Description
The source material from each EP is drawn from moments of pure improvisation, recorded live in performance, shaped as much by the room and audience as by the musicians themselves.
Techno Logic features Ben LaMar Gay and Theon Cross, and draws from performances in London (2017), Berlin (2024), and New York (2025), showcasing nearly eight years of developing rapport between the three musicians, starting with their very first session at Worldwide FMs former North London studio.
The Peoples Mixtape has its foundation in a live recording from Brooklyns Public Records in January of 2025, where McCraven celebrated the 10 year anniversary of In The Moment with an intentional return to the improvisational language he developed over that albums sessions. For the occasion, McCraven played with bassist Junius Paul and trumpeter Marquis Hill (two musicians who are majorly present on In The Moment), as well as vibraphonist Joel Ross (who has been a regular collaborator of McCravens since the 2017 sessions for Universal Beings), and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu (marking the first occasion for McCraven to play with the SML co-leader and International Anthem labelmate).
Hidden Out! is built off recordings from McCravens June 2017 residency at The Hideout in Chicago, where he improvised weekly with a revolving cast including bassist Junius Paul, Tortoise member, International Anthem labelmate, composer and guitarist Jeff Parker, and SML co-leader, GRAMMY-award winning producer and alto saxophonist Josh Johnson.
PopUp Shop was created from recordings of McCravens Los Angeles debut at Del Monte Speakeasy in 2015, where McCraven took part in the King Hippo and Grown Kids Radio produced event RAWS:LA, and improvised with guitarist Jeff Parker, vibraphonist Justefan, and bassist Benjamin J. Shepherd.
The OFF THE RECORD vinyl LP compilation is not just a collection of these recordings, but a tactile document celebrating creative, communal, IRL moments of musical gathering.
Speaking on the record, McCraven says, In a time where were increasingly connected through phones, in a virtual world where you cant really tell whats real or whats fake, theres something special where we come together and share space, there is something special where we are sharing music, art. I want to create an energy that amplifies the magic in the underground moments where we come together and we experience something wild, different, off the cuff, human. What Im trying to present is a dreamlike alteration of that energy, which only exists in the recorded realm. But to actually have been there, in real life, is the special thing.
Tracklisting:
PopUp Shop EP
1. YoYoYo Intro
2. Venice
3. Imafan
4. Los Gatos
5. Sweet stuff
Hidden Out! EP
1. Battleships
2. Away
3. Dark Parks
4. Awaze
5. News Feed
6. Braddas
Techno Logic EP
1. Gnu Blue
2. Technology
3. Boom Bapped
4. Prime
5. Strikes Again
The Peoples Mixtape EP
1. Choo Choo
2. The Beat UP
3. What A Life
4. Lake Shore Drive Five
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