The distinctive clattering drums and twisted psychedelics underpinning Jay Z’s ode to stacking art dollars, “Picasso Baby,” sounds like a dusty sample rattled out of a 70s funk studio in Memphis, Tennessee. It is in fact a loop from “Sirens,” a track written in 2011 by Adrian Younge, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer. 

The Los Angeles native’s singular obsession with the seemingly lost craft of analogue production has made him the go-to name for hip-hop, R&B and soul stars in search of an old-school studio magic. From Hova, Snoop, the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and Ghostface Killah to Common, Raphael Saadiq, Bilal, and Ali Shaheed of A Tribe Called Quest, Younge's multiple collaborators cite his passion for vinyl culture and nuanced approach in successfully creating music deeply inspired by the past, yet progressive in execution. 

The collective-focussed mindset is showcased in today’s film by cinematographers and directors Malik Hassan Sayeed and Arthur Jafa, produced by Little Minx. Fittingly, it was Sayeed’s agenda-setting work with Spike Lee and Hype Williams that cemented an infinite list of visual cultural milestones; from music videos for Tupac and Biggie to classic 90s movies Clockers and Belly, through to recent pop sirens Rihanna and Lana Del Rey.

“With the upcoming Bilal record, I wanted it to sound like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder met with Pink Floyd and RZA,” says Younge of his forthcoming release, the vinyl of which will be released on his own record label, Linear Labs, co-founded with Andrew Lojero. “Bilal is known for neo-soul, but I wanted to give him weird chords to fall into and push his vocal range down a path of beautiful, psychedelic twists and turns.”

Along with Linear Labs, Younge also owns The Artform Studio, a record store and hair salon in Downtown LA co-founded with his wife. “All of my collaborations seem serendipitous as it is with artists that I hugely respect and have been studying for so long,” says Younge. “Unbeknownst to them, it feels like we’ve already been communicating with each other before we’d even met.”

Adrian Younge’s upcoming releases include The Midnight Hour with Ali Shaeed, Something About April II, and Twelve Reasons to Die II with Ghostface Killah.