Off the Record
is
Makaya McCraven
's first album since 2022's
In These Times
. This double-length album compiles four EPs, all with different lineups. The core recordings were cut between 2015 and 2025, then subjected to
McCraven
's trademark "beat science" mix treatment, combining jazz, hip-hop, electronics, funk, and psychedelia.
First up is
The People's Mixtape
. The original recordings are drawn from a 2025 concert in Brooklyn celebrating the tenth anniversary of
In the Moment
. His personnel included vibraphonist
Joel Ross
, bassist
Junius Paul
, trumpeter
Marquis Hill
, and
SML
electronicist
Jeremiah Chiu
. Opener "Choo Choo" mixes layered drum funk with assorted percussion and electronics creating a kind go-go mantra that shifts emphasis on "The Beat Up."
Ross
establishes the pulse and
Paul
roils with
underneath.
Hill
joins 90 seconds in and adds a melodic vamp to the funky edge. "What a Life" and "Lake Shore Drive Five" are more abstract amid backmasking, dreamy psych production, loads of reverb and ghostly melodies that slip through the sonic ether.
Techno Logic
was cut with trombonist
Theon Cross
and cornetist/electronicist
Ben Lamar Gay
. Its tracks were recorded at live sessions in London (2017), Berlin (2024), and New York (2025). Standouts include the swinging, vamp-driven jazz-funk mutation "Boom Bapped" and the inside-out NOLA second-line funk in "Prime."
Disc two commences with
Hidden Out
. Its source material was compiled from a live 2017 residency session at Chicago's Hideout.
played improvisational gigs with a revolving cast. Here it's bassist
, guitarist
Jeff Parker
co-leader, alto saxophonist
Josh Johnson
.
Parker
plays bluesy post-bop that swerves toward flamenco as
's rumbling bass and
's snare and kickdrum propel the exploration. "Dark Park," with its hoary bassline and wah-wah guitar, unveils sinister, rockist jazz-funk akin to
Herbie Hancock
's
Thrust
. "Awaze" is in 6/8 waltz time and holds a hypnotic bassline, pillowy guitars, and
Johnson
's sax playing a folk melody.
Pop Up Shop
was cut during
's 2015 debut performance in Los Angeles at the Delmonte Speakeasy. This five-track set was completely improvised though it's hard to tell. Accompanying the drummer were
Benjamin J. Shepherd
, and vibraphonist
Justefan
(
Justin Thomas
).
's post-production editing and mixing make "Venice" a propulsive psych jam with syncopated and broken beats. "Imafan," by contrast, is introduced by rolling tom-toms and kickdrum as vibes play a lithe vamp in the backdrop. When the remainder of the band enters, it becomes a breezy, summery jazz groover with a killer solo by
Thomas
. Closer "Sweet Stuff" showcases twinned vibes and guitars that tease a riff and
Shepherd
responds.
enters with handclap loops and his shuffling snare and hi-hat. Over six-and-a-half minutes, it changes shape without losing its center, slipping in small melodic feints, sweet guitar accents, and, after
's striking solo, transmutes into full-on improvised jazz fusion. While each of these EPs stand on their own in quality, they create a rhythm orgy that is wildly musical and presented as a near symbiotic whole when combined. ~ Thom Jurek