Ranking each RL Grime Halloween mix from best to … always good

RL Grime‘s Halloween mixes are not only a staple for the haunting vacations, but hold up as a essential part of electronic music. The hour-long mixes both dig into the underground archives and also represent the musical trends of the time in hip-hop and dance music.

The Sable Valley label boss is widely recognized as the trap king of electronic music for a reason. RL Grime’s ear for music, his curating skills, and his ability to blend hip-hop and EDM so seamlessly together is something that has influenced this generation of bass producers. Even though his releases are not as prolific as in previous years, there is no denying that he is a pioneer in music and his respect extends far beyond the trap scene.

Every year, we look forward to hearing from iconic celebrity guests who present the mix, and we even hear from the person whose producer takes his name, RL Stine.

Celebrate Halloween x, we took the time to listen through the nine years and nine hours of Halloween mixes gone by. We took into account how creepy the mix sounds, how it flows, and how eclectic or deep the selections are. Here’s ThisSongIsSick’s official ranking of RL Grime’s Halloween mixes from best to… always good. Enjoy!

1. Halloween III (2014)

RL Grime’s Halloween knockout. The creepy vibes are present throughout the hour and RL digs really deep, in terms of gender. The transitions are flawless but he also takes his time with them to really blend the music. Halloween III featured at least two RL Grime debuts (“Monsoon” and his “Acrylics Edit”) and contains CZ’s ever elusive “Jungle War Dub”. career. Two weeks after his release he would drop TO CANCEL, his revered debut album.

2. Halloween II (2013)

Introducing this mix to the terrifying sound of Eprom’s “Beasts of Babylon” sets the bar high from the start, but RL lives up to it. There’s a plethora of club music contained in Halloween II from Swizzymack, DJ Funeral, DJ Yolo Bear, and more. This mix was RL Grime’s best effort and mixed electronics, trap, club and hip-hop. It goes even further with the inclusion of tracks like “Odebear” by Purity Ring.

The icing on the cake of this one was also the fact that RL enlisted the original. Goose bumps illustrator for the cover. Oh, and this Lil Wyte track is one of the best closings we’ve ever heard.

3. Halloween IV (2015)

With hype growing for each year’s Halloween mix, RL Grime goes ahead and grabs Hannibal Burress for the very first non-RL Stine intro (although he’s still here). If that wasn’t enough, the following tracks feature some of the darkest and heaviest sounds we’ve heard from the series, ultimately leading to a ridiculous Hurricane Chris and Machinedrum mashup. Following on from Halloween III, Halloween IV offers more melancholy moments like OZZIE’s “Trophy” and Baauer’s “10 Days Falling” remix.

Two brilliant and spectacular moments in this one were the transition from “Know What I’m Doing” to “Solutions” and the GENER8ION track.

4. Halloween I (2012)

We wanted to put this one higher, but we didn’t want to let our nostalgia get the better of us. This mix is ​​by far the scariest of all, with RL flushing ghoulish tracks from Teeth, Three 6 Mafia, Amber London, and DJ Funeral. RL was also weaving in experimental bass like Paleman’s “Destroya”.

Even though RL Grime’s very first Halloween mix was released in 2012, there are still tracks like TNGHT’s “RU READY” that remain unreleased today.

We wonder if RL Grime knew what he was starting with when he released his first mix for Halloween.

5. Halloween IX (2020)

Making the most of the quarantine, the RL did something very different for 2020. For the first time, RL Grime’s Halloween became a full experience, including live visuals and an opening set from Heimanu. The mix starts with T Bread spitting bars on Halloween to the tune of “Buy You A Drank” and lends a nice twist by ending it with “scream RL Grime ’cause it’s Halloween”.

While it strayed far enough from its hip-hop roots on this one, the mix itself remained powerful throughout and introduced a lot of creepy, atmospheric wave to the trap. It’s probably the scariest mix since Halloween IV in 2015, taking advantage of plenty of spooky samples scattered throughout each song. FATE’s “GHOSTS” vs. Drake and Giveon’s “Chicago Freestyle” was amazing. The mix has massive replay power based on that one edit.

6. Halloween VIII

We remember everyone panicking when Guy Fieri opened Halloween Ocho. He even threatens to call the “Flavortown Fire Department” because it’s too spicy. The mix also begins with a cut of “I Got 5 On It” by Luniz, which was used for the Jordan Peele trailer. We.

Halloween VIII is legendary in itself, especially since 2019 was Sable Valley’s first year, but it lands lower on the list to be the third year in a row, the mix feels more like a live recording than its usual gritty Halloween. mixtures. The opener, aside from being one of the heavier Halloween mixes, definitely kept this one higher on the list.

7. Halloween V

You can’t deny the star power of RL Grime when he pulls an opening feature from Pharrell. While its post isn’t as memorable as other mixes, it’s still pretty silly to see mainstream audiences intersect in electronic music. And by integrating Strange things in the intro was also a big step.

Halloween V is a great example of a classic Halloween mix for its ability to blend electronic music and hip-hop so seamlessly together – “Shook Ones Pt. By Mobb Deep. II” on “Hexifornia” by Hex Cougar was awesome, but what we were missing here were the underground tracks that we grew to love from these mixes.

8. Halloween VI

2017 was definitely a game-changer for Halloween mixes, bringing more of a live journey to listeners. Mixing and mash-up style changes are taking center stage in Halloween VI, which will gain momentum in the years to come. While it gave us something unexpected, the approach to live-action took the generally raw, gritty energy of the series away. It was potent and well mixed, but didn’t give the spooky vibes we want from a Halloween mix.

However, there are a few highlights that you should not miss. Tony Hawk “doing a 900 in old age” made us laugh in the ass. There was a huge spotlight on underground producers. And if it wasn’t marketed as a Halloween mix, it would just be considered a top-notch complete mix.

9. Halloween VII

Halloween VII is by no means bad, but the reason it takes last place on this list is that, sadly, it’s just not that memorable. Shaquille O’Neal aka Shaq aka DJ Diesel comes up with a great start, mocking RL Grime for ghosting him when he uploaded a few tracks for the mix, but there aren’t many standout moments in the mix. for us.

The material was absolutely there. Tails’ “Skeletons” and Hex Cougar’s “Chemicals” remix were some of the most important electronic tracks of the era (and perfect for a spooky season), but the vibe of the mix didn’t give you the weird feeling. usual that you hope you get out of these mixes. However, we appreciate any ID cards that would be unveiled later in Sable Valley.