Vibes master and all round cosmic gentleman Roy Ayers has had a huge impact on the hip hop world, with his jazzual noodlings forming the back bone of many a hip hop hit.

But as far as I can remember (and I’m probably wrong), no one has collected these into one mix*.

So hats off to KCRW’s Anthony Valadez, who has taken the time to stitch Ayers’ tunes together with the hip hop cuts that have borrowed so greatly from them.

Here’s what Anthony had to say: “The inspiration for the mix simply came down to Roy Ayer’s influence as an artist and creative figure. 

“His music has been recycled and embraced by various generations and to me that only demonstrates how ahead of his time this brother really is/was. This is something I have always known but it really struck me when I put the needle on the record in creating this mix.

“Roy Ayers has transcended jazz, soul, funk and disco. He has impacted music for many generations to come through hip hop, house and neo soul. Through the 70′s to present day, Mr. Ayers has captured happiness, soul and uplifting messages through his music”

As you would expect, there’s a whole lot of Roy in the mix (duh), bookended by hip hop from the likes of Smif-N-Wessun, X-Clan, Blackstar, Redman and A Tribe Called Quest to name but a few.

Quality business for you to stream/download below:

Homage – Roy Ayers mixed by Anthony Valadez by ArtDontSleep

Valadez’s mix is part of Homage, a special concert taking place in Los Angeles on 17 November which will see Roy and his band joined on stage by Pete Rock, as well as opening sets from Thundercat and J.Rocc, and more DJ support from a bunch of people (including Valadez himself). More info here.

*Alright, I’m aware there probably are Roy Ayers/hip hop mixes out there… so if there are, leave the links in the comment section and spread the love!