The Michtape - DIG Exclusive

DIG is proud to present the Mitchtape, a mix of street riding in Michigan and Ohio from the likes of Mikey Tyra, Connor Keating, Jeff Tabb, Cory Wiergowski, Chase Krolicki, Jacob Bullen, Tim Sulkowski, Chance Garrison, Nick Bullen, Cody Martz, Dillon Bell, Jamie Thayer, Alex Burnside, Jeremy Barger, Jacob Hosack, and Jason Govan. Music plays an integral role in BMX videos, and Michtape creator Alex Burnside provided some insight into the motivation behind this project and how it's soundtrack was chosen:

"Several months after the premiere of the first DVD project for Cory Wiergowski and I, The Michigan Video, I had the itch to film for another video, but one that was less forced, rushed, structured, what have you. I love watching crew videos, seeing relatively unknown riders doing their own thing, filming and having fun. I bought an HD Camcorder after selling my DSLR, and set out on the streets of Michigan and Ohio filming whoever was riding. 2013 for Michigan was focused on putting out a DVD and the stress was a lot to handle, so for 2014, I wanted to do a ton of web content. Connor Keating, Mikey Tyra, Cory Wiergowski, and Nick Bullen all had web videos come out early in 2015, with The Michtape being the final piece to drop from 2014. For all of the web content released this year, I used only Michigan-made music, and The Michtape is no exception. Here in Detroit, we had legendary DJ and Producer, J. Dilla making beats and collaborating with all of the best rappers from the early 1990's to his death in 2006. As a fan of east coast hip hop from the Golden Era, finding a producer so close to home whose style was reminiscent of the greats like DJ Premier and Pete Rock was a blessing. With tons of complex layers and off the wall samples with a Detroit twist, Dilla's music is both fun to listen to and easy to groove to. For The Michtape, I used only tracks produced by Dilla himself. The first beats are from unreleased tapes that circulate the underground from time to time. These cassettes are like gold to those who are fortunate to know of Dilla's music. For the final two sections, I looked to Dilla's collaborations. "A Day Wit' Tha Homiez," the first song, is Dilla's first recorded track with verses by fellow Detroit Emcee, Phat Kat. This track was the only one released by the duo's name, "1st Down." Find the 12" vinyl and I'll gladly fork over some cash for it! For Govan's section, I looked to a recent, posthumous release from the studio album, "Rebirth of Detroit." As a whole, The Michtape is a tribute to a Detroit artist who changed music and represented Detroit in a good light. So find some decent speakers, a screen that's bigger than 4" wide, and enjoy Dilla with some of the best bike riders in Michigan doing their thing." - Alex Burnside