Off The Record

Drummer, producer, and sonic collagist Makaya McCraven's four distinct yet interconnected EPs Techno Logic, The People's Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop are compiled on the two-disc Off the Record. Built from live, improvised performances, led by McCraven from the drum kit, the music is later reshaped in the studio into dreamlike, unrepeatable soundscapes. 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, including Ben LaMar Gay and Theon Cross (Techno Logic); Junius Paul, Marquis Hill, Joel Ross, and Jeremiah Chiu (The People's Mixtape); Paul, Jeff Parker, and Josh Johnson (Hidden Out!); and Parker, Justefan, and Benjamin J. Shepherd (PopUp Shop).