Lo-Fi Sundays 008 - ØDYSSEE

Bringing some sweet relief from the caloric heroism of the annual Thanksgiving weekend, ØDYSSEE is serving up a recovery dish of piping hot beats to help digest all of that stuffing and mashed potatoes. Pulling influences from the staples of jazz, blues, R&B, and boom-bap, his tracks have an undeniable attitude; smoking steady in the lower east side while rolling down Second Avenue. A Parisian by residency, but a Beast-coaster by spirit, this cool cat is sure to keep your head nodding steady and your heart warm on these chilly afternoons.

FOLLOW ØDYSSEE:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Facebook

Lo-Fi Sundays 007 - Lao Wai 老外

Hip-Hop is a global community, and this truth is apparent in the music and life of producer Lao Wai. The producer - whose real name is Adan Kohnhorst - was born in California, raised on classical music in the Netherlands, and currently resides in Shanghai, China where he catalogs and participates in the nation’s nascent hip-hop scene. 

Lao Wai is Chinese for “foreigner”, a term of endearment or derision depending on the context. While Adan may have entered Shanghai as a foreigner, he’s since familiarized himself with the city, and the city has become familiar with him. In addition to producing music Adan breakdances, freestyles, practices Kung-Fu and edits a digital magazine that sends raw Chinese stories and culture across the Pacific to the United States. 

Having lived in New York City and Texas as well as the far East, Lao Wai’s music is influenced by the locale in which it was created. Let us take his most recent EP Shanghai Electric Moonlight as an example. As Adan tells us:

Shanghai is present in all the music I make. There’s this big, long overpass that goes over the main river, and on the weekends the whole thing lights up neon blue. It’s a weird thing for an overpass, but pretty poetic in its own way. I’ve ridden one million cabs home over the bridge late at night, so that image ended up being tied to this project.

Or for another example, see the tracks “Loisaida” and “Haarlem Summer”, both referencing different neighborhoods in our beloved Big Apple and both put forth with a bit more soul sampling and boom-bap than his Shanghai creations. 

The amazing thing about New York is that the whole city kind of runs on hip hop. There’s a hip hop pulse everywhere, in a completely organic way, and that’s because it’s where the music comes from. But when you’re coming off the subway and there’s a crew of poppers [break dancers] putting on a show, or you’re in the park and there’s a cypher happening and people are all jumping in spitting bars, that’s a totally different environment from most of the world. 

With earlier beats Adan wanted to prove that he could recreate the golden era hip-hop sound he admired. With his most recent EP he sought to step outside of that framework. This inspired cuts like “25i Space Dream” and “Sunset at Sagami Bay” which are more ethereal, built on trap music percussion, but with a more atmospheric and less aggressive vibe than the word ‘trap’ usually connotes. It’s a sublime sound to daydream to, with traditional lo-fi textures trying the whole project together. 

That’s not to say Lao Wai won’t return to his golden-era hip-hop roots in the future. Classic funk and soul samples are foundational within his music, and he just picked up some quintessential beat gear. “I just got my hands on an SP-404SX sampler, and we’re still in the honeymoon phase right now. I love this thing. It’s my first time making music completely without a computer … so pretty soon we’ll be seeing a beat tape or at least some singles entirely done on the device.”

It’s undeniable that location influences one’s creativity, exemplified by the unique lo-fi offering of Lao Wai. "I like making beats because it deals with the pure, aesthetic beauty of instrumentation, and it’s so up for interpretation," Adan says. We could not agree more, and while we revel in his most recent EP and bump his older NYC-bred jams, we’ll stay chooned to interpret his future lo-fi vibes born in Shanghai.

FOLLOW Lao Wai:   Soundcloud

Lo-Fi Sundays 006 - Leavv

Hip-hop may have its roots and strongest pull here in the United States, but its influence and cultivation can be heard from nearly every corner of the planet. Hailing from Germany, with little more information than that to go on, Leavv is a producer whose music must speak for itself; a salacious blend of ambient tones and minor modalities, served up piping hot to warm your bones as we enter the frigid end of Autumn.

Their most recent release, currents, is melancholy at its finest. The ethos of each track progressing through the album is unmistakable and universal. The fall air is crisp, with a notable bite on the end. The glass windows of storefronts shimmer by the light peaking out from a rushing torrent of pink, blue, and yellow clouds, colored by the chromatic brilliance of an early afternoon sunset. The hue of the choice samples and instrumental chords within each track float out and around the headspace, bringing about a sensual relaxation second to none. 

