San Francisco
For booking please contact - phil@spaceagencybooking.com (US), iranzu@zumabookings.com (EU/UK)
For all other inquiries please contact -
coolallover@gmail.com
Taking drugs to make beats to take drugs to.....
In short, Al Lover is a producer from San Francisco, but there's more layers to his wall of sound then meets the ear. Over the last few years he has gained much notoriety for his melding of contemporary and past garage and psychedelic rock into spaced out abrasive beats. Often compared to producers like Edan, J-dilla and Gaslamp Killer, Al gravitates towards a sound composed of crunchy drums, shaky percussion, chopped samples and layers of textured effects building on the psychedelic music of the past and present.
Starting with his 2010 release of an unofficial Woodsist Records Remix project (where he was swiftly given a cease and desist by the label) Al set out to build with current bands and sample their material. The end result was "Distorted Reverberations of Reverberating Distortion", an exploration in sampling the works of such garage and psych acts as Ty Segall, Night Beats and Thee Oh Sees, not quite remixing but not quite your average approach to beat making either. Wind of the project got around to The Black Angels and the curators of Austin Psych Fest, who were so intrigued by the work that they asked him to come a board as the official DJ of Austin Psych Fest in 2012.
2013 saw Al Lover with 2 label releases (PNK SLM Records & Headway Recordings), 1 full and 3 regional US tours, 2 European / UK tours (one as support for Night Beats) all while self releasing multiple singles, remixes and dj mixes, not to mention producing multiple "Elevated Transmission" mixes officially for Austin Psych Fest. With his newest single release, 'Vodun Moon' / 'Snake Hands' featuring White Fences' Tim Presley, Al delves even further into psychedelic territory with warped loops, layered effects and tribal percussion. Bridging the gap between hip hop production and psych / kraut rock ideals, Al Lover is trying to tune into the same vibrations that inspired Afrika Bambaataa to use a Kraftwerk Break in 1981.
PRESS
Al lover makes the sort of DMT infused music that leaves other contemporary psychedelic bands gasping for a breath of fresh air.
- Noisey.com
Mixing equal parts 13th Floor Elevators and The Night Beats with equal parts Dilla and Pete Rock is an unconventional formula for sure, but itʼs Al Loverʼs thing, and to paraphrase Bill Grahamʼs famed statement about the Grateful Dead, heʼs not the best at what he does- heʼs the only one who does what he does.
- Pot Holes In My Blog
Skuzzy and burned at the seams, each beat is stoned off its ass. He's stated that the psych music of today is what the producers of tomorrow will sample, but rather than give them the opportunity to do so, he's taken on the task of being ahead of the curve with each record.
- Impose Magazine
I hope claiming that Al Lover conjures the most psychedelically-inclined producer-informed hip-hop since Edan and J. Dilla doesnʼt feel hyperbolic, because itʼs true. This is a guy who remixed Captain Beefheartʼs Safe as Milk in its entirety. How do you even approach that?
- The decibel Tolls
This project is just too weird and downright outgoing to leave unposted. To put it simply, this is one remix album to rule them all. Donʼt put your ears on this expecting to hear Woodsist in another light. Al has turned this into something all his own. These tracks couldnʼt have been made without the originals, but something just as novel has come out of them. Fans of crate-dug instrumental antics take notice.
-The Needle Drop
The ambitious producer operates out of San Francisco where he rips and remixes abrasive garage tunage into drippy nuggets of instrumental psychedelia. With a steady hand, skillful eye, and outstretched hand Mr. Lover is breaking ground.
- Mishka Blog
Al Lover as created a thrilling, weird remix of Beefheart's album "Safe As Milk". On it, the San Francisco-based sample maven takes beats, guitar sounds, rhythms and random chaotic sounds and compiles them into instrumental excursions.
- L.A. Times Music Blog
Al Lover's latest record is something entirely unique in the gaudy realm of contemporary rock and roll.
- Psychkicks Magazine
As one listen to the music will testify. This is seriously twisted, uneasy listening - and absolutely compelling.
- Blurt Magazine
Al Lover has found himself immersed in the Bay areaʼs rich garage and psychedelic scene and is pioneering a new element to the genre.
-Snap Magazine
Al Lover’s tracks
published on
published on
published on
published on
published on
published on
published on
published on
published on
published on
