NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers Releases Max I Million's "We Own the Night" LP

The veteran Swedish producer Max I Million returns with a diverse collection of hip-hop gems called We Own the Night, his second LP on the NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers imprint. Every song on this album is great, straight up, although we’ve come to expect nothing less from Max I Million, one of the best representatives of Sweden’s potent beatmaking culture. 

In a 2017 interview published by NINETOFIVE, Max said that Swedish hip-hop has divided into many different styles and approaches. We Own the Night is pretty reflective of that. “We have everything from Trap and club music to jazzy cratedigger Boom Bap.” This album and Max’s style overall mostly falls under that third camp, but there are also some old school club adaptations of hip-hop on this release, like the title track and “Next Level Shit”. Features from devastatingly smooth MCs Twizzmatic, Blu, TriState, and Planet Asia add climactic moments to this primarily instrumental album, like the single “Coupe Deville” on which TriState and Planet Asia lace a soulful beat with righteous, weighty word association.

Max’s music is marked by stirring chord progressions on keys and synths blended with crafty samples that float over steady, slapping drums. Our favorite song on the album is the jazziest, “Son of the Sun 2”. After moving through so much boom-bap, the skipping drum pattern and dancing bassline here can catch one by surprise and put you in a state. Then the album takes a turn for the smooth and ends with three contemplative instrumentals, each one having open space, prominent basslines and ethereal synthesizers. Max I Million really works into the pocket here with “Midnight Snack”, adding foley texture and a fluttering synthesizer lead to a walking bassline. 

“It's insane how much talent there is in such a small country,” Max said of the hip-hop scene in Sweden. NINETOFIVE works with several Swedish beatmakers including Gonza, Boukas, Moose Dawa and Cam the Downrocka. They’ve issued several Max I Million releases over the last three years including collaborations, singles, LPs, an EP and a mix that specifically highlights Swedish talent. “In Sweden there is a friendly competition thing going on, which has elevated beatmakers to just get better and better.”

It’s hard to stop bumping We Own the Night, which has so much depth and dimension. If you can manage to pull yourself away from it, check out other parts of Max I Million’s catalog and the other Swedish producers on NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers. 

FOLLOW Max I Million: Soundcloud / Spotify / Instagram / Twitter

Lo-Fi Sundays 080 - Beasty P

Our next edition of Lo-Fi Sundays brings us to the city of Minsk, Belarus. Beasty P is a European beats producer who runs with the internationally acclaimed NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers record label. He’s packing a stereophonic quality to his dusty tunes that is in short supply in the lo-fi world, and has a clear skillset for flipping breaks and samples.

Keeping things in the rhythmic pocket is the cornerstone of each Beasty P production. His tracks display their strong source material proudly, going for a “less is more” approach to remixing and sampling. The result is a strong compositional framework for each unique tune in the Beasty P catalog, giving the whole collecton a remarkable aural consistency. Tracks like “she’s a different” and “where is da jumpin’” utilize the vocal material from their respective source tracks to full effect, merging classic anthems with salient textures and wide percussive samples. Conversely, his latest album Zenith is mostly devoid of vocal material, instead opting for the intercrossed melodies and harmonies to tell their stories. No matter which format his music takes on, Beasty P has an undeniable touch for emotive songwriting and production that sets his music apart from many of his contemporaries.

Beasty P’s catalog stretches across more than 40 tracks, released both independently and through NINETOFIVE. His sampling mastery and creative approach to layering and mixing give his productions a shining finish that is often left out of the picture for Lo-Fi hip-hop. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this intuitive beat smith from now on, and high highly recommend that you do to.

FOLLOW Beasty P: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Lo-Fi Sundays 075 - Mecca:83

Every weekend we curate 10 tracks from one instrumental hip-hop producer to try to capture his or her essence. This can be a challenging task, but it may have never been more challenging than this weekend as we feature the music of Manchester-based producer Evan Jones aka Mecca:83. His catalog is vast, and virtually every cut is worthy of a deep listen. Plus, music from his jazz alias just became available for streaming for the first time. And just earlier today he debuted a new four track EP, Quiet Dawn. Midnight, dawn and times of day are motifs throughout the producer’s catalog.

