Podcast 157: Alex B

• Words: Shawn Reynaldo

LA might get all the shine for the burgeoning beat scene, but a few states over in Colorado, producer Alex B (a.k.a. Alex Botwin) has been quietly setting up an abstract, instrumental fiefdom of his own. (That's why we recently tapped him to host the Denver edition of our ongoing City Guide series for XLR8R TV.) As head of Elm and Oak, which functions as a record label, design shop, and clothing line, Botwin's talents aren't limited to just beatmaking, although his debut album, Moments, certainly garnered plenty of attention when it dropped earlier this year. Next week, he'll be setting off on a massive US tour—check the litany of dates here—and as a little preview, he's assembled this exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast. It's a layered, at times psychedelic, journey through hip-hop beats, dubstep brawn, and bedroom-studio skronk that nicely showcases Botwin's talents; as it happens, he either produced or remixed half the songs here. Throw in some unreleased gems from like-minded beat producers, and this podcast is poised to get any beat freak salivating.

01 MNDSGN "***reversefootsteps"
02 Toro Y Moi "Fax Shadow" (Carpark)
03 Robot Koch "Devil Drums (Alex B Remix)" (Friends of Friends)
04 Adam Deitch "Fat Boyyy"
05 Leonard Dstroy "Hypnotized feat. Brother of Moses and Reggie B." (Bloom Bap)
06 Alex B "At Channel One/Mr. Me Too Remix"
07 Alex B "Chip Chop" (Elm and Oak)
08 Leonard Dstroy "Sunbeams"
09 Alex B "Getting to Know You" (Elm and Oak)
10 Alex B feat. Quiz "Fuss"
11 Alex B feat. Quiz "Yea Girl"
12 Alex B "Dehydration"
13 Jonwayne "Pondwater" (Wedidit)
14 Devonwho "untitled"