This beat-tape is crazy dope, an absolute breath of fresh air. Top tier work, big love ❤️

This is dopeness from the start to the finish.

*GO TO https://www.leavingrecords.com TO BUY LTD PHYSICAL EDITIONS & DOWNLOAD .ZIP w/INDIVIDUAL TRACK MP3s
*ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE DONATED TO GAZA RELIEF (I will publicly publish a receipt after first month of sales)
*NOT ON SPOTIFY
-- -- --


Uncleared is the name of my new 29-track instrumental beat-tape. In a more “back-to-basics” approach to beat-making, this tape began as a creative exercise for myself to return to the music that made me who I am. Around Q3/Q4 of 2023 I had read about a “one 4-bar loop a day” regimen to keep output flowing, and this practice was entirely effective in churning-out beats during self-imposed down-time for music making amidst my record label/family balance lifestyle. It was then that I had set a goal to produce & release 40 new beats by the time I turned 40. I found an almost entirely sample-based production flow in Ableton referencing an ongoing list I kept of material to sample & chop as the foundation for the track, culling from the timeless All The Breaks folder for the drums, and finishing the track with a synth bass-line that I’d quickly dial-in & play by hand using Teebs' old M-Audio midi keyboard controller that I am somehow still borrowing and cherish. Most of these beats are under 10 stems in any given project - drastically different in comparison to my projects in the past (Outmind, In My World, Time Flying Beats et al) where stems would be consistently breaching 50+.


Furthermore relating to the title, I was recently served an uncleared sample notice from a bigger label entity. It’s the first time this has happened so I suppose we’ve been lucky, and it’s honestly the first time I’ve reconsidered casually releasing this type of material - particularly on major streaming platforms. I’m not sure what lies ahead for sample-based music culture - but i'm hopeful it will be able to sustain and evolve as we attempt to emphasize the reclamation of the spaces on the internet where this music can be safely & responsibly shared, supported, and appreciated. 


During the last few weeks leading-up to release, artist neighbor / bestie Aaron Raays would come over to my backyard studio shed at night to listen to the developing material and provide me with trusted feedback notes. I have a habit of whip-testing music obsessively in my 2010 Prius driving around Los Angeles, and at the Leaving offices on the Mobius Acoustics system there. These check-ins were crucial in seeing this one through. Only 29 beats made the cut, but I had a lot of fun making these, and I’m having even more fun performing them.


- Visual art direction provided by painter/illustrator/rapper Maurice McCrimmon aka BlissArmyKnife, and mixed-media open-source artist/musician AndrewCS. Press photo by Eric Coleman. I’m eternally grateful to have the pleasure to be collaborating with and turned-on by these inspiring artists in our community daily. 


1_CAVESHRINE
2_DRAGONTEARS
3_WINDFISH
4_CHRONO
5_HATENO
6_SKYDIVE
7_KOROK
8_REGULATE
9_WALKONMEDLEY
10_STARMAN
11_JONI
12_DAYDREAMIN
13_THEFLAME
14_QUIETSTORM
15_BARRYBREAK
16_REUNITED
17_PROUD
18_DENNISANDREW
19_CONNY
20_BAMBOO
21_YOSHIMURA
22_EVENSONG
23_EVENINGSTAR
24_MARIMBAFUSION
25_BIGISLANDFLUTE
26_REFLECTIONS_W/CARLOS NIÑO
27_ZITHERTRONICCHOPS
28_EXPERIENCE
29_NBS

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