Small Black featuring Heems - Two Rivers

From the beginning, Brooklyn’s Small Black has defied easy categorization. Sure, their faculty for fuzzed beats, dreamy synths, wistful melodies and intimate atmosphere inspired a few “chillwave” mentions, but the four-piece nabbed as many New Order nods for their undeniable pop prowess. And those paying close attention to the crunchy bounce and looped grooves of tracks like “Weird Machines,” from their breakout self-titled EP (2009), and Goons, off of last year’s New Chain long-player, had no problem recognizing the band’s earliest influence: hip-hop production. Inspired by legendary beatsmiths like J Dilla, RZA and DJ Premier, they’d always wanted to create something that combined the Small Black aesthetic with overt sampling-a tribute to the past and a new angle on the group’s future. The Moon Killer mixtape drops November 11, 2011.