It's been almost two years since I've started this site dedicated to Aaron Carmack aka Mr. Carmack. Now looking back to the days when I started blogging, I've never really thought I would even work nor even talk to Aaron, but last year in September, Aaron contacted me and asked if I would like to work for his Official Site and ofcourse I said hell fucking yeah, and two days ago, the Official Site finally launched with the release of his Red EP. This will be my last post on this wonderful blog and will keep working on the Official Site for now on, so go ahead and jump to mrcarmack.comand Bookmark it. Just wanted to say, thank you for all the 75 thousand clicks and all the love y'all been giving me all this years, see you on the other side! Art is never finished, only abandoned!
After Aaron’s visit to South Africa to play a festival in February of this year, he collaborated with Buraka Som Sistema’s Branko and Nonku Phiri at the Red Bull studio and this is the result. Make sure to copy it on iTunes. Anyone know the language she is speaking?
After collaborating with Kehlani on the tune ‘All In’, Aaron also remixed her tune ‘Jealous’, that also features Lexii Alijai on it, you can check out the remix and the original below.
Here is a leftover from the Falcons Session a couple months ago from the Red Bull BC Soundtrack premiered on Club Rituals 2 Mixtape, check it out below.
Aaron has been at the Secret Forest Sunrise After Party at Electric Forest on the Grand Artique stage. At around 4:30AM, Mr. Carmack mixed for nearly 4 hours a perfect blend of soul, funk gritty bass, hip hop and more and he even played Live Drums on the set and played some of his unreleased beats with beatboxer @Honeycombeatbox. There was a cast of other artists from the festival that were set to follow, but Mr. Carmack was nailing the vibe so perfectly that they allowed him to keep going. Check out the videos below.
Aaron gave some of his samples for the latest Team Supreme installment for their Vol. 130, which will be released on July 19th “For the producer: I've given the gods at TeamSupreme 4 samples from four different beats I had laying around. Go take a stab at it! Looking forward to hearing your mixes.” Make sure to download the Samples HERE.
The first of the two ship series that Holy Ship! 2015 had to offer - the January sailors enjoyed a three day journey from the Port of Miami to the private island of Half Moon Cay, featuring the iconic abandoned pirate ship stage as shippers enjoyed the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean. Boasting the largest lineup to date complete with dance music icons, Knife Party, Pretty Lights, Flume, and Boys Noize - cruisers enjoyed a wide array of electronic artists from all over the globe. With graduation for the fourth year Ship Fam members, it is safe to say the biggest dance party on a cruise ship was taken to all new heights. Re-live some of the highlights from some of our photographers and esteemed press outlets and stay tuned for the second leg of 2015!
The second of the two ship series that Holy Ship! 2015 had to offer - the February sailors enjoyed a three day journey from the Port of Miami to the exotic and breathtaking locations Nassau, Bahamas and Coco Cay, Bahamas. Boasting the largest lineup to date complete with dance music icons including Skrillex, Fatboy Slim, Baauer, DJ Snake, suprise guest Kaskade, and more, cruisers enjoyed a wide array of electronic artists from all over the globe. With graduation for the fourth year Ship Fam members, it is safe to say the biggest dance party on a cruise ship was taken to all new heights. Re-live some of the highlights from some of our photographers and esteemed press outlets...
Aaron went on his Instagram to answer some of his fans questions, for example what are his favourite Traveling Hats, his favourite Traveling Shoes and his favourite VST Software he’s using, check out the videos below.
Aaron collaborated with Chicago producer Harris Cole on the tune ‘Waves’ for Harris’ new EP titled ‘Alexithymia’ together with Kenny Segal and Ian Ewing, check out the tune below, and make sure to cop it on BandCamp. “Alexithymia is inspired by this last year: a collective experience of depression, anxiety, and vague happiness, stress, excitement, a great deal of changes. I hope this project gives insight into my experiences and can be used to comfort, console, confuse, conflict, or simply make you feel”
Harris Cole - Waves feat. Kenny Segal, Ian Ewing & Mr. Carmack (15')
Aaron released 3 new tracks including 2 remixes by rapper Duckworth and GoldLink. Mr. Carmack decided to post some of his new productions on his SoundCloud until we’ll get his new RED EP, which is later this month. The 5 tracks are ‘Makoto’, Dimepiece, Duckworth’s ‘Time Travel (Mr. Carmack Remix)’ and 2 little previews of a track called ‘Wild’ and Mr. Carmack’s version of GoldLink’s ‘Dance On Me’, you can check out all tunes below.
