Clams Casino, the mysterious beat producer from New Jersey, released a bombshell on major streaming platforms this week. Revered in the Northwest as a cloud rap king, real name Michael Volpe has performed at Shambhala and clubs in the region. In tune with his ethereal sounds and relative obscurity, he dropped a surprise electronic-infused compilation album, Instrumental Relics. In addition to new releases, tracks that were previously unavailable to stream are now accessible across platforms.
After 11 years, I’m God finally streaming now
Finally, this means fans can stream his 2009 breakout track I’m God featuring English singer Imogen Heap. If you’ve ever found yourself down a late night YouTube music rabbit hole, there’s a good chance you’ve stumbled across the track. Uploaded by a channel with no clear ties to Clams Casino, the seemingly unofficial music video now has over 25 million views. Featuring clips from the French film Lost in New York, the atmospheric melody echoes through scenes of crashing waves and faces of people covered with white masks. It appears Clams Casino paid homage to the video in a tweet announcing the instrumental album release.
“I’m God” with @imogenheap streaming everywhere now! Part of a collection called INSTRUMENTAL RELICS which is some of my favorite instrumentals, many of which have been previously unavailable to stream. ?️?️?️ https://t.co/DntSrASoGj pic.twitter.com/fOcMTYsrMU
— Clams Casino (@clammyclams) April 24, 2020
Roots in hip-hop beat production
Interestingly enough, I’m God was first released on rapper Lil B’s 2009 mixtape, 6 Kiss. Clams Casino, Michael Volpe, has a lengthy record of producing beats for major hip hop artists. A$AP Rocky, Vince Staples, Lil B all jumped on as features for Volpe’s debut album 32 Levels. Picking up album producer credits for two of the late rapper Mac Miller’s project, A$AP Rocky’s Long Live A$AP, and Echoes of Silence by The Weeknd, he’s honed production versatility.
Other album highlights
Aside from the long-awaited I’m God, several of the other tracks on the album are worth mentioning. Both Unchain Me and Leaf are previously unreleased tracks new to the Instrumental Relics album. The other 2009 accompaniment to I’m God, I’m the Devil, was finally released on April 2nd of this year. While Clams released the other 11 instrumentals in previous compilations, renewing them in a new collection feels like an apt testament to his artist independence. Check out the full Instrumental Relics album below for some ambient and atmospheric cloud hip hop beats.
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