Kramer - Life is a Collage (2024)

Life is a Collage is somewhat of a compilation. A journey through a period of 3 years of meetings, friendships and collaborations.

Kramer and Friends... Collage, is an album made for and by many people.

All drums on this project are written and performed by Makaya McCraven. The record features artists like Yutaka Hirasaka (Toyko), Arema Arega (Cuba), Angel Bat Dawid, Awon, Yaw. It really is a collection of friends playing atop Mayaka’s wonderful rhythm and elegant Jazz production by Grammy Award Winning Kramer of Tensei (Kramer and Midas Wells).

‘This all started when Midas, Makaya and myself were hanging out in our hometown, Chicago. It’s a good few years ago now. We were all jamming on ideas we had lying around. Pieces of that and this. I recorded the whole few days we spent together in the studio, and we ended up with even more bits of this and that’, says Kramer.

Over the next few years Kramer carried on collecting contributions. Adding to this pile of ‘pieces of this and that’.

During the pandemic, Kramer and Midas began to stitch this patchwork quilt together. The process was put on hold when the pair wrote several pieces of music for J. Ivy’s Grammy Award Winning album, The Light Inside.

‘We’ve called this record Collage, for obvious reasons. If this record was made visual it would look like a collage of all beautiful faces involved in its creation. It’s a real celebration of friends and colleagues. It’s been so much fun, and I really hope that comes across in the music. We deliberately stayed away from the broodier stuff. This record is about energy, music and rhythm, but above all... it’s about people. All kinds of people, who happen to love music.’ - Kramer

Def Pressé will be releasing a series of Double A’s, starting with Miso Fins and Tree of Life, May 2nd.

Kramer and Friends... Life is a Collage

Tracklist:
1.01 - Kramer, Yaw, Sam Thousand, Tensei - Make Your Move (3:20)
1.02 - Kramer, Regis Molina, yutaka hirasaka, Tensei - Miso Fins (3:21)
1.03 - Kramer, Press1, 80Bug, Tensei - Snake Eyes (3:12)
1.04 - Kramer, Malik Ameer Crumpler, Tensei - Vedic Wines (2:34)
1.05 - Kramer, Tensei - Moments (4:41)
1.06 - Kramer, Jennifer Stephenson, yutaka hirasaka, Alex Brinkman, Press1, 80Bug - Rabbit Hole (2:52)
1.07 - Kramer, Mike Ladd, Tensei - Odin on Ice (3:14)
1.08 - Kramer, Angel Bat Dawid, Sam Thousand, Tensei - Magical Journey (4:06)
1.09 - Kramer, Awon, Yaw, Tensei - Decided (3:01)
1.10 - Kramer, Demetrius Rhymes, Emily Steinwall, Tensei - Open Spirit (3:12)
1.11 - Kramer, Arema Arega, Tensei - Sorry (3:42)
1.12 - Kramer, Toni Sauna, Tensei - Promiscuous (2:31)
1.13 - Kramer, Destiny Muhommad, Tensei - Tree of Life (4:32)