Mecca’s music has been supported by Soulection and the legendary curator Giles Peterson. He’s collaborated with dozens of influential producers including Tom Misch, Grap Luva, and Es-K, and instrumentalists like pianist Kazumi Kaneda and trumpet player Octavio Santos. In addition to the label he’s favored most recently, NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers, he has compilation credits with Inner Ocean Records, Stay Cool, Chillhop Music, and more. He released his first project as Mecca:83 in 2010, and hasn’t stopped grinding since, infusing jazz and pure spirit into boom-bap beats that frequently include live instrumentation.

The playlist kicks off with a Malcolm X sample, which is an appropriate representation of the righteousness and spiritual depth of Mecca’s output. The sample comes from Rise, Mecca’s jazz alias (additional aliases include REdefinition and Alexis Davis). He first began producing as Rise in 2008, and for the first time, jewels from this era are now available to stream through The Rise Collection: 2008-2018 thanks to NINETOFIVE. Here’s some words from the man himself about this project.

If you've only been following me since the "Mecca:83" era you might not be familiar with the spiritual jazz side of my output under the name Rise.  From 2008 to 2018 - Rise was my alias for creating instrumental music inspired by the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra and the more Spiritual side of Jazz Music in the late 60s/early 70s: an era I hold dear to my heart. "A Rise collection" compiles 10 tracks from 2008-2018 that I think best capture the essence of the Rise sound. Expect to hear multi-layered percussion work outs, ample saxophone solos and spiritual vibes a plenty.

We won’t say more about Mecca’s music - it speaks for itself. We will say this; If there was just one producer whose music encapsulates this moment in time and musical space, this decade of instrumental hip-hop (and for the record, there are many), it might be Mecca:83.

FOLLOW Mecca:83: Official / Soundcloud / Spotify / Bandcamp / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter

ØDYSSEE - Desired Things

There’s an old axiom that goes, “It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.” This sentiment was voiced in an old jazz tune originally performed by Ella Fitzgerald, “T’aint What You Do”. The music of ØDYSSEE, a jazzist and vibe provider of a different character, exemplifies this axiom. The Parisian producer dances along the ever-narrowing line between jazz and hip-hop while also incorporating bits of blues, boss-o-nova and electronica. Each style feels age-old, but ØDYSSEE reinvents them through a process of musical collage. On his new six-track release Desired Things he borrows bits from different styles and arranges them like a florist does a beautiful bouquet. This unconventional take on hip-hop, presented by NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers, is entirely composed and arranged by ØDYSSEE himself; there’s no sampled material here.

Lately the producer has been alternating between original compositions and sample-based music. ØDYSSEE plays the piano, synthesizer, guitar, bass and perhaps more. As some of his peers in the beatmaking world have discussed, there is a degree of tension in the industry between composition and sample-based music. Copyright infringement concerns collide with creativity and spark discussion on the history of hip-hop itself. This doesn’t appear to weigh heavily on ØDYSSEE, whose sole goal is to create deeply expressive music regardless of the technicalities behind it.

The keyboard and guitar take turns leading the musical discussion, speaking to the listener and creating dialogue with each other. They’re projected against a background of deep, velvet basslines and shimmering, aqueous synth pads. With his exceptional songwriting ability, ØDYSSEE’s melodies poke the listener in all the right spots, provoking potent emotions and ideas. One can’t help but fall into a productive daydream during the short but rich “Aquatic Groove”. ØDYSSEE’s music would not be complete without top-tier drums. Indeed, a calling card of his production style is percussion that is punctual and snappy yet swings gregariously. ØDYSSEE was influenced by the blues when he learned to play guitar. This influence is apparent across his entire catalog but makes its most dramatic appearance yet on Desired Things. On the the final cut, “Strange Dream”, the tempo dies down and the drums shuffle lazily, opening up space for raw six string dialogue to spill forward.

In tone and texture this music feels organic, yet it’s spliced together mechanically. Hip-hop offers the foundation and skeletal structure, yet the phrasing and amount of improvisation gesture towards jazz. More than most of his projects, Desired Things finds ØDYSSEE carving out new creative space. He’s not departing from the beatmaking milieux in which he began. Rather, he’s broadening the scope of what hip-hop, jazz, and blues can be in this millennium by applying his unique creativity and force of will to these well-established styles. He always has a project or three in his back pocket, too, so stay chooned.

