Stro Elliot<\/a> (The Roots), J-Live, Blockhead, Deca, Chris Dave and many more TBA have been given exclusive access to the KPM Library. These projects will take shape as two types of record. Def Press\u00e9 Editions\/KPM Crate Diggers are works built around samples from KPM releases amongst other Library Music catalogues. Def Press\u00e9 Editions\/KPM Originals are brand new pieces of music, free from samples. Both of these series\u2019 include some very special guest vocalists and musicians as well as the Producers\/Arrangers themselves. All of this music will be released by Def Press\u00e9 and placed into the vaults at KPM Library Music.<\/p>\nStro Elliot\u2019s fourth album La Villa is a dizzying and sumptuous trip through the lush grooves of hip-hop as well as the storied collection of the KPM Library, which is home to over 70 years of music and sound designs made for television, film, and radio. The fourth release in London-based label Def Press\u00e9\u2019s KPM Crate Diggers series, La Villa finds The Roots member, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Elliot applying an elegant touch to his sample selections\u2014opening up his own production approach in new and dazzling ways while introducing a greater audience to the KPM Library\u2019s limitless possibilities.<\/p>\n
La Villa is the latest jewel in the crown of Elliot\u2019s multifaceted career, from being a part of Colorado rap collective the Procussions to his contributions as a full-time member of hip-hop legends the Roots, which has also led to him being a mainstay on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. After the COVID-19 pandemic ground his busy schedule to a halt, however, Elliot found himself some free time to get back to his own (no pun intended) production roots. \u201cWe usually don\u2019t stop\u2014there\u2019s constantly things to do,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut during the pandemic, everyone in the band started branching out during the downtime, and for me it was a refocus. My passion is production and remixes, and during 2020 a lot was opened up creatively for me.\u201d <\/p>\n
While Elliot was hard at work on a separate remix project\u2014specifically, his collection of James Brown re-imaginings Black & Loud from last year\u2014he was contacted by the folks at Def Press\u00e9 about taking part in the KPM Crate Diggers series. \u201cI\u2019m very familiar with those green album covers, so being asked to do this reignited a desire to re-establish myself within a group of artists that like to create out of pre-existing material,\u201d he explains about his enthusiasm to contribute to the project. \u201cI came up with people who dub for vinyl, and it was always like finding little pieces of gold whenever we found those covers. They could be anything, and that\u2019s what the KPM library meant to us. You could get something that sounded like rock, jazz, or Latin music\u2014it was a lottery of material, you never knew what you were gonna get. 9 times out of 10, it was always something useful, and it was always worth listening to as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing asked to reshape this material and do whatever I want with it was exactly the kind of thing you\u2019d want to hear from anyone whose music you grew up listening to,\u201d Elliot continues, and it\u2019s the versatility of the KPM catalog that allowed him to truly dig in across these ten tracks. \u201cKPM really did let me do whatever I wanted with this music. There was no expectation because their library\u2019s been so vast in genre. Also, the majority of the music doesn\u2019t have any vocals, so melodically you can do a lot more with it. I was able to go more experimental than some of my other projects because of that.\u201d <\/p>\n
The results are pure aural bliss; lead single \u201cMonday\u2019s Generation\u201d is an upbeat slice of joy that rides on piping flute, shuffling guitar chords, and a percolating backbeat reminiscent of house music. \u201cThere was so much there for me to use, and sometimes as a remixer I have trouble settling on one idea\u2014so I try to find a way to work everything in there, which turns it into a multi-part song,\u201d Elliot explains while talking about the song\u2019s creation. \u201cThere was a lot there to pick from for this one, and I liked all of it.\u201d <\/p>\n
The echoing boom-bap of \u201cBamboo\u201d speaks to Elliot\u2019s deep rap lineage, while the easygoing ambience and tight drums of \u201cLight Work\u201d marked the beginnings of La Villa\u2019s creation itself. \u201cI heard the record and it just kind of jumped out of the speakers at me,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI was like, \u2018OK, I know what this is.\u2019 It spoke to the hip-hop aesthetic that I always gravitate towards. It was about finding a way to chop and rearrange it that felt unique while adding a groove to it. It sparked the whole project for me.\u201d Then there\u2019s \u201cSolid State,\u201d which moves with a lovely off-kilter gait as swooning tones reverberate in the background. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever made anything that felt like this before,\u201d Elliot explains while talking about the song. \u201cIt left the door open for me to try something new as a result, and even though I was hesitant about whether it would be liked, I feel like it\u2019s part of what kind of creative I am as a producer.\u201d <\/p>\n
And La Villa ultimately represents Elliot\u2019s wielding of the tools in the KPM library to expand his own sonic horizons\u2014testing himself and his own abilities while laying a path for an exciting future. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a big jazz head, and it\u2019s always been my go-to vibe, so the idea of creating something original like this with intention was really attractive,\u201d he says while talking about how the project represents this era of his storied career. \u201cThere was a lot of musicality involved, especially when it came to what I built around these samples\u2014and that opened me up when it comes to what I create as a musician, too.\u201d <\/p>\n
Stro Elliot \u2013 La Villa
Tracklist, sample list, info.<\/p>\n
1. Monday\u2019s Generation
samples: \u2018Mondays Child\u2019 by Keith Mansfield, KPMLP1062-4; \u2018Young Generation\u2019 by Keith Mansfield, KPMLP1125-4<\/p>\n
2. HHOT
samples: \u2018Far and Wide\u2019 by Tony Tape, BMLP131-5<\/p>\n
3. Solid State
samples: \u2018Solid Satin\u2019 by Alan Frederick Parker, KPMLP1130-3<\/p>\n
4. Lonely
samples: \u2018Pastoral Sunrise\u2019 by Branislav Zivkovic, CSLP23-12; \u2018Lonely G.I.\u2019 by Alessandro Alessandroni, CSLP17-3<\/p>\n
5. Light Work
samples: \u2018Black Light\u2019 by Alan Frederick Parker, KPMLP1130-6<\/p>\n
6. Praylude
samples: \u2018Prelude and Fugue (No.16)\u2019 by Armand Migiani, Johann Sebastian Bach, KPMLP1003-1<\/p>\n
7. Bamboo
samples: \u2018Habatoli Souna\u2019 by Oswald Antoine Marie D\u2019Andrea, BM7-2<\/p>\n
8. Frozen Four
samples: \u2018Un Graso De Areia\u2019 by Francy Boland, KPMINT4-14; \u2018That\u2019s What Friends Are For (Vocal)\u2019 by Alan Frederick Parker, Madeline Bell, TIMLP1021-11<\/p>\n
9. Riot
samples: \u2018Cuban Riot\u2019 by Syd Dale, KPMLP1002-8<\/p>\n
10. Dream Factory
samples: \u2018Dream Fantasy\u2019 by Syd Dale, KPMLP1002-12<\/p>\n
![\"Stro](\"https:\/\/www.sphereofhiphop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Stro-Elliot-Press-Shot-1000x600-1.jpg\" "\\"Stro-Elliot-Press-Shot-1000x600\\"\/")
<\/a><\/div>\n