Every year, it seems, brings a new slew of producers from overseas. In Europe, the underground beat-making scene is similar to the dance music scene, and producers crank out instrumental tracks for the nightclubs and underground radio shows, without necessarily waiting for a rapper to bless them. Add a greater willingness to experiment with different sounds, and you’ve got a world that can seem more fascinating and liberated than the U.S.’s sometimes-conservative perspective on hip-hop culture.
Eric Lau is one of those names that might be unfamiliar to U.S. listeners. He landed a track on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Bubblers compilation; collaborated with Dudley Perkins on a well-received EP, Dudley & Friends; and produced Guilty Simpson’s excellent “For the D” that appeared on a Fat City Records compilation. His debut, New Territories, set for release on March 18 via Ubiquity Records, doesn’t contain any familiar names. See if you can recognize any in the track listing below.
“There are many young artists on the record and our roots are from around the world,” says Lau in a press release. “Even though we are from different backgrounds we approached the album with the same mindset and all want to help each other get to where we want to be. This record is a new territory for us as a group of artists, and I hope that it is, in turn, a refreshing listen.”
- 1. “Welcome”
- 2. “I Don’t Do It To” (feat. Tawiah)
- 3. “Right Side” (feat. Sarina Leah)
- 4. “Confession Lounge” (feat. Rahel)
- 5. “Final Chance” (feat. Meshach Brown & Rahel)
- 6. “Time Will Tell” (feat. Sarina Leah)
- 7. “Don’t Let Them” (feat. Tosin)
- 8. “Free It Out” (feat. Sarina Leah)
- 9. “Show Me” (feat. Rahel)
- 10. “Let It Out” (feat. Rahel)
- 11. “Begin” (feat. Annabel, Rahel & Sarina Leah)
- 12. “How Far” (feat. Rahel)
- 13. “Hope” (feat. Meshach Brown)
- 14. “Outro”
