Vol. 1: Rap Like You're Drowning

by Chris McCarthy

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1.	A Certain Hunger (Killer Mike feat. Frank Zappa) 02:24
2.	Ooh (De La Soul feat. Redman) 04:28	info
3.	Ms. Fat Booty (Mos Def) 04:32
4.	Poetic Justice (Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake) 05:51
5.	Stakes Is High (De La Soul) 05:04

about

In February 2017, one month after playing a string of shows in Seattle, Jongkuk Kim and Chris McCarthy improvised for 20 minutes in a basement in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. A few microphones were setup. As they played, Chris cued acapellas of rap tracks and clips from interviews from his laptop while JK swirled in and out of grooves and textures. The duo supported the acapellas with sections that suggested the original instrumentals, and also obliterated and engulfed them in controlled chaos.

In hip-hop, the instrumentals are often pre-determined, and the MCs will freely flow over the beats. But the music on this EP reverses that process by using the rhythms of masterful MCs like Mos Def and Kendrick Lamar to inspire new instrumental backdrops that can be taken in any direction. JK and Chris have developed a musical dialect that is all their own. through years of playing together with musicians like Jason Palmer, Noah Preminger, and Simon Moullier. None of the music on this EP was pre-planned before recording, it was recorded as one continuous 20 minute take. Moog synth bass was overdubbed by Chris after the initial session, but everything else you hear is Korg SV-1 and drums.

Because of the bare bones recording setup, a solid year of mixing and post production was necessary with engineer and producer Carson Witte (also the engineer on McCarthy's first record Sonder). Nate Wood masterfully mastered the project, and the end result is a fully realized sonic vision of a new intersection between hip-hop and improvised music.

This EP is meant to be listened to in one 20 minute sitting. Vol. 2 of JKXCM, a 5 track EP of instrumental compositions will be released later in 2018.

credits

released March 14, 2018

Chris McCarthy-Korg SV-1, Moog

Jongkuk Kim-Drums

Mixed and Produced by Carson Witte

Mastered by Nate Wood

Photo by Evan Shay

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Chris McCarthy New York

"Pianist and composer Chris McCarthy is proving to be one of the most imaginative and impressive forces on the New York jazz scene."-Hot House Jazz Magazine.

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