It’s just that a certain strangeness arises from the general lack of allusion to the hip-hop’s illustrious past. There’s never any doubt that these tracks are foremost constructed with hip-hop sensibilities. But the line between experimentation and utility is walked brilliantly (that, or he treaded it into a blur). And all of this is may be filtered through some scratching static. Distant, droning, alien noises are paced by clear, booming bass and other percussion hits.

The aesthetic here is consistently lo-fi as Clams explores a space similar to the one How to Dress Well has frequented.

In the case of the more experimental track “The World Needs Change”, it’s almost all that’s there: essentially, Heap’s “Headlock” after a syrup binge. He frequently samples her and her contemporaries (Björk, Adele, etc.), chopping, reversing, and rearranging their powerful vocals only confused, hookworthy emotion remains. But listening to the instrumentals without the rapping is, right now, a necessary experience for hip-hop heads.Ĭlams is a big fan of Imogean Heap. Along with each track comes the artist who ended up using the beat–Lil B, Main Attrakionz, ASAP Rocky, and even Soulja Boy. He recently re-released his Instrumentals Mixtape, this time remastered at 320 kbps. But right now Clams Casino stands out as a ready subject for investigation. Of course, behind these tracks are a lot of gifted producers. Even more mainstream acts like Drake are flocking towards the sounds of Houston and Memphis. Oakland duo Main Attrakionz is spitting what Danny Brown describes as absolute trap-hop, but they’re doing it almost clandestinely, over cloudy, artsy beats. The Harlem product Rocky asks “How trill is this?” over the Clams-produced intro track on LiveLoveASAP. With the buzz firestorm that accompanied ASAP Rocky’s LiveLoveASAP mixtape–prominently featuring the production of New Jersey-based Clams Casino–came a not-so-subtle instrumental statement: drugged-up, slowed down, dreamy beats are becoming ever more prominent in hip-hop and the need to identify with traditional regional stylings is perhaps dead. These are interesting times for fans of hip-hop and R&B. Download: Clams Casino, Instrumentals Mixtape

CLAMS CASINO INSTRUMENTAL MIXTAPE