Grandtheft on Diplo & Friends (Jan 29, 2017)

At the end of January Grandtheft graced Diplo and Friends for another guest mix, just over a year since he made his last appearance on, arguably one of the best mixshows in the world (a set I also covered here). A lot has happened since last year, but we can still count on Grandtheft to deliver a dope mix with a bunch of new and forthcoming records as well as his trademark edits.Just in the first 10 minutes we're treated to a slew of genres and styles, all mixed together not just in a fluid manner, but almost so as to tell a story. From the rap intro of "Pull Up Hop Out" and "Gang With Me" to house with "Prophecy," "Rude Boy," and "Devotion" mixed with the vocals of "House Work," Grandtheft shows off his mixing chops beautifully. But for me the way he goes from his collab with Sleepy Tom to the instant singalong of Mr. Fuzz's "Bel Air" is what really gets me. And that's only the first 10 minutes.

Things then get more clubbed out as he hits up Jersey, before heading back to the 6ix with "Fake Love" followed by his "Heroes x Feel It" edit and Shaun Frank flip of "Easy Go." And while this is a really nice touchy feely section. it quickly devolves into too turnt trap with back to back Slumberjack, followed by Ekali and KRANE then his gritty "Waiting x Keep It 100" smash edit.

As if that weren't enough, we get a glimpse of his remix of "Let You Get Away" (hopefully forthcoming) returning the favour for Shaun Frank. Then it's more of the dudes Keys N Krates and their KRANE collab, followed by two more fire edits. Like really, who doesn't love the vocals to "In For The Kill." But still we're not even close to being done.

One of the things that makes Grandtheft so great is his ear for new talent and willingness to support it. His last Diplo & Friends mix introduced me to Dom Dias, who has become one of the most played artists on Bump In The Hump and made one of the most musically sound sets for My Mixtape. This time I notice Grandtheft has gone to the west coast to feature Juelz and while he's not new to me, I still feel he's incredibly underrated. His "Whine & Kotch" is fire and works perfectly with Grandtheft's set, but it's only one of many dope releases under his belt.

Of course the way the mix is rounded up further shows off Grantheft's expertise. He goes back to back with two of my favourite tracks of 2016 Jackal's "Ice" and San Holo's "Light" before letting us down gently with Francis and The Lights "Friends." Of course having Kanye doesn't hurt, but it is the combination of Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat that really seals it for me. This kind is the kind of quality I've come to expect from Grandtheft, and truly I've never been let down. Both live and pre-recorded the man is something to behold. Enjoy the stream above and check out the tracklist here.

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