Besides the mixing - it's nothing outstanding, but it effectively complements the excellent song selection by providing smooth transitions from track to track - Illipse shies away from household names. You can only find a handful of the more "familiar names" here: Apathy, Asheru, Freddie Foxx, Freestyle (from the Arsonists), Kenn Starr, Last Emperor, Pack FM and Talib Kweli. Only five of those have one or more (official) albums. And the "pros" do turn in excellent performances - Apathy's Seven Nation Army, Freddie's Why and Kenn's Walk The Walk are standout joints - but the strength of this mixtape comes from the performances the young guns turn in.

Whereas other DJs would limit the unsigned hype to a freestyle, Illipse's tape is filled with unknowns. And - surprise, surprise - they more than hold their own: they're actually the main attraction. There's something for everybody here and the best tracks depend on who hears this (their mood, mind state, tastes, etc.) Some cuts do hover above the rest: Invincible, Everything, Street Opera and NFL Blitz just to name a few.

It's a risk to include so few seasoned vets in here, albeit a calculated one. If enough people hear about this (and they'll like it), you can bet the hype will be bigger come the second volume. And I'm sure DJ Illipse's Ill Sounds will live up to it...and then some.