Lo-Fi Sundays 074 - 1 UP

Laying down stupendous cuts with an almost lackadaisical hand, 1 UP is a relative newcomer with an audacious talent for vibrant Lo-Fi music. With three EPs and dozens of singles under his belt already, his style varies as widely as the hip-hop terrarium allows, capturing a variety of moods separated by hazy lines.

The arrangement philosophy of 1 UP's music has a way of mimicking the natural rhythms in his chosen samples. The cuts contain lives of their own, originating from a multitude of backgrounds and genres. The real magic is pairing resampled or produced drum kits with the percussive artifacts left behind during the sampling process; the tonality and finish to the layered kicks, snares, and accents bring a sort of fermentation to each track. In conjunction with genuinely cogent rhythmic production, his melody cuts are a curated grabbag of instrumental dives and flares. Sprayed across the spectrum of his music, vocal samples from every heavy hitting hip-hop record in memory find a home atop any one of 1 UP's urbanized beats.

Given the short life thus far of his released catalog, 1 UP demonstrates an approach and application of sampling and production that does serious justice to the idea of beats music. With such high turn around rate on new releases, it's not wonder he's been able to establish a formidable selection of origin tunes in just a year's time. With a frequency like that, we can't wait to hear what else must be assuredly just around the corner with 1 UP.

FOLLOW 1 UP: Soundcloud / Spotify / Bandcamp