The Wodka – The Lesson (Guest Mix)
Russian crew The Wodka (an acronym for We Only Drink Karma Again) delivers a heavy old-school guest mix full of breaks, and early 80s hip-hop/electro vibes.
“These tunes are mostly done from 2015 to 2019 in different places of the world, using an old school way of creating beats: synths, drum machines, samplers, and a lot of imagination… Done on our trips to São Paulo favelas to India slums, or in the dark suburbs of Russia. Sometimes in one take, always tested on dancefloors. This mix is raw and dirty to keep the energy going. It’s mostly rooted in the bboy era and sound system culture.”
Cantstapo is the DIY label by the Russian crew, who are active with graffiti, b-boying, and DJing since 1998. “We draw inspiration from all corners of music,” says Alexey of The Wodka and Cantstapo. “Psalm, gospel, rock, rave, reggae… It depends on the place where we play. We got infinite beats and melodies.”
Next to The Wodka and their Cantstapo label, the group organizes breakdancing, beatboxing, and rapping lessons and workshops for children in the slum of Dharavi, Mumbai, India, one of the biggest slums of Asia. “It’s all about respect and love for the land of Bharat. We are down with the Slum Gods crew from Dharavi. Akku and Heera keep it clean and smooth. Salute to Dr. Ingle for creating the first hip-hop course at Mumbai University. Imagine: kids breaking with no shoes on their feet…” Videos and more on their work with the Street School of Hip-Hop as Slum Gods can be found on Instagram.
