Friday Mixtape: Boiler Room designer Mason London's super laid-back mix

Mason London, the designer otherwise known as Joe Prytherch, has created us a super laid-back mix to end the last week of March. In his role at Boiler Room, Mason creates endless artworks for events, illustrated and designed in a style that emulates the night at hand and his personality too.

As well as creating us a chilled mix inspired by hip hop and the imminent summer, Mason also shared his own rendition of The Streets’ Original Pirate Material that he created when he was 16!

Why have you picked these songs – what do they make you feel?

The common theme of all the tracks on this mixtape is that they are all super laid-back, like ten helpings of syrup and cream (hence the title on my tenuously related mixtape artwork). The inspiration for this theme is a track called Otha Fish by hip hop group The Pharcyde which for me is the ultimate laid-back lounging song. I discovered it when I was a teenager and was obsessed with it for a good while. Any time it gets to mid April and I make my annual Summer Jams playlist it’s always the first track on there, so I used it as the starting point for this mixtape.

When or where should this mixtape be listened to?

When you have nothing to do but test out a new reclining chair.

What did you listen to as a teenager and why?

I used to listen to a lot of hip hop albums, like Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride 2, Mos Def’s Black on Both Sides, Common’s Like Water for Chocolateand Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP. I also used to remake artwork for CDs which I’d burnt but didn’t own the original cases for; here’s a CD cover (below) I made for The Streets Original Pirate Material when I was 16. It’s constructed from photos and words torn out of NME and Guardian Guide interviews run through a printer to add the album title and track listing.

What is consistently playing in your studio and why?

I work in Boiler Room so whatever is playing in the studio is often something the music team are playing to get ideas for shows. I get exposed to a lot of great new music but also a lot of techno. Recent albums I’ve enjoyed from the office stereo are Khruangbin The Universe Smiles Upon You, Loyle Carner Yesterday’s Gone and NxWorries Yes Lawd.

If a feature film of your life was to be made, what song would be on the trailer?

Truffle Butter by Nikki Minaj.