Fact Mix 873: Felix Hall

For his steamy Fact mix Felix Hall bounds through an hour of the dancehall, dembow, reggaeton and club heat that he’s feeling the most during this final stretch of summer.

Ever since unleashing his beloved Warning mixtape on The Trilogy Tapes back in 2016, London-based DJ Felix Hall has continually proven himself to be one of the UK’s most knowledgeable selectors, moving through the breadth and history of dancehall, dembow and reggaeton with a jubilant spirit and a deep and profound respect for sound system culture. Juggling a day job in data science, creating deep learning models for predicting natural disasters, with running the reliably brilliant CHROME imprint, his long-running NTS show and releasing killer mixtapes for Promesses, Cav Empt and $hotta Tapes, Hall’s is one of the deadliest ears around. Initially becoming obsessed with music and record collecting during formative experiences attending Luv Injection and Stone Love sound system parties as a teenager, his lifelong love for reggae and dancehall was then augmented with a preoccupation with the tresillo drum patterns that snake through the Caribbean and the Americas, developing into a laser focus on dembow styles from the Dominican Republic and reggaeton from Puerto Rico.

It was during a period spent living in Medellín, Colombia that Hall’s appreciation of reggaeton blossomed into its final form. “The genre is a huge, huge deal in that city, especially in working class areas,” Hall told MusicMap back in 2019. “I always remember a DJ there who played a residency in a bar called Loule in Barrio Buenos Aires. He constantly went back and forth between older dancehall tunes and newer reggaeton. Definitely something that always stuck with me.” For his steamy Fact mix, Hall bounds through an hour of the artists and styles that he’s feeling the most during this final stretch of summer, moving between some contemporary dancehall standards, a loving selection of some the best dembow tunes from the last six months, including tracks from Kaly Ocho, Braulio Fogon and Yomel El Meloso, as well as prime club cuts from Florentino, Low Jack, Bitter Babe & Nick Leon, Iueke and Demdike Stare. He also treats us to unreleased tracks from DJ Plead, Ploy and recent Fact mixer MOBBS, as well as a handful of material upcoming on CHROME, a thrilling taste of what the rest of 2022 might sound like for Felix Hall.

You can find Felix Hall on Instagram and at the CHROME Bandcamp.

Tracklist:

Ward 21 – ‘President Of Hoochie Land’
Busy Signal – ‘Deh Yah’
Architect – ‘Neptunes Edit’
El Alfa Ft. El Mayor Clasico – ‘Galapin’
Nely El Arma Secreta – ‘Super Perreo’
Josi Devil Ft. Ward 21 – ‘Charge’
NPLGNN – ‘Hazy Pit’
Bibi Gardner – ‘Atomic Bomb Riddim’
Yampi – ‘Los Terribles Beat’
Yaviah – ‘Contacto’
Ñengo Flow – ‘Encendia’
Luny Tunes – ‘No Me Importa’
Yaviah – ‘En La Mia Remix’
Kelman Duran – ‘Lento’
Ivy Queen – ‘Guillaera’
Florentino – ‘Buzz’
Aidonia – ‘Assault’
Vybz Kartel – ‘Crime Minister’
Low Jack – ‘Find Them’
SIM – ‘Wired’
DJ Plead – ‘El Es’
Nick Leon – ‘Rompe Discoteka’
Florentino – ‘Prendelo Remix’
Nipo Y Sujeto – ‘Cilantro Ancho’
Braulio Fogon – ‘Polvo’
Chael Produciendo – ‘Trapbow Pista’
Yomel El Meloso – ‘La Raya’
Quimico Ultra Mega – ‘Gatillero’
El Shick – ‘Dale Que Te Dio’
Kaly Ocho – ‘No Hay’
Leo RD – ‘Freebow Beat’
DJ Ploy – ‘Rochy Edit’
Bitter Babe & Nick Leon – ‘Tranki’
Iueke – ‘Election Tool’
Daneton Blake – ‘3 Star Riddim’
Busy Signal – ‘Step Out’
Vybz Kartel – ‘Licensed To Kill’
Gavsborg – ‘Step Out Riddim’
Demdike Stare – ‘Caps Have Gone’
Kaval – ‘Drum Hiss’
Simo Cell – ‘Tronico’
Heron Fischer – ‘Angels’
MOBBS – ‘Rang Home’
Jamby El Favo – ‘Los Que Son’
Ele A El Dominio Ft. Ñengo Flow – ‘Full Y Semi’