We may have shut our doors in 2016, but 2017 was still a banner year for the World Around family. Here’s a list of all the new music released by former World Around artists.
This long-awaited LP from rap classicist Louis Mackey features some of his deftest, most heartfelt lyricism to date, signalling a huge step forward in style while simultaneously serving as a return to the funkier roots of his early work. The whole affair is conducted over a backdrop of Dr. Quandary beats with a distinctly dusty, old-school vibe, adding to the air of nostalgia.
Man Mantis — Boss Skeleton + Dawn of the Def (Reissue)
Released in July, Man Mantis’ Boss Skeleton is a collection older tracks from his Majestic Dimensions EP series. The project features Mantis’ signature sonic landscapes, lush with otherworldly synthesizers. Though mostly instrumental, you’ll find a couple of expertly-placed, late-game features from Terra Lopez, Nocando, Decomposure & Sole.
As if new Mantis wasn’t enough, we also got some classic Mantis: as an added year-end bonus, the long-defunct imprint Loretta Records resurfaced in December with an official dead-stock reissue of his 2005 debut, Dawn of the Def. The album follows in the footsteps of RJD2’s Deadringer, blending soul & funk into a cinematic instrumental experience.
For the most part, this is due to bandwidth issues. The administrative side of World Around has always been a two-person operation (three at the absolute zenith), and keeping things running is an insane challenge, especially since we’re all artists too. We all know that balancing everything demanded of us — family, friends, life, art, work, school, etc. — can be challenging enough; the full-time management of a label is really tough to fit into that mix. That said, we did it for as long as we could, out of love — for our music, for each other, and for everyone who listened and supported us along the way.
Justin & Kyle in 2006
On top of that, a lot has changed since we opened our digital doors on MySpace in 2006. There have been career changes, new opportunities; some of us have married, started families. Musically, many World Around artists have gone on to do bigger, better, more beautiful things: after a brief stint with our friends at Potholes Music, Man Mantis linked up with legendary rapper Sole and joined the ranks of Shoeboxx Recordings; Daimyo fell in with the amazing crowd of beatmakers at Cult Classic ...
Each one of these pre-shrunk, 100% ring-spun cotton shirts is individually hand-screened by our team of artificers at World Around East and shipped to you swiftly via USPS Priority Mail.
Reclusive UK beatsmith s. maharba has been having an amazingly good year. Fresh off selling out multiple pressings of his vinyl debut, S/T, and a spotlight on BBC Radio (!!!) — now he’s been featured on the internationally famous beats showcase BTS Radio.
Obviously, this is awesome music and I don’t need to sell you on it…so click the image below to check it out:
We’ve been tracking this one here for a while now, brothers and sisters, but the wait is finally over — our friends over at Ocular Science have officially released the new vinyl edition of s.maharba’sself-titled beat tape.
Originally produced by our fellows at Sassbologna Records, an Iowa-based label specializing in cassette-only releases, the tape quickly sold through it’s initial run, after which it was made available as a free download. Since then, it’s exploded into the international blogosphere, where it continues to generate a ton of positive buzz.
The new pressing features brand new artwork by Maharba himself, silk-screened and hand-stamped by the Oc-Sci staff, as well as four bonus tracks exclusive to the vinyl edition. This is a beautiful package sure to please new and old fans alike, and it’s already sold through two pre-releases, so make sure you get your copy today!
“We’ve been sitting on this track for way, way too long and it’s probably my favorite track I’ve ever been on. Today being my birthday, we decided to go ahead and drop it. Enjoy.” — Thirtyseven
s. maharba has been on fire lately, getting great reviews and international attention for his upcoming vinyl beat tape release, S/T. That’s dropping on May 18th, but you can pre-order a vinyl/shirt combo now by clicking here…
After the 2008 release of his mind-bending, lucid-dream-inducing EP She, UK producer s.maharba wasted no time in creating a stellar followup — a short-form, self-titled beat tape (yes, tape as in cassette) for our esteemed colleagues at Sassbologna Records. The tape sold quickly through its initial run and went out of print, after which it was made available for free via Bandcamp.
Since then, the record has becoming a startling viral success. Every week, our Google Alerts hip us to new blogs and podcasts from all over the world that sing its praises, including some heavy hitters like INQ and even Steady Bloggin’. All the buzz is great news for S, who will be re-releasing the album in a sexy vinyl package this year, including brand-new silk-screened artwork and a side order of banging bonus tracks. It’s being handled by our good friends at Ocular Science, so we guarantee it’ll be quality.
Stay tuned for more information on the re-release, and check out “When I Go to Sleep” in the meantime — people can’t seem to get enough of this joint.
