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 31st. The new singles –– “Boom Bapped,” “The Beat Up,” “Dark Parks,” and “Los Gatos” –– 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 17th 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 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, “Boom Bapped,” is an aptly titled piece fit for a golden era Q-Tip verse, built off a loop from the group’s very first session at Worldwide FM’s former North London studio in 2017. With Gay’s ripping cornet lines in the foreground, McCraven filled out the track with keyboard, bass, and vibraphone overdubs recorded in his home studio in 2024. Listen to “Boom Bapped” 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, “The Beat Up,” starts with a percussive polyrhythmic vamp fronted by Paul’s electric bass line over Chiu, Ross, and McCraven’s percussions, before it opens up and Hill’s trumpet lines take the lead for the remainder of the track. Listen to “The Beat Up” 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.

The new single from Hidden Out!, “Dark Parks,” is a textbook McCraven/Paul drum and bass link-up. McCraven’s heavy, no-fuss beat is propelled by Paul’s double bass thrums and incendiary funk skanks from Parker’s guitar. Listen to “Dark Parks” 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 from PopUp Shop, “Los Gatos,” is an extended and expanded loop from a dreamy moment of the quartet’s performance. As McCraven shifts to a downtempo, slightly-dragged Dilla-like rim-click pulse, Shepherd’s bass guitar sings with sweetly melodic flourishes, dotted by natural harmonics, as Justefan plays percussively on the pipes beneath his vibraphone, and Parker’s frozen electric guitar notes hover over everything. Listen to “Los Gatos” here.

The OFF THE RECORD vinyl LP and CD compilation (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.