FOLLOW LEAVV:  Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Facebook

Lo-Fi Sundays 005 - Guru Griff

Guru Griff isn’t about making beats anymore, he’s about making music. This according to his Twitter account, where the Los Angeles-based beat maker offers other candid thoughts like, “this lofi hype got another 6 months before everyone’s over it.” Perhaps, but Sundays aren’t for hype anyway.

Hype is a word with little relevance for Guru Griff. His beats are invariably chill, the height of music made for relaxation and a bit of contemplation. His drums are always dusty and in the pocket, his samples always placid and original. The producer popped on our radar when we heard his jelly-smooth, sidewalking tune “Long Day” open the Jazzy Town mix made by Youtube channel Fantastic Music. One muffled trumpet, one shuffling drum beat, and one crusted-over piano sample is all Guru Griff needs to set a vibe here.

Four Guru Griff tapes are available for streaming on Spotify and three for purchase on Bandcamp, all from 2017. The smooth sound Griff cultivates across his tapes is as consistent as his output; one requires little patience if they’re waiting on new music from this producer. 

The Natural Loops EP, a 22-minute collaboration with Danish beat knocker Axianreleased one month ago, sounds like a new vibe for Guru Griff. The tape is saturated with deeper hues and drawn with sharper edges than some of his older efforts. It’s dusted off, perhaps owing to Axian's contribution or perhaps to Guru Griff’s own progression as a producer, but that’s speculation. This compared for example to the 18-minute Apex EP from earlier in the year which has all that darling snap, crackle, and pop, but a bit less shine. Maybe save the former for a sunny stroll, and the latter for a rainy day when you’re “sittin’ back, smokin’ a 20”. Either way, you’re bopping.

Guru Griff’s most recent tape, Riptides, hit Spotify just one week ago. There’s a miscellany of tracks here, some posted on his SoundCloud one year ago and others just days ago. Certain tracks appear slightly more colorful, with slightly more fidelity. The drums slap where they once thudded. Hear this on “Ride Round”, a complex cut with flute, a strutting bass line, and running, pitched violin blending beneath a horn lead. There’s a powerful sample from Tupac Shakur, too, “The day I stepped out, that’s power! I want these little niggas to see that. I didn't get that power from guns ‘cuz there are no guns in jail. I got that power from books, and from thinking.” 

Guru Griff is generating his own power with these soulful beats. Whatever he chooses to call it - music or beats - we’ll choose to stay chooned for more. 

FOLLOW GURU GRIFF:   Soundcloud   /   Twitter   /   Bandcamp  

Lo-Fi Sundays 004 - STLNDRMS

STLNDRMS (stolen drums) is the truth. Posting daily beatmaking videos, hosting a weekly chill in Atlanta, and maintaining a prolific output on Soundcloud, STLNDRMS aka Chris Wilkes is a veritable beats brand. The dedicated Atlanta native slices some of the most rich and colorful beats on the web, hands down. 

STLNDRMS first emerged on our radar when 'backpack' cracked out of the Bless Vol. 1 tape from Inner Ocean Records.  On an already prolific beat tape, this one drew forth a wild, fiendish head bop. The drums smack relentlessly, and a pair of hair-raising string and horn samples race underneath a simple three-note melody to cultivate an almost cinematic vibe. A cut of Money Makin' Mitch, main character from the 2002 epic 'Paid in Full', comes through on the break - "The fans still gon' love me, man?"

This is one of two sampled ad-libs which invariably pop up in STLNDRUMS beats. Mitch is comparing an athlete retiring to a drug dealer leaving the game, waxing poetic about the potential loss of mojo if and when a man puts down his passions. This may be personal narrative at play. 

According to prodigious DJ journalism imprint Micro-Chop, Wilkes began crafting beats in 2001 and continued to chop and splice religiously for ten years before putting down the drums - almost for good - in 2011. Despite an abundance of passion and skill, STLNDRMS beats gained little traction outside of the producer's bedroom, a dilemma probably shared by more than one beatmaker. But naturally and perhaps magnetically, Wilkes was drawn back to his craft in 2016. "If I leave, the fans still gon' love me, man?"

Since he picked up the pads again, Wilkes has brought his beats out into the world in a big way. STLNDRMS broadcasts multi-hour home studio sessions about twice-a-week through his 'Beats and Chill' videos. He asks viewers to "spread the love", reminds them that "sharing is caring" and shouts out his viewers in real time while making piping hot beats on the spot.

