Evan Gabriel was never an intern.
The Los Angeles beat scene has long been a breeding ground for producers experimenting in electronica and hip hop, and since the mid-2000s, its producers have been pushing instrumental music’s popularity.
In part, this trajectory can be traced to the all-encompassing vibe that Low End Theory (now tens years running) continues to provide for bedroom producers and fans on a weekly basis. Another part of the scene that helps producers flourish in their followings is labels like Brainfeeder and Alpha Pup Records.
As an artist, Alpha Pup’s latest signee—Crem’e—is fairly new to the scene, but his knack for producing full songs around harmonious loops is in no way nascent. A former intern at Stones Throw Records and an integral member of the Hi Fidelity Records staff, Crem’e seamlessly applies his skills for sampling to a broader mechanism for culling sounds that aren’t immediately reminiscent of hip hop. The byproduct is that much fresher. Think Boards of Canada meets Balam Acab.
MISSIN (HERR) – CREM’E from Stephen_Scott_Day on Vimeo.
Today, POTW premiers “Edith,” a single off Crem’e’s debut album, Close Up. The song—and entire LP—was created in response to his mother’s passing. On “Edith,” a breathy vocal sample bends itself around low bass chords. Underfoot, a shaker and sleigh bells bounce around the pumping kick drum. A lot of sounds exist at once, but the track never sounds technically obtrusive, thanks in part to the mindful mixing and mastering by Alpha Pup label head Daddy Kev.
Strings are plucked and rise in the distance. And the breathy sample staggers throughout, making “Edith” a considerably tender moment within a larger examination of tragedy and human connection.
Close Up will hit vinyl and digital platforms on August 26th.