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

Lo-Fi Sundays 059 - KLIM

KLIM aka KLIM Beats has a knack for sampling soul music. He’ll peel off a precious woodwind or brass arrangement from some long forgotten 45 and use it as the foundation for a bright new beat. With finely-tuned production and chops that stand out from the pack, and a recurring 1970s feel from the sampled material, KLIM beats are like a soundtrack for a trip back to the future.

The producer, whose name is Dmitry Klimchuk, hails from Kiev, Ukraine, and is a mainstay with NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers. He appears to perform frequently in his native country, with one flyer billing his performance as “Trip-Hop / Abstract Hip-Hop / Downtempo / Scratching”. His catalog runs over 25 albums deep and reaches all the way back to 2010. Upon revisiting those first EPs and tapes, one realizes how astoundingly consistent KLIM is. To be sure, his current output is greatly refined from a production standpoint and more thoroughly developed from a songwriting standpoint. His first cuts, though, offer the same smooth style and squeaky clean presentation we hear today.

Crafty with the stereo spread and space in his music, KLIM often composes tripped out, galactic atmospheres in addition to bursting, soulful knocks. Tickling synthesizers that may or may not be sampled give a light, mechanical touch to beats that are otherwise exceptionally organic. We recommend listening in full to his September 2018 album Soul Searching. The cover art is an abstract cartoon of a hand flipping - searching - through a stack of vinyl. Perhaps searching for the perfect sound and searching through one’s soul are the same exercise for Dmitry.

FOLLOW KLIM: Spotify / Soundcloud / Bandcamp / NINETOFIVE

Boukas - The Coffee Tape Vol. 1

The talented and abstract beatmaker Boukas returns with his second full-length release, The Coffee Tape Vol. 1 which comes as per usual through NINETOFIVE Worldwide Beatmakers. Boukas aka Dennis Boukas of Stockholm, Sweden has been working on these compositions throughout the autumn. This is reflected in the album’s jazzy motif and sparse compositions, which swing in the breeze like gangly trees removed of their leaves.

The album is dedicated to that bitter, comforting, dark drink that can be a beatmaker’s best friend. The Coffee Tape is less transcendental than Boukas’ full-length debut The Setting, and thus more appropriate for everyday listening. On this last album as well as the EP A Song for Samantha, Boukas demonstrates his ability to fuse dub with beats music - a rare and prolific combination. This overt stylistic combo is absent on The Coffee Tape. While that’s not what some might expect from Boukas, he executes the straight-forward boom-bap beat with effortless grace, making for a head-turning change of pace.

With a placid stereo spread and a soft and simple bouquet of instrumental samples, The Coffee Tape is not just “appropriate” but ideal for everyday listening. Indeed, each track on the album is representative of a different cup of coffee throughout the day from “The First One” to “The Last One” to “Afterwork”. “Basically, there’s always time for a coffee break”, writes Dennis. We couldn’t agree more, but with twelve beats total on this record, we think Boukas may in fact need a water break.

According to Dennis, he always tries to paint pictures with his music. His paining style, then, is minimal and his hand is steady. His color palette is limited in its variety, but the colors he does paint with across The Coffee Tape - beige, brown, yellow, off-white, light orange, deepest green - are rich in hue. His percussion always pops, but set against such a sparse background here, the muffled kicks and crisp, cut-off snares stand out all the more.

Perhaps the most abstract cut on The Coffee Tape is our favorite; “Metropolis”. Tying back to the album’s theme, this song may be representative of perhaps not a single cup of joe, but rather the broad association between coffee and the cosmopolitan. Lightly plucked guitar strings stir together as if in liquid with a synthesizer melody that sounds like it’s played not by fingers but by a feather. The tune exemplifies a meditative stillness that Boukas cultivates on this album. One will be hard-pressed to find a series of twelve instrumentals more relaxing than these jazz-infused cafe beats.

FOLLOW Boukas:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp / Facebook / NINETOFIVE

Lo-Fi Sundays 036 - Es-K

Beats from Es-K bump on a higher plane. This beatmaker, Robert Ronci from Burlington, Vermont by way of Kansas City, Missouri, is truly a sampling extraordinaire and a master hip-hop composer. He works frequently with rap vocalists and he's represented on some of the world's best beat labels. After years of writing instrumentals for rappers and producing compilation series, he just released his debut LP - a stunning, mystical work called Koan that transcends beats music entirely while remaining rooted within it. 

