#TBT this week comes from DJ Ayres and his 3 year old mix for The Hairpin with his Safe For Work II mix. As a follow up to the lost first volume (Soundcloud removals are oh so real), this is vibe friendly mix full of non-offensive language tunes for the office crowd. Janet, Kylie, Frank Ocean, Bjork and more all holding down this great mix of 90’s, diva house and chill feels. Revisit the stream below in full.

DJ Ayres – Safe For Work Volume 2 presented by The Hairpin by Dj Ayres on Mixcloud

TBT this week is an incredibly diverse and banging mix from DJ Ayres that dropped via the Mixpak crew back in 2011. As an entry into their long running mix series, Mixpak FM 25 is loaded with all sorts of tropical and bashment vibes over the course of 70 minutes and runs through a ridiculous tracklist that sounds very fresh 4 years later. Whether it’s classic jungle, roots era dubstep and vintage dancehall grooves or even the moombahton and tropical bass sounds that were very relevant at the time…this mix is still quite the summertime turnup. Stream and download are both available on this one below.

Mixpak Mix by Dj Ayres on Mixcloud

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Houston rap is amazing. It was great for a long time before it ever broke into the mainstream and it’s still extremely rad to this day. For #TBT this week, we revisit the mix Ayres and JD put together to showcase the history of the area’s sound right as it’s time in the limelight was at it’s peak. Digging deep into the crates, Houston For Dummies showcases classics from bonafied legends such as UGK, The Geto Boys and Devin The Dude and regional anthems from the likes of E.S.G., Big Mike, Lil O and many more. Basically, let this be your guide to one of the coolest scenes in rap to ever come about.

DJ Ayres & JD – Houston Tape by Dj Ayres on Mixcloud

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As my time here with The Rub goes into month five, I’ve had a chance to really listen to a lot of these mixtapes that we feature weekly for #TBT. And while everything I’ve been able to peep since February has genuinely helped re-instill my faith in mixtapes overall, something about Ayres playing house tunes is just really freaking tight to me. Featured today for #TBT is his Fall of 2012 mix, Next Of All. It was kind of a sneak peek at all the dope house sounds that broke in 2014 but it was like two years before you realized it was cool. Ayres staying ahead of the game on the music tip per usual. Peep the stream below.

Next of All by Dj Ayres on Mixcloud

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#TBT this week takes us back to fall of 2010 as Ayres opened up his “dance pop” crate and cranked out this super fresh mix for Urban Outfitters. Return of the Mash is a slick representation of the electronic music experimentations that took place with pop music towards the end of the last decade which have ultimately became a huge influence on the Billboard charts of the last five years. Don’t necessarily believe me? Take a listen for yourself below and hear the early ideas from so many artists and producers that are dominating charts, playlists and festival lineups in 2015. Shouts to Mike 2600 for this killer artwork as well.

Return of the Mash by Dj Ayres on Mixcloud

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There’s just something about dance tunes from the 1980’s that always makes me incredibly happy. The energy and vibe of the music from this time period was unprecedented and laid a huge foundation for dance music as a whole. For our #TBT this week, we take a look back at DJ Ayres and his Space ‘N Faders mix, which he laced with great tracks from this era. Classics from the likes of Shannon, Depeche Mode, Rockwell, Nu Shooz and so many more essentials make up this excellent tracklist. Cool story about this mix is that it was Ayres’ first ever mix for Turntable Lab back in 2000 and Scott from Ten Deep did the cover art to completely compliment the vibe. Stream and download are below.

DJ Ayres – Space ‘N Faders by Dj Ayres on Mixcloud

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