Duckworth - Time Travel (Mr. Carmack Remix) (15')
Mr. Carmack - Makoto (15')
Mr. Carmack - Dimepiece (15')
GoldLink - Dance On Me (Mr. Carmack Remix) (Snippet) (15')
Mr. Carmack - Wild (Snippet) (15')
July
17th - Camp Bisco, Scranton, PA, US (Added New)
August
2nd - Hard Summer Music Festival, Pomona Fairplex, Pomona, CA, US Tickets
7th - Shambhala Festival, Salmo, BC Canada (Added New)
22nd - Positiv Festival, Marseille, France (Added New)
28th - Free Your Funk Boat, Paris, France (Added New)
29th - Dimensions Festival, Pula, Croatia (Added New)
30th - Encore Festival, Amsterdam, The Nederlands (Added New)
September
6th - Outlook Festival, Pula, Croatia (Added New)
17th - Central Park, Summerstage, New York, NY US Tickets (Added New)
Check out this awesome edit by mbsurfer198 playing Aaron’s ‘Drugs’ on the Rock Band 3. “Created one of my favorite Carmack tracks into a rock band drum song. This was my first drum chart for this music genre, so I know the fills, some of the bass, and just the chart in general aren't correct. I had to take some of the triple bass bursts out to make it more playable with one bass pedal. Also sorry for the pad noises, I don't own a capture card. For more information on creating and playing your own custom Rock Band 3 songs check out http://customscreators.com/ Thanks for watching!”
Mr. Carmack helped out Chicago based producer Smoko Ono, an affiliate of Chance The Rapper and Vic Mena's collective Save Money, to remix fellow Chicago native rapper SD’s ‘Circles’. Aaron helps transition the track from a trap-house party anthem to a certified Chicago club banger—and it's got SD's seal of approval:
"This new remix sounds like some 3-dimensional paradigm mixed with all the elements of the old track by Omen and AudioBLK, but pushed to a different futuristic planet,"SD told The FADER. "I was really excited for the opportunity to remix 'Circles' because it's one of my favorite songs out and to work on it with a producer as talented as Carmack—I knew it was gonna nothing but heat." Check out the tune below.
“Sir flume asked me to play with him on the 24th in Detroit at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Maybe I will see you there! Ima play Aretha Franklin”
June
24th Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI, US
Mr. Carmack blessed us with a new track titled ‘Solutions’ that features Atlanta artist Donnis, who previously worked with Aaron on ‘Hour 3’ last year. This is why Mr. Carmack is untouchable and everyone keeps sounding the same on SoundCloud, just check out your followers, there is always this one dude who goes with that #carmackgenre, but there is only one Mr. Carmack.
Mr. Carmack Playing His ‘Red EP’ With The New Band Just listen to the Intro itself, it sounds like some ‘Angels have been free’d from Hell’ type Alien shyt. Aaron also revealed that his new EP will be called ‘RED’ and it’ll be released this month, make sure to check out the tune below If you haven’t already.
By Frances Capell, photos by GL Askew II. Aaron Carmack is exhausted. Fresh off a whirlwind European tour, the Soulection-linked producer better known as Mr. Carmack has logged only a few hours of sleep in as many days, yet he’s here at York Recording Studio in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, instead of recuperating in bed. “I was in Berlin a couple days ago. Before that, Cologne, and before that I was in the UK. That was my weekend,” he recounts in a mellow, hushed tone that feels more like a permanent state of chill than the result of sleep-deprivation.
“Then where did I play on Thursday? I can't remember.” He’s fastened to his swiveling chair, eyes shiny and glazed as mint-green and lavender boxes move like puzzle pieces in the Pro Tools interface on the monitor ahead of him. This afternoon his heart is a little heavy, too, as his team reports that his dating life is on the rocks. En route to the studio is Oakland-bred R&B powerhouse Kehlani Parrish, and unlike past Songs From Scratch Sessions, these two are already pals. There’s no need for introductions when she arrives with boisterous energy and crimson hair.
