The Secret Mixes - hip hop mix by Kishmeister
Kishan Ramsamy aka Kishmeister is a huge music, especially hip hop fan and is a regular at gigs in the capital. He is also blogger, radio presenter, occasional radio producer and helped edit The Secret List - London. Â Kishmeister takes The Secret Mixes into hop hip territory, music to write books to. Listen to the mix here. You can buy The Secret List - London here, with free postage to many countries.
 Music, London and my lively Snapback collection are how my mates would best reference me. I’m a massive fan of many genres across the spectrum of music, from hip hop, soul to drum ‘n’ bass and everything in between. My treasured music collection is testament to the place that music has in my life. I have known Secret List founder Sanjiv Ahluwalia as a fellow writer from the Gilles Peterson Brownswood messageboard, a diverse community of music heads.
 London is a significantly music-orientated city that I exploit fully with the numerous gigs and club nights I have experienced over the years. I’m also a passionate DJ head, appreciative of the art of turntablism which is one of my hobbies, having created some mixes recently.
 I have also followed up on my music writings, including a tribute to 25 years of the Jazz Café for ITCH FM (my favourite music venue in London), editing for a fellow writer Ali Kinteh, on his acclaimed debut novel ‘The Nepenthe Park Chronicles’ and blogging for Lovesoul and Nik Squared music sites. I have also been a co-host and producer for DJ Myme’s radio show. While London is a city full of stresses, this is also a great place of music, culture and street art that I cherish and thrive in.
Why I like The  Secret List:
 It has been a privilege to play a part in the Secret List books, honouring record shops around the world. I’m becoming an increasingly rare breed of music head that still buys music and support artists, as opposed to listening to tunes off a streaming service that is frequently punctuated by mind numbing adverts or downloading songs off some virus infected website while running the persistent gauntlet of pop up spam.
 Record shops invest a significant wealth of respect and value to the craft of music, building up communities, establishing the foundations for our future DJ’s, tastemakers and record labels, and heralding the heart and effort that artists put in when creating music that represents them, to share to the world. Fellow music lover Sanjiv Ahluwalia captures that legacy through these inspired books, writing with creative resonance to what being a cratedigger is all about.Â
 A well travelled music head, it has been fascinating to read the record shop expeditions of Sanjiv, as well as providing a broader insight into the cities that are graced by these special Music joints. All these cities are richer in their culture and identity, being served by these record shops, which Sanjiv charts with intriguing personal anecdotes.
 Record shops are much reduced in numbers these days as technology and listening habits evolve. With newer technology, the undeniably great advantages of a universal platform to share music easily has also contributed to an era where music’s worth is degraded, and increasingly dismissed into a disposable commodity by the relentless turnover and short attention spans. The adventure of a music head in making an effort to investigate a new release, engage with fellow colleagues in person, the life affirming and crazy moments that are snatched in record stores, many of which lead onto whole new movements, is a much needed and compelling narrative that Sanjiv pays tribute to in The Secret List series.
Q Tip – Lets Ride (Arista)
Grand Puba – I Like It (Elektra)
Red Astaire – Follow Me (GAMM)
Guru feat. Donell Jones – Hustlin Daze (Virgin)
Marc Mac – Alone Me & The Sea (ABB)
Masta Ace – Good Ol’ Love (M3 Macmil Music)
Jay Z feat. Mary J Blige – Can’t Knock The Hustle (Roc-A-Fella)
Lauryn Hill – Everything Is Everything (Ruffhouse)
Tribe Called Quest – Push It Along (Jive)
Klashnekoff – B4 U Die (Kemet Entertainment)
Game – Documentary 2 (Blood Money)
Skee Lo – Crenshaw (Scotti Brothers)
De La Soul – Breakadawn (EastWest)
Gangstarr – Code Of The Streets (Chrysalis)
Marco Polo feat. Masta Ace – Nostalgia (Soulspazm/Rawkus)
Navdeep – My Technique (Anamika)
Clams Casino – Coldness
Swiss – Cry (Music Kidz)
Sir Smurf Lil – Nature Bites (YNR Productions)
Lowkey – Just Shine (So Empire)
Pete Rock – Heaven & Earth (Mello Music)
Termanology & DC feat. Lee Wilson – Circle Of Life (ST Records)
Czarface feat. Method Man – Nightcrawler (Brick)
Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) – Nappy Heads (Ruffhouse)
DMX – Damien (Ruff Ryderz/Def Jam)
Mos Def – New World Water (Rawkus)
Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon, Cappadonna & U-God – Ghetto (Def Jam)
Guilty Simpson – My Time To Shine (Now Again)
Benga – There’s No Soul (Sony)
Kaytranada feat. JMSN – All We Do (HW&W)
Rimshox – Breeze in Shinjuku
DJ Shadow – What Does Your Soul Look Like (Mo’ Wax)
Mala – Ghost (Brownswood)
Skream – Colourful (Tempa)
Guido – Shades of Blue (Punch Drunk)
