Mulatu Astatke Yekermo Sew (Te'Amir Remix)

Heads know Mochilla. For the uninitiated, Mochilla is an L.A.-based, independent production house founded and run by renowned photographers Brian "B+" Cross and Eric Coleman. Active since the late 90s, the duo is involved with everything from photography and exhibits to commissioning DJ mixes from friends, as well as pressing up records and creating some of the most visionary music documentaries of the past decade.

In 2009, they partnered with VTech to create a three-part series of concerts in Los Angeles that can only be described as once in a lifetime, called the Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series series. The three shows were orchestral adaptations of the works of Mulatu Astatke of Ethiopia, Arthur Verocai of Brazil, and J Dilla of Detroit. Each a legend in their own right, the concerts sold out and are still talked about to this day.

But the experience doesn't end there. All the performances were recorded from the sound board and, over the past few years, Mochilla has slowly been approaching other producers to rework the material for an EP. The outcome is six remixes, two from each aforementioned featured performer. The reinterpretations breathe new life into the already vibrant compositions.

Georgia Anne Muldrow and Black Spade each tackle a cut from the J Dilla recordings. Mario C, longtime producer for the Beastie Boys, reworks an Arthur Verocai track and makes it sound like a relic from the past. Underground producer Jnero Jarel also takes a nice stab at a Verocai remix, with a very sweet ode to his love of Brazilian women. Underrated veteran King Britt reworks a Mulatu Astatke gem while newcomer Te'Amir Sweeney (no relation to this author) provides what might be the highlight of the EP, with his sung remix to Astatke's material. His is the one we've chosen to stream.

This is definitely for serious music fans, of any genre. Mochilla carries on their proud tradition of moving forward while linking to the past.