'I remembered how good and dark Mortal Kombat’s music was' So I figured one way to stick them together was to have my own project. It took a long time to figure out if it was going to be hip hop or instrumental, but it ended up being a mix of everything. I was working with a lot of other artists on their albums, and we had leftovers that I thought were amazing but didn’t seem to fit anywhere. It took three years after your third mixtape before 32 Levels dropped.

He tells us why it’s such a big deal for him. And Volpe’s taking it to the big stage, playing shows across the globe, including this month’s St Jerome’s Laneway Festival. His debut album 32 Levels is an essential catalogue of dreamy instrumentals and lo-fi beats that critics have labelled ‘cloud rap’. Better known for producing records for modern rap icons like A$AP Rocky, the New Jersey-based beatmaker seemed content to settle for the backseat.

2016 may have been the worst for some but not for super hip hop producer Michael Volpe, aka Clams Casino, whose year was nothing short of exciting.

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