Since their social circles are connected, she’s already filled in on his romantic entanglement and, coincidentally, fired up to create a track about a similar issue that’s plaguing her. “Crazy things happened to both of us in the same couple of days,” says the singer. “I feel like we didn't even really have to speak about it, because we’re both fully aware of our situations. ” The lyrics flow from Kehlani faster than she can type them out on her laptop as Carmack toys with the barebones of a beat, freestyling on keys over bass and a sparse, reverberating fingersnap.
“He played the beat and I was like, Ok, the topic is you're either all in or you're not,”Kehlani says. “Is this too mellow?”Carmack wonders. But this song is meant to be a slow-burner, with Kehlani moving intimately close to the mic so she can whisper-sing the first verse in the booth. As her feathery vocals fill the room, a surprise harmony rings out from Carmack’s corner. “I’m still learning a lot. I come from mainly just in my bed, in my boxers like, writing,” he explains. However, for this son of a bar pianist who was raised on jazz standards, hands-on production seems to come naturally.
He’s hit by a noticeable boost of energy when Kehlani lays down his vocal idea, rising up out of his seat with hips swaying. “It was just two very creative people in there expressing,”Kehlani says later. “It wasn't even like a singer and a producer. It was just freedom.” For her, creative expression is a coping mechanism that stems from a tough childhood spent hopping around places in Oakland while her mom was absent. “I feel like art in itself is a blessing to someone who has a lot of crazy things they're dealing with. Music, for us, it's what we breathe,” she says.
She’s known to finish a week’s worth of tracks in a day, followed by days where “it just doesn’t happen.” More experiences need to be lived in order to add fuel to the fire. With her vocals wrapped for the day, Kehlani says her goodbyes and heads home. Engineers and managers zip in and out of the room, and all the while Carmack remains perched in his chair, zoned-out and zen-like, peeling back layers of the track, snipping and rearranging. He can hear a string section at the end, so a late-night call is made to a cellist in the same manner as ordering pizza delivery. “I’ve never directed strings before,”
Carmack says while we wait. In thirty minutes or less, the classically-trained cellist in tribal sweatpants, Gabe Noel, arrives and Carmack fills him in. “You haven't slept for three days? Why not?” Gabe asks. “Because I wanted to hear you play cello,”Carmack responds with a grin. Gabe delivers one long take, which Carmack later chops and weaves into a cinematic conclusion. There isn’t much left to do on the following day except listen to the track and discuss its finishing touches.
The pair consider trying to squeeze in another collaboration, but Kehlani’s already gotten everything off her chest. “My friends will hear a project and know exactly what happened, and when and with who,” she explains.“It's hard for me to write about things that I'm not exactly going through right now.” At this point Carmack, who’s opted to remain silent about whatever it is he’s going through, chimes in: “I think this song is pretty fucking relevant.”
“A month after completing tour I'm finishing all these projects, these #songsfromscratch. The day I flew back from Berlin, I wrote "All In" with @kehlanimusic for Adidas x Yours Truly, who helped fund and document the entire thing. The video just finished and it drops Monday, followed by the song. soon!” Watch Kehlani and Mr. Carmack make "All In" for Yours Truly & Adidas Originals #songsfromscratch series.
Mr. Carmack released on his SoundCloud an old collaboration between Mike Parvizi and Kenny Segal titled Lullaby, in which he quickly removed after a week, check out the smooth tune below.
Mr. Carmack posted on his Instagram Page a picture of him and the Korean rapper Keith Ape, where he revealed that he already had a studio session with the rapper. Keith Ape is gradually being recognized in the American hip hop scene for his latest collaboration "It G Ma (Forget It)," featuring fellow Asian rappers JayAllday, Loota, Okasian and Kohh. A 21-year-old rapper and member of Hi-Lite Records' group The Cohort. He certainly retweets enough to deserve the title. Keith, whose stage name is a reference to the late Keith Haring, has been releasing music online for a couple of years.
