhhhh (Pt. 2) (Thrilla Music Group)
8. G&D feat. MED & Rapper Big Pooh – Endure (prod. Georgia Anne Muldrow) (Mello Music Group)
9. MAGr (DistantStarr & Al Mighty) – Butterfly (prod. Hudson Mohawke) (TBA)
10. Ras_G & The Afrikan Space Program – Been A Min… (Brainfeeder)
11. Cubic Zirconia (Tiombe, Nick & Todd) – I Wanna Freebase You (TBA)
12. PPP feat. Coultrain & Karma Stewart – Rocket Science (prod. Waajeed) (Ubiquity)
13. Hawthorne Headhunters (Black Spade, I, CED & Proh Mic) feat. JimiJames & Coultrain – She Wanna (HVW8)
14. Exile feat. Muhsinah – Stay Tuned (Stay Here) (Vocal Remix) (Plug Research)
15. TaRaach vs. Tiombe Lockhart – Kalifornia (Instrumental) (Lovelution)
16. DJ Cadik feat. Invincible & Finale – Don’t Look Back (All Soundz)
17. Devon - Shoes (Thrilla Music Group)
18. SA-RA Creative Partners - High Moon Lust (Rawkus)
19. Luck-One – The Coolax (prod. Dekk) (Architect Ent.)
20. Johnson&Jonson feat. Miguel (Jontel) - Stadium (CD-R)

Artwork courtesy of Lyle Owerko.

New video from Portland’s own Ohmega Watts with the track, “Eyes & Ears” which also features recent Selectee, Jneiro Jarel, on the mic. Keeping it all in the fam, the video also features a guest cameo from Fresh Kept Secrets alumni, Ragen Fykes.

The track comes from Ohmega’s sophmore solo release, last year’s Watts Happening, and has just recently been released as a digital single with a brand new remix from the mysterious figure that is Clutchy Hopkins. You can hear a preview of the Clutchy Hopkins Mix below the video, and for more on Clutchy, including how he and Ohmega first linked up, check the video after the jump.

Directed by Nate Goodman
Produced by Johnny Le

Ohmega Watts “Eyes & Ears (Clutchy Hopkins Mix)”

This is a 2-for-1 FRESHclusive and Fresh Kept Secrets combo: The premier of the new collaboration from two of Portland, Oregon’s finest – one of my favorite singers right now, Ragen Fykes, and prominent Northwest producer/MC, Ohmega Watts. With their powers combined (Captain Planet style), they form M64 – a name inspired by the Black Eye Galaxy for how their planets combined on this collaborative effort. Before their collision, Ohmega had already released two solo albums on Ubiquity Records, as well as two albums as 1/3 of the group, Lightheaded (also including Braille & Othello). And besides his own releases, he’s also collaborated with everyone from multi-faceted producer Quantic, to live funk band Connie Price & The Keystones, to hip-hop peers Giant Panda and numerous others, and has also been holding down a DJ residency at Portland’s premier hip-hop night, The Fix. Ragen on the other hand, has been making a name for herself by performing around town with artists like Barry Hampton’s Triple Grip, Braille, Ohmega, for years now and has collaborated with a slew of artists, including Living Legends, Pigeon John, J. Boogie’s Dubtronic Science and most recently, Tanya Morgan.

Although their M64 project is still in its early recording stages, I’m so amped about what I’ve heard so far that I was able to twist some arms and convince them to let me post two of my favorites so far. First up we have a stream of the Brazilian-influenced, “last call at the dancehall” anthem “The Rhythm Of The Drum” – which was put up as a snippet on Ragen’s MySpace a few months ago and has been stirring up a buzz ever since (so you know I had to scoop up the exclusive full-length premiere! LOL). After that, I’ve also got a full-length stream of one of a song that I’m almost embaressed to admit how many times I’ve put this on repeat already – the spacey and soulful breath of fresh air, “Helium”. Both tracks are still just rough mixes, but leave a comment and give them some feedback about what they’ve got so far.

After the jump, be sure to check the bonus tracks for Ragen’s acappella cover of an NY hip-hop classic(!!!), plus two of her other collaborations with Ohmega.