Jermaine Quiz, Live in New Orleans (mixtape)

While New Orleans is known for being the home of dirty, in your face live shows of the most eclectic variety, it’s always a real treat to discover something on the other end of the of the sonic landscape. Jermaine Quiz, half of hip-hop funk duo Jealous Monk, has slipped a new mixtape over the viral world titled Live in New Orleans and it’s a killer. Showing off his skill as a dance mixologist over his emcee prowess, Quiz cranks the beats out one after another. Mixing everything from the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” to Lil Wayne’s “Go DJ” and then further still to The Meters and 2Pac, he’s very adept at taking the Dirty South and pushing it in directions few have dared try.

While there are a few questionable transitions with beat matching, the idea as a whole is strong and concise. Where most behind the decks will try their hardest to turn every song into a floor anthem, Quiz bides his time and builds his songs into fever pitches like a veteran. In the world of dance music, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. His rendition of War’s “Why Can’t We Be Friends” with Big Tymer’s “Still Fly” is the highlight of the mix, a track that will hopefully find its way into the dance music community.