Emancipator
Little People, Natasha Kmeto
Wed, February 1, 2012
9:00 pm
The Blockley$10.00 - $12.00
Tickets
Emancipator
To some, it must seem like this young electronic producer came out of nowhere this year, but those in the know have been following Emancipator since he self-released his first album, “Soon It Will Be Cold Enough,” at the age of 19 in 2006. His agile melodies layered over headnodic, immaculately-produced beats captivated fans across the internet and across the world. “Soon It Will Be Cold Enough” was picked up by Japanese super-producer Nujabes, pressed in Japan and sold 5,000 copies in the first six months. Emancipator landed a Puma sponsorship, gave an interview to Rolling Stone Japan, and even had his song “Maps” played at the Bejing Olympics.
His latest album “Safe In The Steep Cliffs” blends new instrumentation and organic samples with the signature Emancipator style of clean production, silky melodies and addictive drums. Dense layers of choirs, horns, American folk instruments such as the banjo and mandolin, violin and some distinct Asian influences make for a playful but refined album built out of intricate tracks listeners can enjoy on as many levels as they want. Dance to it, chill out to it, immerse your mind in it.
His latest album “Safe In The Steep Cliffs” blends new instrumentation and organic samples with the signature Emancipator style of clean production, silky melodies and addictive drums. Dense layers of choirs, horns, American folk instruments such as the banjo and mandolin, violin and some distinct Asian influences make for a playful but refined album built out of intricate tracks listeners can enjoy on as many levels as they want. Dance to it, chill out to it, immerse your mind in it.
Little People
You could be forgiven for thinking that growing up in the Swiss alps in the 90′s wouldn’t exactly be the best place to be exposed to some of the best underground hip hop New York had to offer at the time. However anglo-swiss producer Laurent Clerc AKA Little People, argues he couldn’t have been in a better place. Thanks to the forward thinking programming of Laurent’s local radio station and a DJ with his finger on the pulse of a golden age in the making in New York – Laurent’s musical education in all things hip hop was of the highest order. An old Mac and a stack of old LPs were mere catalysts for Laurent to try and emulate the sounds from across the pond.
A subsequent move to the UK introduced electronica to his broadening taste and influenced his own sound. Then followed work soundtracking short films and theater productions which added a cinematic element to his repertoire. Following a disheartening stint doing some production work for a Paris based hip hop label convinced Laurent that he should be doing things on his own terms. A self released EP led to being picked up by Illicit Recordings in London – through which “Mickey Mouse Operation” was eventually released. This was 2006 and his debut album only made a very modest splash. Over the past 4 years it has however turned into something of a sleeper ‘hit’ – gathering fervent support in the US and slowly climbing the US iTunes electronic chart in the process. Laurent seems to have timed the release of his second album perfectly – due to drop in Spring next year just as the interest in his first album is peaking.
Little people’s sound is part beats, bleeps and snippets of other people’s music. Stemming from hip hop, it effortlessly combines warm synths, intricate melodies and string arrangements. The cinematic quality of his sound led to his music being used on CSI and other shows in the US and UK.
Little people’s upcoming album sees Laurent shift his focus away from what he feels is the over reliance of samples in his genre, towards composition and the use of organic instrumentation – whilst keeping the trademark warmth of an old piece of vinyl. However rest assured, the beats and the synth bleeps are still very much on the menu.
A subsequent move to the UK introduced electronica to his broadening taste and influenced his own sound. Then followed work soundtracking short films and theater productions which added a cinematic element to his repertoire. Following a disheartening stint doing some production work for a Paris based hip hop label convinced Laurent that he should be doing things on his own terms. A self released EP led to being picked up by Illicit Recordings in London – through which “Mickey Mouse Operation” was eventually released. This was 2006 and his debut album only made a very modest splash. Over the past 4 years it has however turned into something of a sleeper ‘hit’ – gathering fervent support in the US and slowly climbing the US iTunes electronic chart in the process. Laurent seems to have timed the release of his second album perfectly – due to drop in Spring next year just as the interest in his first album is peaking.
Little people’s sound is part beats, bleeps and snippets of other people’s music. Stemming from hip hop, it effortlessly combines warm synths, intricate melodies and string arrangements. The cinematic quality of his sound led to his music being used on CSI and other shows in the US and UK.
Little people’s upcoming album sees Laurent shift his focus away from what he feels is the over reliance of samples in his genre, towards composition and the use of organic instrumentation – whilst keeping the trademark warmth of an old piece of vinyl. However rest assured, the beats and the synth bleeps are still very much on the menu.
Natasha Kmeto
Natasha Kmeto (pronounced “kuh-meh-toe”) is an electro hip-hop, singer-producer based in Portland, OR. With a rich musical background in jazz, r&b, electronic and hip-hop she likes to describe her music as “futuristic soul.”
Kmeto was born and raised in California, playing and touring with bands of all genres since the age of 15. She completed the Keyboard Performance program at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood and soon thereafter relocated to Portland in 2007. The move helped rekindle Natasha’s creativity and passion for music which got lost in the bustle and industry of LA. Here, Kmeto was able to explore and take inspiration from her biggest influences, ranging from the cutting edge sounds of Flying Lotus to the classic soul hits of Carole King. As the Portland Mercury writes, “Kmeto’s found a trance-ready spot that tugs at the sleeves of hip hop, IDM, and maybe even a tinge of goth, with a singing voice that keeps the digital zeroes and ones imbued with flesh and blood.” -Ned Lannamann, The Portland Mercury, April ’10
Kmeto released her debut EP, “9′′ and supplemental remix EP “√9′′ in 2009 and began playing live regionally in early 2010.
Currently, Natasha is set to release her first full-length album, “Expressor”, which finds Kmeto delving further into experimental electronic music while staying rooted in hip-hop and R&B. “Expressor” shows a marked progression in Kmeto’s production and songwriting.
Natasha is currently at work on her next release and continues to tour. She has started off the new year with bang, playing such events and venues as Low End Theory, Flux and The Roseland Theater while sharing the stage with such artists as Morcheeba, Meat Beat Manifesto, Daddy Kev, Nobody, Gaslamp Killer, D-Styles, Baths, Shlohmo, Shigeto and Austin Peralta.
Kmeto was born and raised in California, playing and touring with bands of all genres since the age of 15. She completed the Keyboard Performance program at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood and soon thereafter relocated to Portland in 2007. The move helped rekindle Natasha’s creativity and passion for music which got lost in the bustle and industry of LA. Here, Kmeto was able to explore and take inspiration from her biggest influences, ranging from the cutting edge sounds of Flying Lotus to the classic soul hits of Carole King. As the Portland Mercury writes, “Kmeto’s found a trance-ready spot that tugs at the sleeves of hip hop, IDM, and maybe even a tinge of goth, with a singing voice that keeps the digital zeroes and ones imbued with flesh and blood.” -Ned Lannamann, The Portland Mercury, April ’10
Kmeto released her debut EP, “9′′ and supplemental remix EP “√9′′ in 2009 and began playing live regionally in early 2010.
Currently, Natasha is set to release her first full-length album, “Expressor”, which finds Kmeto delving further into experimental electronic music while staying rooted in hip-hop and R&B. “Expressor” shows a marked progression in Kmeto’s production and songwriting.
Natasha is currently at work on her next release and continues to tour. She has started off the new year with bang, playing such events and venues as Low End Theory, Flux and The Roseland Theater while sharing the stage with such artists as Morcheeba, Meat Beat Manifesto, Daddy Kev, Nobody, Gaslamp Killer, D-Styles, Baths, Shlohmo, Shigeto and Austin Peralta.