Though Mono/Poly is one of the artists closely affiliated with the Brainfeeder/Alpha Pup axis, it was only a matter of time before Los Angeles' burgeoning beat community started to be mined by other imprints. The new kid on the block is Proximal Records, a label formed by L.A. natives Carl Madison Burgin (who records under the name Sahy Uhns) and composer-producer Jeff Elmassian.
With a mission statement dedicated to "supporting and promoting vibrant new voices in the local
electronic music community," the label's first official compilation, "Proximity One: Narrative of a City," reveals its raison d'etre in its title. Attempting to weave a narrative thread through the diversity of the city's beat scene, the Proximal posse enlists everyone from Low End Theory staples Dr. Strangeloop, Take, Teebs and Tokimonsta, to scene veterans Dam-Funk and Daedelus, to some of the brightest stars of the next generation, including Shlohmo and Juj.
Naturally, the compilation showcases the talent on the Proximal roster, with Sahy Uhns, Benedek, Lawrence Grey, Wake and Bear Claw acquitting themselves admirably in the face of severe competition. While several of the scene's heaviest hitters are absent (Flying Lotus, the Gaslamp Killer, Nosaj Thing, Mono/Poly), Proximal does an impressive job of surveying the ever-shifting landscape to provide a bluffer's guide for those unaware of the dialogue between J Dilla and dubstep that's been taking place over the last three years.
Proximal will be throwing a release party on Aug. 5 at the Echo, with promises of special guests and performances from the label's core: Benedek, Lawrence Grey, Sahy Uhns. The headliner will be Daedelus, and in advance of the performance, Proximal is premiering an exclusive MP3 of Alfred Darlington's "Off Angles Edges," a track that glows and glides like a Chicago house track slowed down and forced to blunt-cruise in the far right lane of the Santa Monica Freeway.
-- Jeff Weiss
Download:
MP3: Daedelus -- "Off Angles Edges"
ZIP: V/A -- Promixal Beat Stew Vol. 2
