As a companion piece to our interview with fast-rising beatmaker Lee Bannon, we’ve pulled together an short survey of his work to date; peep below to get familiar with the producer, and head here to read the interview.

‘ENTER THE VOID
(D/L, 2012)

For the initiated, teeming NY crew Pro Era have become one of the most buzzed about rap crews in the last few years on account of their age (practically pubescent), their frontman (the full-throted Joey Bada$$) and their feel (Golden Age throwbacks with a modern twist). Bannon’s production/DJ work with the crew shows him at his most straight-down-the-line, as embodied by ‘Enter The Void’, a buoyant collaboration with Black Hippy’s Ab-Soul.

FANTASTIC PLASTIC 
(LP, PLUG RESEARCH, 2011)

Less an entry-point than a rabbit hole, Fantastic Plastic isn’t for the faint hearted, haphazardly slinging together Youtube fragments, interstitial blipverts, rumbling boom-bap and FlyLo friendly head-nod. Issued on skewed rap standard bearers Plug Research, the album easily falls into a lineage that includes Shadow Huntaz and Ammoncontact. Guest spots from yU, Del The Funkee Homospaien and quondam Cool Kid Chuck Inglish reinforce his indie-rap credentials.

CALIGULA THEME MUSIC 2.7.5
(EP, 2012)

Something of a companion piece to this year’s Never/Mind/The/Darkness/Of/It, Caligula Theme Music 2.7.5 shows Bannon borrowing Burial’s haptic programming and reverb-play, and there’s plenty for Tri Angle enthusiasts to admire too. The lion’s share of cloud-rap producers pull indiscriminately from this sort of sonic playbook, but Caligula Theme Music shows Bannon attempting to stand toe-to-toe with his source material rather than just swiping.

‘LAWNS’
(2013, FROM SUPER HELPFUL,  THE HELP)

Super Helpful is the union of Banner, Pro Era’s Chuck Strangers and Kwame3000. For all his experimental impulses, Bannon also sounds great horizontal, and his knack for a languid beat is on full display on blue-chip collection The Help. ‘Lawns’ brings Joey on board for some Dilla bump.