Refreshments by Eddou XL

re·fresh·ment
/rəˈfreSHmənt/
(noun)
plural noun: refreshments

1. a light snack or drink, especially one provided in a public place or at a public event.

2. the giving of fresh mental or physical strength or energy.


Producer and multi-instrumentalist Eddou XL breathes life into a collection of rough drafts once confined to his phone on the full-length blend tape Refreshments. The eight-track project produced, mixed, and mastered by Eddou XL sports thirst-quenching song titles that read like the menu of an old-time novelty shop (see: “Legendary Lemonade Hussle”). Using the Voice Memo app as a mobile sketchpad for musical concepts, XL amassed a cache of recordings that would become the foundation of Refreshments. The album begins with the sensory nostalgia of a beverage poured over ice and preserves the tender analog chatter of home recordings captured with the help of XL’s daughter Rehane and later pieced together in his DAW. The interludes and beats made on the SP-303, SP-404, MPC3000, MPC2000XL samplers are billed as “a mythical rap soda fountain.” Refreshments pulls an abundance of its flavor from a handful of rap icons by repurposing verses from MF DOOM, Nipsey Hussle, Raekwon, and Black Thought amongst others. To bring the concept full circle, beats and rhymes are sprinkled with choice ingredients that include vintage beverage jingles, iPhone ringtones, excerpts from Dave Chappelle, and even Def Leppard - yes, Def Leppard. His minimal, true school aesthetic marries boom-bap production with the sensory stimulation of cinematic art and the traditional percussion of his Middle Eastern and North African roots. Adding a pinch of the whimsical aesthetic of the Daisy Age and resuscitating the dying art of the rap interlude, Eddou XL establishes his spare, experimental approach as a unique musical signature. With the release of Refreshments, Eddou XL is elevated to the upper echelon of yeoman creators innovating in the realm of sample based music.

Eddou XL is a beatmaker, producer, and longtime cratedigger based in California, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He continues to learn and grow as an artist while pushing the boundaries of his craft. In his work, the beatsmith synthesizes elements of '90s boombap, underground (backpack), lofi, and a touch of the LA beat scene into a style that is uniquely his own.

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