Wilkes hosts a weekly gathering in Atlanta called Controllerise. With beat sets from underground DJs, pizza, and anime, Controllerise is a place for the "underground to flourish" Wilkes told Atlanta lifestyle publication Creative Loafing. Where once STLNDRMS struggled to achieve exposure for his own beats, he's now created a space to big up other underground talents in his scene. 

STLNDRMS has a surprisingly simple workflow. He's been using virtually the same drums since his genesis, a 15-drum pad assembled - stolen - from vinyls years ago, this again according to Micro-Chop. He doesn't use plug-ins or "anything fancy", just slapping drums, layered hi-hats, and rusty, dusty broad-brush instrumental samples to fill the stereo spread with radiant organized noise. The love is in the layering, and this dense sound is consistent across his cuts, like a signature.  

We collected some choice knocks from his Soundcloud, but STLNDRMS beats are infinite and always evolving. The intangible, priceless beauty of groove can arise any time Wilkes is behind his drums. So interact, hear more and explore on his Twitter or Instagram, or roll through the Thursday night vibe Controllerise if you're in Atlanta. Scoop some free .wav downloads from his Soundcloud, and stay chooned to STLNDRMS and Lo-Fi Sundays. 

FOLLOW STLNDRMS:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Instagram

Lo-Fi Sundays 003 - Erameld

Continuing with our journey through low-fidelity time and space, we came across a particularly interesting beatsmith known as Erameld; The classic dusty breaks and melancholy, bit-crushed accentuation is all there as it should be, but this producer has a serious talent for pin-point sound design and melody choice that places him a cut above the rest. Varying tempos, neurotic attention to arrangement and composition, and a pervasive sense of “I have been here before”, all wrapped up in an effervescent sonic hue; Here’s a few beat tapes and choice tracks to help you get acquainted with this one man beat cypher.

FOLLOW Erameld:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Instagram

Lo-Fi Sundays 002 - Poptartpete

Appearing in December 2015 courtesy of Radio Juicy, Palmas was the first vinyl and last musical release from Philadelphia skateboarder Jamal Smith aka Poptartpete, who put down the drum machine to focus solely on his skating career after dropping this gem. While his earlier beat tapes - Weed Money, Morning Blunt, and 8 Cavities - all ran at approximately 20 minutes, Palmas compiles all his work to date into a robust 41-minute magnum opus.

Superb instrumental sampling, warm pad melodies, and head-bopping drums define Poptartpete's sound. The same could be said of many beatsmiths, but beyond the guitars, horns, woodwinds, and percussion, many of his samples sound like they're cut from old film, television, and archetypal 1970s R&B, rendering the tunes with an authentic throwback vibe. The whole tape is magnificent, but we do have some standout tracks to highlight. "Ithaca" opens  with a bright, aqueous melody that conjures images of upstate New York gorge-dwelling in early autumn. "Jumba Jawn," a shout out to the Philadelphia native's stomping grounds, ups the energy early with its strutting saxophone sample. "Hard Times", the longest tune on the tape, delivers emotional impact with a prodding blues guitar sample and layers of humming female vocals. "Water Underneath" has a fuzzy shuffling hi-hat which driving the drums, water running underneath, and a brilliant flute sample to lead. 

We hope one day Jamal picks up the gear again. If that never happens, he undoubtedly left the beat scene on a high note with Palmas. You can obtain a reasonably-priced download on Bandcamp, and a few copies on wax of this sublime release may still be available on vinyl database/marketplace discogs. 

FOLLOW Poptartpete:   Soundcloud   /   Facebook   /   Bandcamp

Lo-Fi Sundays 001 - saiko

The Rust Music was envisioned to spread awareness of the eclectic, off-kilter sound that thrives in the minds of the world’s many brilliant musicians and composers. To further that goal, we present the first of many Lo-Fi Sundays - a weekly column created to highlight the finest bit-crushed producers currently on our radar.

Hailing from Brussels, Belgium, our first featured beatsmith Saiko delivers on both the sculpting of the lo-fi soundscape, and the richness of note choice. Always at a steady head-nod pace, the music speaks as if it is coming out of a rusted wind-up toy, with the ebb and flow of each beat rising and falling like the mechanical failures of gears and speaker boxes gone awry. Sit back tonight and pop on Saiko through whatever audio medium you see fit, and feel the comedown of the week slide right off your shoulders like sea water on seal skin.

FOLLOW Saiko:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   iTunes