Brooklyn producer Obey City (Sam Obey) will drop his second EP with Glasgow label LuckyMe on February 23. This was actually announced along with his 2013 debut EP Champagne Sounds, but now we have that release date and a lead single to show for it, with “Waterbed” featuring Anthony Flammia on vocals, a Yonkers-based singer-songwriter (hold your horses till the end). In addition to Flammia, Obey brings on Oakland vocalist 1OAK, Erick Arc Elliott, a.k.a. Erick the Architect, from Flatbush Zombies, and Kelela, for whom Obey did a killer remix of “Send Me Out” as part of LuckyMe’s 2014/15 Advent album, released over the course of December. He’s going to sing a bit himself, too.
All in all, Merlot Sounds looks to be more an old-school producer’s songwriting EP than a collection of “tracks,” something in the vein of a Quincy Jones (noted as one of Obey’s influences), or Flying Lotus record — a gathering of artists around the producer’s vision, and both a facilitation and utilization of their talents in a broader scheme.
You can pre-order the EP in digital and/or vinyl format here. Now, as a fine crescendo, I give you “Waterbed”! And, as a gentle coda, the tracklist.
Merlot Sounds tracklist:
10. With Grace We Go
02. Waterbed (feat. Anthony Flammia)
03. The Motion Blurs
04. Chante (feat. 1OAK & Erick Arc Elliot)
05. Cloud Lust
06. Airy (feat. Kelela)
• Obey City: https://soundcloud.com/obey-city
• LuckyMe: http://thisisluckyme.com
[Photo: Clair Bourgeois]