The Leisure Allstars’ latest mix, woefully entitled ‘Drop Top You Don’t Stop’, coincides with their recent decision to dissolve Leisure Recordings the label. Here’s what Ali from the Allstars has to say about his inspiration for the selection:

“Over the last year or two, I found myself becoming less and less interested in the administrative duties involved in running a label such as the completion of company reports, filing Corporation Tax return forms, paying large fines for failing to do so on time and so on so forth, and a lot more interested in the infinitely more enjoyable task of seeking out the best tracks to soundtrack driving my inherited 1996 VW Golf Cabriolet around London on sunny Sunday afternoons.

My findings identified that the key factor is the combination of essential bassweight and barely-disguised jeep beat aggression with a subtlety that’s oft-neglected by many a wannabe badboy who has subsequently failed to come correct. It’s got to be just, like, there. For example, why select too-loud, poor quality R&B, when you could instead opt for something like ‘Falling’ by Distance? It’s a clear-cut soundboy burial at the traffic lights. A bit of soul and a sense of fun should also be present, it’s not all about the bass…although mainly it is all about the bass.

Is any of this important? No. Is it juvenile? Yes very, but those are the values I looked for in this so-called project.

I am aware that you will now be thinking ‘you dick, your belief that anyone is interested in this is misguided at best, this is some sort of excuse to tell people you have a 15 year old, highly uneconomical vehicle with no roof, is this even serious?’, and you’re probably right, but I am interested in it, and what I have tried to do is take the tracks that formed my vehicular soundtrack to the few sunnier periods of 2011 and crudely sandwich them together into a passable mix. ‘Drop Top You Don’t Stop’ is the result. If nothing else, it is some moderately contemporary music, presented sequentially for your possible listening pleasure, whether you drive a cabriolet or not, or even if you don’t have a car at all, you just have a bike or even just some legs. I tried to cram as many tracks into the first 5 minutes as possible to make it exciting, then I got tired and decided to let the tracks play out a bit, as they are intended to be heard.

Anyway, I hope you like listening to it whilst you’re travelling about doing whatever it is you do.

Leisure Allstars – Drop Top You Don’t Stop DJ Mix (Direct MP3 Link)

1. Rasco – Classic (Pockets Linted) / DJ Shepdog – Bigger Than (Wind It Up) (Unknown) / The Leisure Allstars Ft. Good People – How We Roll
2. Donae’o – Riot Music [Skream Remix] (Digital Soundboy)
3. The Count & Sinden – Strange Things [High Rankin's Junglist Gentleman Remix] (Domino)
4. Danny Byrd Ft. Liquid – Sweet Harmony (Hospital)
5. The Leisure Allstars Ft. Lady Chann – Friday Night [Professor Dodecahedron & Lord Grigio Remix] (Leisure Recordings)
6. DJ Twister – Temperature Dance (BOTB Poland)
7. The Specials – Ghost Town [DJG Remix] (Unknown)
8. Two Fingers – Fools Rhythm (Ninja Tune)
9. The Leisure Allstars Ft. Lady Chann – Friday Night [El Jay's Bald getting' Dumb Remix] (Leisure Recordings)
10. Zap – Ital Flow (Pirate Station)
11. Lopez – Keira (Keep Up)
12. Lopez – Wo (Keep Up)
13. Nottz – Fair Warning (Raw Koncept)
14. Dan Greenpeace – Compton (ACML)
15. Chrissy Murderbot Ft. MC Zulu – The Vibe Is So Right (Planet Mu)
16. HavocNdeeD & Sebastian Jean – Modern Jazz (119 Sound)
17. Silkie – Slow Jam (Deep Medi Musik)
18. Distance – Falling (Island)
19. Gemmy – Jah Know (World of Wonders)
20. Jazzsteppa – Baby Jesus (Studio Rockers)
21. Pyramid Ft. Julie Thompson – Cruel (Funkatech)
22. Interface Ft. William Cartwright – Truth Beyond (Clear Skyz)
23. Krome & Time – The Licence [Break Remix] (Streetlife)