Makaya McCraven releases four new EPs – Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop – via International Anthem / XL Recordings / Nonesuch. Available digitally worldwide and to order as a 2xLP and 2xCD compilation titled Off the Record. In line with the album’s release, the acclaimed drummer, producer, and sonic collagist kicks off his European and UK tour in Berlin. The 18-stop excursion sees him stop off in the likes of Utrecht, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, with a London headline show at Koko on 19 November as part of London Jazz Festival.
The source material from each of McCraven’s new EPs is drawn from moments of pure improvisation that were recorded live in performance. McCraven reshaped the music via extensive editing, overdubs, and post-production at his home studio in Chicago and from that these beautiful collage of music was created. The four forthcoming EPs mark McCraven’s first recorded offerings since 2022’s In These Times (“McCraven’s most ambitious set of music” – GRAMMY.com) and a return to the signature “organic beat music” approach that Makaya first debuted on his 2015 album In The Moment and further developed on Highly Rare (2017), Where We Come From (2018), and Universal Beings (2018).
Praise for Makaya McCraven
“a magnificent EP treasure chest from Makaya McCraven” – THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“…this might be the most impressive display of McCraven’s soundworld yet.” – BANDCAMP
“plainly gorgeous” – THE GUARDIAN
“It’s so much more than jazz…McCraven is leading his band while he’s pulling in all of these rhythmic, diasporic elements from hop hip and his approach to looping…it’s a very human sounding collection of songs.” – NPR
“McCraven takes tiny fragments of material and totally recontextualizes them, creating entirely new works that layer sonic elements atop and around each other with the complexity of Miles Davis’s 1970s productions or Frank Zappa’s ‘xenochrony.’” – STEREOGUM
LISTEN TO ALL FOUR EPS NOW HERE
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.
- Gnu Blue
- Technology
- Boom Bapped
- Prime
- Strikes Again
The People’s Mixtape – Its foundation is a live recording from Brooklyn’s Public Records in January of 2025, where McCraven celebrated the tenth anniversary of In The Moment. For the occasion, McCraven played with Junius Paul (bass) and Marquis Hill (trumpet), and Joel Ross (vibraphone), a regular collaborator of McCraven’s since the 2017 sessions for Universal Beings; and Jeremiah Chiu (synth), the SML co-leader and International Anthem labelmate, who plays with McCraven for the first time.
- Choo Choo
- The Beat Up
- What a Life
- Lake Shore Drive Five
Hidden Out! – Built off recordings from McCraven’s 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.
- Battleships
- Away
- Dark Parks
- Awaze
- News Feed
- Braddas
PopUp Shop – Created from recordings of McCraven’s Los Angeles debut at Del Monte Speakeasy in 2015, where he 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.
- YoYoYo Intro
- Venice
- Imafan
- Los Gatos
- Sweet Stuff
The OFF THE RECORD vinyl LP and CD compilation is available to order now. Its not just a collection of these four EPs, but a tactile document celebrating creative, communal, IRL moments of musical gathering.
ORDER OFF THE RECORD PHYSICAL LP NOW HERE
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