Mixpak Record’s knack for unexpected collaborations might be one of its greatest strengths as a label, from Dre Skull and Vybz Kartel’s recent dancehall crossover album to even stranger pairings such as Dam Funk + Lil Scrappy grooving together on the same track.

Now, fresh off his latest “Rapper Turned Singer” EP on Mixpak, Andy Petr is a producer who’s in tune with this collaborative mindset. The first installment of this collaborative impulse comes in a set of free Mixpak EPs of raw material – first up is this eight track EP brimming with lots of noteable stuff: Synth lines to cause heart palpatations, hazy, almost-placeable hip hop vocals dragged out overtop the tracks, and maybe most importantly, several collaborations with weed-obsessed genius Dro Carey.

Also very much worth your time: a Mixpak interview with Petr himself, in the digital flesh! Don’t sleep.

Andy Petr – FREE EP (APD005) (zip file, direct link)

Can’t. Stop. Listening. To. This.

Mixpak Records is the label that’s going to hands down have the breakout album of 2011. This is referring of course, to the Dre Skull produced upcoming Vybz Kartel collaboration LP , titled “Kingston Story” – the followup to the huge Jamacian smash hit “Yuh Love”.

Dre Skull talks a bit below about the creation of the album and the first single, the horn heavy, Hot 97 ready summer-anthem-to-be “Go, Go, Wine”. You can stream the track below, be on the lookout for when it drops in digital retailers on May 4th, madness.

For the last nine months I’ve been working with Vybz Kartel on a full length album and it’s finally time to let the world hear some music. The album, ‘Kingston Story,’ will be out in June, but the first single, ‘Go Go Wine,’ will be released on May 3rd and Toddla T debuted it on his BBC Radio 1 show last Thursday during a special show on Jamaican music. Listen back to the show which has a bunch of great interviews and music (including a quick interview he did with me last time we were in Kingston). Pitchfork also showed support and debuted a stream of ‘Go Go Wine’ (which has resulted in 80 plus YouTube rips). On Friday, the track got radio support fom Jabba (of Massive B fame) who gave the track multiple spins on Sirius XM and from Max Glazer who dropped the track on his Federation Sound show on EVR.

I want to take a moment to give a special shout out to Mr. Glazer, because I wrote the riddim for ‘Go Go Wine’ in January after I played him a bunch of cuts from the Kartel album and he shared his perspective on what the album had and what it might be missing. Basically, he mentioned that the record could use a real Hot 97 friendly/rhythmic dancehall cut and I took his advice and went back into the studio before my last trip to record with Kartel. Respect for the advice!

Vybz Kartel – Go Go Wine by Mixpak

The Heatwave’s dancehall filled mixes have helped me do things I never thought possible – staying up 59 consecutive hours working on a ten foot tall tornado replica for a Canadian museum while solely listening to Heatwave mixes, for example.

Maybe it’s because they excel at seamlessly blending dancehall refixes of pop staples, or maybe it has something to do with their effortless bridging of Jamacian produced vibes with a UK bashment tinged edge.

Whatever it is that’s responsible for the magic they’ve been weaving in their mixes, it comes out in full force here – brimming with exclusives from Vybz Kartel, a new Sticky & Ms. Dynamite collaboration, and a multitude of tropical riddims to give spring the final needed push to just become summer already.

The Heatwave – Energy Bashment (Mediafire)

Tracklisting after the jump, tons of vibes:

