Al Lover by Matt Taplinger
Just one good listen to experimental producer Al Lover can trigger incurable record collection envy. WIth a drum machine, analog synths and live instrumentation, Los Angeles-based Lover distills the psychedelic energy of cult audio icons such as J-Dilla, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Brian Eno into a complex sound tapestry that compels attention — and maybe some inferiority at the sheer range being deployed.
“I started off making rap music in high school with friends and was always drawn to the beats using rock drums or loops,” Lover, who will perform at Bumblefest, tells PureHoney. “I was a skater and loved both hip-hop, punk, and harder-edged rap rock groups like M.O.P. who used heavy guitar riffs in their beats. When I started making beats, I just wanted to incorporate those elements.”
It wasn’t long before hearing prog, krautrock and proto metal led him to meddling with cult sacred cows such as “Safe as Milk“ by fellow Californian Captain Beefheart. That debut album from 1967 has “qualities that I loved in the composition, texture, and overall feel,” Lover says. Developed in the attic of his old San Francisco home in 2010, Lover’s “Safe as Milk Replica” is a reverent re-exploration — even if Lover truly wishes that he had, as he says, “tackled that project when I had the actual skill set to match the ambition.”
His most recent effort, 2022’s “Cosmic Joke,” draws on inspiration from thinkers and theologians. “I listen to more lectures, books on tape, podcasts than music at this point,” Lover says. “I think it started from wanting to find vocal samples and trying to somehow weave concepts into the music even if it’s just a mantra to myself when creating a track. Something that’s inspired me, a concept or whatever, it just becomes part of the music, even if it’s just for me subjectively.”
At Bumblefest, Lover will pull double duty, playing live versions of his tracks and spinning his “World Party” DJ set, a deep dive into obscure world music from the ’70s and ’80s
Bumblefest, with 40 acts on 5 stages, is Sept. 1 and 2 in downtown West Palm Beach. bumblefest.com, al-lover.com ~ Abel Folgar