But he began attracting attention after releasing interpretations of viral American rap songs. Last year, he put out "Hot Ninja," a dub of Bobby Shmurda's summer smash "Hot Nigga." And earlier this month, he dropped "It G Ma," a track so heavily inspired by "U Guessed It" that Keith Ape is quickly being dubbed the Korean OG Maco. Regardless, the posse cut, which features verses from a handful of Korean and Japanese Cohort affiliates and whose video stars a bottle of rice wine, is a certified banger, check out the video below.
Keith Ape - It G Ma (Forget It) feat. JayAllDay, Loota, Okasian & Kohh (Official Video) (2015)
It looks like we’re finally getting that RL Grime and Mr. Carmack collaboration soon. According to RL Grime, he tweeted earlier today to Aaron to get up this week“@mrcarmack lets get up this week”. Last year in August, Aaron took a picture with RL Grime and Salva in the studio, that is probably the collaboration RL Grime is talking about, stay tuned for more information.
Here is Mr. Carmack’s whole Cape Town Electronic Music Festival set performed in Cape Town City Hall on February 10th. I also managed to get a Tracklist to the set which you can check out below.
Mr. Carmack & Joe Kay In Cape Town
Mr. Carmack x Live Magazine Interview
Mr. Carmack At The Cape Town Electronic Music Festival, RSA (2015)
01 - Mr. Carmack - Spring Shit feat. Jacuzzi (14')
02 - Mr. Carmack - Kahala feat. Lakim (13')
03 - Mr. Carmack - Nell feat. Denzel Curry (aka 2007 Shit) (14')
04 - Kendrick Lamar - m.A.A.d City feat. MC Eiht (Sounwave) (12’)
05 - Mr. Carmack - Simpler (14')
06 - Mr. Carmack - 2084 (11')
07 - Losco. - Proteïn (13')
08 - Mr. Carmack - Blouses (14')
09 - Jay-Z - Tom Ford (Jelacee Remix) (13')
10 - Mr. Carmack - Blackbirds (14')
11 - DJ Sliink - Put Cha Back In It feat. A-1 (Mr. Carmack Remix) (14')
12 - Diplo - Biggie Bounce (Losco. Remix) (14')
13 - ID - ID
14 - ID - ID
15 - Mr. Carmack - Uppers feat. Stööki Sound (12')
16 - Kaaris - Chargé (Mr. Carmack Remix) (14')
17 - London Future & Djemba Djemba - Fire To The Room (First Version) (14')
18 - Rich Homie Quan - Get TF Out My Face feat. Young Thug (Mr. Carmack Remix) (14')
19 - Mr. Carmack - Rocket (aka Robb Banks 3.5) (14')
20 - J.u.D. - Big Booty (13’)
21 - Mikos Da Gawd - Hot Shit (14')
22 - A$AP Rocky - Pretty Flacko (SPACEGHOSTPURRP) (12’)
23 - Mr. Carmack - Cocaine feat. Great Dane (13')
24 - ƱZ - Trap Shit V6 (12')
25 - Rihanna - You Da One (J.u.D. Remix) (12')
26 - Mr. Carmack - Drop (Get Silenced) (13')
27 - Mr. Carmack - Roller (New Look) (12')
28 - ID - ID
29 - ID - ID
30 - Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools (Drank) (Mr. Carmack Remix) (13')
31 - Mr. Carmack - Gangsta (13')
Here is Finally the full version to this massive Mr. Carmack Remix to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’, that’s released back in 2013, check out the floor filler below.
It's been almost two years since I've started this site dedicated to Aaron Carmack aka Mr. Carmack. Now looking back to the days when I started blogging, I've never really thought I would even work nor even talk to Aaron, but last year in September, Aaron contacted me and asked if I would like to work for his Official Site and ofcourse I said hell fucking yeah, and two days ago, the Official Site finally launched with the release of his Red EP. This will be my last post on this wonderful blog and will keep working on the Official Site for now on, so go ahead and jump to mrcarmack.com and Bookmark it. Just wanted to say, thank you for all the 75 thousand clicks and all the love y'all been giving me all this years, see you on the other side! Art is never finished, only abandoned!
