Dak - Standthis

Dak's Standthis EP is the debut release of Leaving Records, a new LA-based digital label created by electronic music artist Matthewdavid and visual artist Jesselisa under Alpha Pup Records. Their website is focused on sharing experimental music, mixes, found art and sound among other things. Their blog is worth clicking through, with a lot of great music downloads being offered.



I don't know much about Dak, other than him being an influential experimental beatmaker in LA. Members of STMB say he was an influence to fellow-producers like Brainfeeder-member Ras G. What I do know is that his EP is one of my favorite releases this year so far. Standthis is a collage of samples and textures creating organic, sometimes Dilla-esque beats. You can download his track "Gobetween" here.



I don't typically purchase MP3s, but for this I made an exception. The album is available on Bleep, iTunes, Amazon.com and a few other digital stores. Leaving is also taking pre-orders for the album on cassette tape with screen-printed artwork designed by co-founder Jesselisa and photos by Yemado (above). Jesselisa has done design work for other releases, such as Postal Service-member Dntel's Early Works For Me If It Works For You II, which you can see in her portfolio.

Update: Here's a picture of what the cassette tape is going to look like.



♪ Dak - "Gobetween"

Dak
Jesselisa
Yemado
Matthewdavid
Leaving Records