In the wake of Record Store Day 2015 (and also 4/20), BluntGutsNation stalwart JP Villa unveiled a new mixtape of previously unreleased beats called Keep Calm. Each of the tape’s 25 tracks were inspired by records he discovered while crate digging across the border in Quebec, which helps cover the sprawling collection in a kind of binding atmosphere.
Throughout the gargantuan track list, the DJ, producer and sound designer floats through groovy, grounded moments like J Dilla’s classic Donuts, while also keeping his head in the same rarefied clouds occupied by the likes of super-producers Clams Casino and Flying Lotus. Villa keeps a tight focus on never wearing out the welcome of a moment — his beats are short and sweet (the longest track, “Watch Urself,” clocks in at a mere 2:37), but just long enough to allow the listener to drift into the stratosphere and gauge his mindset.
In Keep Calm, his third release this year (The Look of Love and The Look of Lust were released in February) and fifth overall, JP Villa obtains the same goal he achieved with its predecessors; namely, showing off the wide range he has in his arsenal. Fusing elements of hip-hop, trap, dub, house music and more, the genre-hopping mixtape puts a premium on experimentation and curiosity and rewards the open-minded.
More Info
Web: jpvilla.com
Facebook: @VillaMusick
SoundCloud: @jpvilla
Twitter: @VillaBeats