* Rihanna & Vybz Kartel – What’s My Name (Federation Remix)
* Beenie Man & Future Fambo – Rum & Red Bull (One Day Riddim)
* Khago – Nah Sell Out (One Day Riddim)
* Mr G – Swaggarific (One Day Riddim)
* Aidonia – Tek It Off (Catalog Riddim)
* Mr Lexx – Punaany Riddim (The Heatwave Special)
* Vybz Kartel & Gaza Slim – Like A Jockey (Street Groove Riddim)
* Keida – We Ready (Dancehall EFX Riddim)
* Liquid – Inna The Middle (Dancehall EFX Riddim)
* Vybz Kartel – Dancehall Hero (Dancehall EFX Riddim)
* Mavado – All Dem A Talk (Dancehall EFX Riddim)
* Busy Signal – Up In Her Belly
* Scatta – Coolie Dance Riddim
* Spice – Jim Screechie (Jim Screechie Riddim)
* Aidonia – Jackhammer (Jim Screechie Riddim)
* TOK – Everybody Clap (Jim Screechie Riddim)
* Vybz Kartel & Robin S – Picture This (Refix)
* Supa Jigga TC – Speaker Boxx
* Natalie Storm & Footsteps – Play Di Ting (The Heatwave Refix)
* Vybz Kartel & Major Lazer – Wine To The Ground (KLJ Refix)
* Ms Dynamite & Sticky – Booo!
* Crissy D, Lady G & B-15 Project – Girls Like Us
* Lea-Anna & Wundah – Kisses (Transition Riddim)
* Mavado – Feeling Lonely
* Vybz Kartel – Yuh Love (Smoke Machine Riddim)
* Vybz Kartel, Mad Cobra & Mr Lexx – Touch A Button (The Heatwave Refix)
* Mad Cobra – Press Trigger (The Buzz Riddim)
* Cutty Ranks – Limb By Limb Refix (The Buzz Riddim)
* Mr Vegas – A Nuh Di Same (The Buzz Riddim)
* Sean Paul – Give Me The Light (The Buzz Riddim)
* Kelis, Beenie Man & TOK – Trick Me Twice (The Heatwave Refix)
* J Boog – Let’s Do It Again (Major Riddim)
* Busy Signal – Night Shift
* Gappy Ranks – Longtime
* Zagu Zar – Welcome To England
* Mr Williamz & Curtis Lynch – London (Jam 1 Riddim)
* YT – England Story (The Heatwave Special)
* Pinchers – Amazing (Turn It Up Riddim)
* Cham, Mykal Rose & Bounty Killer – Stronger
* Mims, Jr Reid & Cham – This Is Why I’m Hot
* Jah Cure & Rick Ross – Like I See It
* Super Cat – Mud Up
* Jeremy Harding – Playground Riddim
* Sean Paul – Infiltrate (Playground Riddim)
* Beenie Man – Who Am I (Playground Riddim)
* Beenie Man – Dude (Fiesta Riddim)
* Sean Paul – Give It Up To Me (Vinyl Shotz Refix – Show Off Riddim)
* Mavado – Last Night (Show Off Riddim)
* Liquid – Hold A Vibe

Grindin Top 15 (August)

1. Acid Girls – Light Works (Harvard Bass Remix)
2. The XX – Basic Space
3. Joy Orbison – Wet Look
4. Pill – Trap Goin Ham
5. Shakira – She Wolf
6. Digital Manges – Manges (Sharkslayer Club Mix)
7. Dre Skull & Vybz Kartel – Yuh Love
8. Erol Alkan & Boyz Noize – Wavves
9. Momma’s Boy – Give It Up
10. SMD – Bad Blood
11. Chuckie – Aftershock (Chuckie and Silvo Ecomo Remix)
12. Mumdance & Brodinski – Eurostarr (Zombie Disco Squad Remix)
13. HEALTH – We Are Water
14. Marcus Price and Carli – Mat, Bira, Kvinnor, Weed (Kingdom Remix)
15. Frankmusik – Confusion Girl (Russ Chimes)

The monthly Grindin chart is compiled by the Grindin network. Read more about Grindin here. We will be back in September.

Vybz Kartel is about to release the huge new single “Yuh Love” on Mixpak Records which happens to be the newly founded label by Brooklyn producer Dre Skull (who also produced the single). A t-shirt was made to coincide with the release and as promotion Mixpak is running a contest on Twitter. To enter simply post the following on your Twitter account:

“I support the new @mixpak single produced by @dreskull “Vybz Kartel – Yuh Love” http://bit.ly/aDyj2 RT your support!!”

The winner will recieve a free Vybz Kartel t-shirt and will be chosen randomly among all the entries. To qualify you must be following both @mixpak and @dreskull and you must post before midnight Friday August 21st Eastern Standard time.