Acclaimed drummer, producer, and sonic collagist Makaya McCraven releases four new singles today, one from each of his four upcoming EPs –– Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop –– that will be released on all music platforms October 31.

Also today, McCraven releases a live video of “Choo Choo” (from forthcoming EP The People’s Mixtape) captured at his recent October 1st performance at Thalia Hall, Chicago. Watch here.

Today’s four singles –– “What a Life,” “Prime,” “News Feed,” and “Sweet Stuff” –– and subsequent EPs are all compiled on a 2xLP and 2xCD physical release titled Off the Record, which is available for preorder now and in stores October 17 via International Anthem / Nonesuch / XL Recordings. Together they mark McCraven’s first recorded offerings since 2022’s In These Times (“McCraven’s most ambitious set of music” -GRAMMY.com) and a return to the signature “organic beat music” approach that Makaya first debuted on his 2015 album In The Moment and further developed on Highly Rare (2017), Where We Come From (2018), and Universal Beings (2018). Built from live recordings, McCraven reshapes the music via extensive editing, overdubs, and post-production at his home studio in Chicago.

Listen to the singles from each of the four EPs, and preorder Off the Record on 2LP/2CD here.
     

      
EP cover art in clockwise order: Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, PopUp Shop

The source material from each of McCraven’s new EPs is also drawn from moments of pure improvisation that were recorded live in performance, and shaped as much by the room and audience as by the musicians themselves.

Techno Logic features Ben LaMar Gay and Theon Cross, and draws from performances in London (2017), Berlin (2024), and New York (2025), showcasing nearly eight years of developing rapport between the three musicians.

Today’s new single from the forthcoming Techno Logic, “Prime,” is a piece McCraven edited from his first time playing with Cross and Gay at Worldwide FM’s former North London studio in 2017. Cross’s hulking tuba basslines bolster Gay’s funky cornet leads, with McCraven augmenting his original drumkit performance with keyboards overdubbed at his home studio in 2024. Listen to “Prime” here.

The People’s Mixtape has its foundation in a live recording from Brooklyn’s Public Records in January of 2025, where McCraven celebrated the ten-year anniversary of In The Moment with an intentional return to the improvisational language he developed during that album’s sessions. For the occasion, McCraven played with bassist Junius Paul and trumpeter Marquis Hill, both of whom are majorly present on In The Moment; as well as vibraphonist Joel Ross, a regular collaborator of McCraven’s since the 2017 sessions for Universal Beings; and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu,  the SML co-leader and International Anthem labelmate, playing with McCraven for the first time.

The new single from The People’s Mixtape, “What a Life,” sounds more like a lost RZA beat from the late ‘90s than a piece of music edited from live improvisation. Chiu’s synthesized soundwaves in reverse spread across the stereo spectrum while Hill’s ghostly, heavily reverberated long trumpet tones cry out in the darkness over Paul and McCraven’s minimal boom bap rhythm, setting a perfect stage for an extended vibraphone solo by Ross. Listen to “What a Life” here.

Hidden Out! is built off recordings from McCraven’s June 2017 residency at The Hideout in Chicago, where he improvised weekly with a revolving cast including bassist Junius Paul; Tortoise member, International Anthem labelmate, composer, and guitarist Jeff Parker; and SML co-leader, GRAMMY-award winning producer, and alto saxophonist Josh Johnson.

“News Feed,” is essentially an extended Junius Paul bass solo over odd-meter drumming, with vibraphone and guitar comps added by McCraven in post. Listen to “News Feed” here.

PopUp Shop was created from recordings of McCraven’s Los Angeles debut at Del Monte Speakeasy in 2015, where he took part in the King Hippo and Grown Kids Radio produced event RAWS:LA, and improvised with guitarist Jeff Parker, vibraphonist Justefan, and bassist Benjamin J. Shepherd.

Today’s single “Sweet Stuff,” is from the final movement of McCraven and the quartet’s improvised performance at Del Monte, peaking in a beautiful guitar solo from Parker. Listen to “Sweet Stuff” here.

The OFF THE RECORD vinyl LP and CD compilation (in stores Friday October 17, and available for preorder here) is not just a collection of these four EPs, but a tactile document celebrating creative, communal, IRL moments of musical gathering.

OFF THE RECORD TOUR

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Fri 10/10 – Ann Arbor, MI – UMS @ Michigan Theater – tickets
Sat 10/18 – San Diego, CA – Artpower at UC San Diego – Price Center East Ballroom – tickets
Tue 10/21 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall – tickets
Wed 10/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Jazz Is Dead @ Lodge Rooom – tickets
Thu 10/23 – Denver, CO – Dazzle – early tickets / late tickets
Fri 10/24 – Denver, CO – Dazzle – early tickets / late tickets
Sat 10/25 – Portland, OR – The Get Down – tickets
Sun 10/26 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s – early tickets / late tickets

Fri 10/31 – Berlin DE – Jazzfest Berlin – tickets
Sat 11/1 – Roma IT – Auditorium Parco della Musica – tickets
Mon 11/3 – Prague CZ – Palác Akropolis – tickets
Tue 11/4 – Brno CZ – Cabaret des Pêchés – tickets
Wed 11/5 – Katowice PL – Ars Camerails / Jazz Club Hipnoza
Thu 11/6 – Mannheim DE – Enjoy Jazz / Alte Feuerwache – tickets
Fri 11/7 – Bremen DE – Theater Bremen – tickets
Sat 11/8 – Groningen NL – Rockit / Oosterport Kleine Zaal – tickets
Mon 11/10 – Utrecht NL – TivoliVredenburg – tickets
Wed 11/12 – Lisboa PT – Teatro Sao Luiz – tickets
Thu 11/13 – Madrid ES – Madrid Jazz Festival / Teatro Fernan Go
Fri 11/14 – Namur BE – Le Delta – tickets
Sat 11/15 – Den Bosch NL – November Music / Willem Twee Poppo – tickets
Mon 11/17 – Lille FR – Aéronef – tickets
Tue 11/18 – Paris FR – New Morning – tickets
Wed 11/19 – London UK – EFG London Jazz Festival / Koko – tickets
Thu 11/20 – Cenon FR – Le Rocher de Palmer – tickets
Sat 11/22 – Athens GR – Gazarte – tickets
Sun 11/23 – Oslo NO – Cosmopolite – tickets