The Mixtape Vol. 182

"Like most black kids who grew up in suburbia and listened to Pharrell, I've wanted to be a producer since 'Beautiful' by Snoop Dogg," says Reynold Gabriel King.

Rey's dad got him into soul, RnB, house and jazz , and his sisters introduced him to hip hop; by the age of 14 he was already making his own beats and taking inspiration from all of this. Unfortunately being in PE meant that there wasn't exactly an appetite for what he was doing.

"Port Elizabeth is not the city to be different when it comes to music, where live musicians are forced to do acoustic covers and DJs must play commercial hip hop, deep house or tech."

Still, Rey continues to make music for the love of it, using the web to find people who will appreciate his sound. Give his mixtape a listen and read our short Q&A interview with the DJ/Producer after the jump.

What was the first album you bought?

Something by Billy Paul, which had the 'Mrs. Jones' track. I was probably four so it was between that and Bump, and even at a young age I knew Bump was trash.

Who do you consider your peers in the game?

I don't think I have peers, just because I'm not on the same level as South African artists who inspire me. Artists like Omar Morto, Beat Sampras, Card on Spokes (who I've been listening to since I was 14), Push Push, Petite Noir and Fi$h. There seems to be a culture of sleeping on our own artists especially those who are independent. To me, Riky Rick and Petite Noir understand what it means to be a creator. They've carved out a culture, not a wave, for themselves and that's what I've always wanted to do and will continue trying.

What are some of the projects you've put out? 

I've created an EP Rivers reflecting musical influences such as Soulection, house music and synthpop structured on hip-hop beats. Rivers offers very nostalgic rhythms and grooves, with a simplicity that is very palatable. I labeled it as Pop, just to mess with the listener, as an attempt to open their mind. I can't define the music I make, and I don't consider it to be hip hop. It's music you just have to listen to in order to understand it.

Tell us what's on the mix you made for us? 

The mix I've curated is the drawing board for this EP. It's an ode to my musical journey throughout the years. It consists of some of my newer and older projects. It's important to give listeners an experience. This shit is just wild if I'm being honest with you. Notable tracks include:

Push Push - 'Atom Bomb'

Jaden Smith - 'Ghost'

J.Robb - 'am i wntr'

Slick Rick - 'Children's Story'

De La Soul - 'Me Myself and I'

Card on Spokes - 'Impala Parlour / Journey to Life'

Along with my own tracks...

'Carnaval' - 08:55

'Ocean Side' - 17:00

'Yea'. - 29:44

'that freak on u' - 34:00

Enjoy!