DJ Knife’s Strange Brew 5 is a nice, fluid mix packing in 39 solid tracks in under 50 minutes. Brought to life through a mixture of ambition, two turntables, a Rane 57, and some homemade beer, Strange Brew’s old-school hip-hop and house vibes make it a groovy soundtrack fit for a party, an art gallery, or just cruising down Storrow Drive in the Benz.
As a DJ, it’s hard to craft a mix that can flexibly cater to multiple ears and situations, but DJ Knife seems to have this trick down. The song choice is on point with an eclectic variety of genres, and many of the tracks themselves are gems. (Shout out to the Disclosure re-work of Pharrell’s “Frontin,” a personal favorite.) The mixing itself is a little rough at times, with transitions crossfading a bit abruptly and interrupting the groove of the entire mix. However, DJ Knife’s scratching and knowledge of track building overshadows these tiny errors to achieve a nice, tight mix fit to be blast in a Chicago house or Ibiza club. The fact that he brewed his own beers (and even custom-made bottle openers that double as USB flash drives containing the mix) shows his dedication to his craft. It’s a solid 47 minutes of good music.
A release party is scheduled for Thursday, April 16 at Good Life in Downtown Boston and will feature DJ sets by Knife, Leah V, Bianca Oblivion, and others.
Tracklist:
1. Intro2. Kid N Play – Gittin Funky
3. Lauryn Hill – Doo Wop (Mikos Remix)
4. Digable Planets – Rebirth Of Slick (Altered Tapes Remix)
5. The Doors – Break On Through (Bossa remix)
6. Brother In Arms – Take This Chance
7. Human League – Human (URFRIENDS Remix)
8. Baunzz! – 70s Butter
9. Kon – All Night (feat. Amy Douglas)
10. Pharell feat. Jay Z – Frontin (Disclosure Rework)
11. Sharam Jey – Fly Beat
12. Pomo – Cherry Funk (feat. Kaytranada)
13. Brother In Arms – All This Love
14. Oliver $ & Jimi Jules – Pushing On
15. Dansson & Marlon Hoffstadt – Shake That (Blonde Remix)
16. Goldroom – Embrace (Bixel Boys Remix)
17. Solidisco & Skyy – Top Of The World
18. Slinger – No Money
19. Freak Nasty – Da Dip (Wukis Redip)
20. Kaytranada – At All (Sable Edit)
21. Mariah Carey – Shake It Off (Wuki Club Remix)
22. Breaux – Pure Imagination
23. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Night Moves
24. Mace & Coko – Sunshine
25. Falcxne – First Time
26. D.R.A.M. – Cha Cha Long
27. Branchez – Truth
28. Rytmeklubben – Seen
29. Falcxne – Feel Me
30. Big Dope P – So High
31. Vinyl Fatigue – What I like
32. BenZel & Stevie Neale – Wasted Love (Spectrasoul Remix)
33. Marcus Visionary – Junglist Sound (feat. Johnny Osbourne)
34. Wickaman & RV – Sound Clash
35. Retraflex & Ben Fawce – Apocalypse (Serum Remix)
36. Congo Natty – Junglist
37. Patra – Worker Man (Krinjah Remix)
38. Ray Keith – Keep It Moving
39. Outkast – Ms. Jackson (San Holo Remix)
40. Luke Christopher – Ms. Holy Water