Biography
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 harsh yet spacey abrasive beats. Equal Parts 13th Floor Elevators and DJ Shadow, Al Combines crunchy drums, shaky percussion, chopped samples and layers of textured effects to create an unexplored path for psychedelic music. The antithesis to the highly compressed and synth heavy trend in current beat culture, Al Lover offers an earthy and loose approach that sounds more like you're listening to a DMT fueled psych band than a beat made on an MPC.
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", an exploration in sampling the works of such rock acts as Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees, not quite remixing but not quite your average approach to beat making either. Around this time he also released his "Safe as Milk Replica" project, a reworking of Captain Beefheart's first record which was highly praised on the web by The LA Times, The Daily Swarm and countless others.
A year after his first official release, "Satanic Tambourines" on Impose Records, his newest upcoming solo venture, "Space Magick" (scheduled for a 1-3-13 release)expounds upon his previous efforts to produce harsh psychedelic chaos with nothing more than records and a Beat Machine. This time combining harsh overdrive, multiple layers of reverb soaked tremolo and complex tribal polyrhythms. with his latest project you can hear a man delving even further into the realms of off kilter, dark psychedelic vibrations made only of samples, electric guitars, and Occult Magick.
Live, either solo or with his band "Al Lover & The Haters", Al takes the stage with the intent of creating a sonic assault on the crowd. Combining crushing drums that cut through the layers of distorted guitar tones drowning in delay, reverb and tremolo with a heavy thunder cloud of rumbling bass, the intent is to open the listener to the ancient vibrations of the universe. Having been on the road for 2 regional US tours, as well as played multiple festivals (including Austin Psych Fest, for which he was asked to curate an official mixtape) this year alone, the dedication to the craft has been honed. Sharing the stage with the likes of Peaking Lights, Shlomo, Jel (of Anticon), Sun Araw, White Fence, Moon Duo, Sleepy Sun, Akron/Family, Salva and more, Al show's his versatility to exist in all realms of the psychedelic music community.
PRESS
Mixing equal parts 13th Floor Elevators and The Night Beats with equal parts Dilla and Pete Rock is an unconventional formula for sure, but it’s Al Lover’s thing, and to paraphrase Bill Graham’s famed statement about the Grateful Dead, he’s not the best at what he does- he’s 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 doesn’t feel hyperbolic, because it’s true. This is a guy who remixed Captain Beefheart’s 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. Don’t put your ears on this expecting to hear Woodsist in another light. Al has turned this into something all his own. These tracks couldn’t 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 area’s rich garage and psychedelic scene and is pioneering a new element to the genre.
-Snap Magazine
Stones Throw must be purposely trying to get their videos posted on this blog. Assuming this guy is on Stones Throw. I have no idea who this guy is.
- Bryoncrawford.com
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