Es-K is on the official roster at NINETOFIVE and Cold Busted, two labels that provide beatmakers all over the world with a sturdy platform from which to offer their music. He also releases with Bucktown USA based in Brooklyn and Millennium Jazz Music based in London. In other words, Es-K is a real continental fellow. Bucktown is where one can find his latest vocal pairing, an album titled Rebirth of the Slickest with VVS Verbal. 

As a masterful sampler, Es-K knows how to dig, cut and amplify samples to create the classic sound of the past. Check out "Release (Let it Go)" for a neck-breaking example. At the same time, his beats forecast the sound of the future. His compositions stretch into new territory away from boom-bap and into lo-fi and quasi-electronic realms. One can catch the faint edge of synthesizers in his music. Check out "Gotaway" from his Beats, Etc. series on Bandcamp for an example. There you'll also find 24 installations of the Spontaneous Groove series on Cold Busted. Each installation includes approximately 10 beats. Do the math and you realize Es-K has an archive absolutely overflowing with knocks. This music is not available on Soundcloud. In many ways, it exceeds in sophistication and quality what is available from Es-K on Soundcloud save for Koan. If you enjoy this week's curated playlist, the rest of the iceberg can be found on Es-K's Bandcamp, linked below. 

Notwithstanding this catalog covering hundreds of songs over four or five years, this debut LP Koan is the real head-turner. Koan creates a supreme mood and curates an atmosphere of urban shamanism. A koan is a riddle or paradox that when meditated upon can spark enlightenment. Indeed this LP is an aural representation of this process. A cross-section of cuts from the album are included in this week's playlist, but we encourage folks to listen to the release in its entirety. Unlike some beats work, it's not transient. It has staying power. It's true composition. Fans of Emancipator, older Gramatik, and Uyama Hiroto will find some familiar territory here, but truly Es-K is carving out sonic space all his own with Koan. 

Es-K elevates the art form of beatmaking. While we're eager to hear what he'll offer next on the heels of this debut LP, we admittedly have some catching up to do on his back catalog. 

FOLLOW Es-K:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Facebook   /   Twitter

Boukas Blends Beats and Dub on A Song For Samantha EP

Beatmaking is undoubtedly an art. As such it is composed of many styles, each with its own nuances. On his new EP A Song for Samantha Dennis Boukas of Stockholm, Sweden, or just Boukas when he's on the beat, showcases his own style - a delightful hybrid of dub and J Dilla influence peppered with a pinch of jazz. Boukas released this project with NINETOFIVE Records, which exclusively releases some of the finest contemporary hip-hop production this side of the galaxy. 

The kick and snare work on this EP is as crisp and well-sampled as anything we've heard, the strongest example being the percussion in the title track. "A Song for Samantha" matches a jumpy beat with a lilting, melancholic piano melody for an emotionally ambiguous vibe. This vibe encases the entire release truly, but it's most pronounced here on the title track. The shimmering guitar sample and light wash of cymbals in the background fill out the composition with great color. 

"Astral Traveling" may be our favorite cut from the release, with subtle synthesizers indeed invoking a sort of interstellar daydream. The bassline is so firm yet unpronounced, yielding center stage to the whizzing and washing miscellany of electronic timbres. 

The influence of dub, which Dennis cites as a major influence, is most evident on "Shape of Things" and "I Have Been Here Before". Boukas effortlessly weaves the echoing soundscape, drawling pace, and earthy percussion of dub music into a more traditional lo-fi hip hop beat, creating something novel and refreshing.  It's almost as if two beats are being put forth simultaneously - almost. On "Shape of Things" there's a bit less boom bap and a bit more tom and rimshot work in the vein of dub. The percussion is masterfully sampled, resonating across a layer of jazzy ride cymbals and punctuated by a mercurial trumpet sample. 

While the archetypal boom-bap will never fade away, beatmakers like Boukas grab our ear and satiate our spirit when they build on that boom bap and generate fresh vibes. Boukas has a full, "raw" beat tape coming soon via Worldwide Beatmakers, so stay chooned. 

Check out Boukas at NINETOFIVE Records HERE

FOLLOW Boukas:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp