It’s with great pleasure that we welcome back to Rhythm Inc one of the founding fathers of the show, Waxfactor aka sasQwax. Having been lying low for the last few years (real life has a habit of getting in the way) he’s back with a guest mix which he’s been promising us for a while – so it’s a double joyous occasion.

Without further ado here’s what the man himself had to say on the subject of this mix:

This mix started off a long time ago – over 12 months, at least – but, for one reason or another, it never got finished. It has sat at about 18 mins for most of that time as I’d hit a point where I wasn’t happy with it but didn’t know how to fix it. With my fifth (and final!) child arriving around this point, the mix remained untouched for a long time. Until a fortnight ago, in fact. To cut a long story short: I figured it out.

I started off listening to hip-hop at around the age of 10. The music was what hooked me – the Inspector Gadget sample in Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick “The Show” actually – and from that point on, that was pretty much it. Over the years my tastes changed to the point where I started listening less to the tracks the hip-hop producers were making and more to the ones they were listening to – the ones they were sampling. I went through the Blue Note, CTI, etc… periods and picked up a lot of great music but when things started hitting the psych, prog and kraut rock areas, that’s when it really took over. Through reissues and compilations, and through mixes from people like Andy Votel, Cherrystones and the Trapdoor mixes, I was introduced to masses of new music and I guess this mix is kind of a tribute to them and the music they turned me onto.

It’s not really a mix in the strictest of senses. No tune remains untouched and a few of them are probably entirely unrecognisable. I hope nobody responsible for them minds. Although I don’t care, at the same time. Because I’m hip-hop, nahmean?

So a perfect return to the RI airwaves for Wax with a mix in the finest tradition of what we stand for – discerning music for discerning ears. If you liked Carlo’s mixes for example then this one will definitely be up your street.

For more on Wax check out his website, and look out for the new Twisting the Frame compilation which features him among various others.

And for now get stuck into Gut & Baste and enjoy!

Download sasQwax – Gut & Baste (right click and save as)