Artist and sonic craftsman SRCFLP makes beat compositions that mix up ingredients from ‘90s Golden Age hip-hop with South American Afro-Latin flavors, a dash of jazz and electronic seasonings. The sound he unleashes shows he is not only rooted in the Los Angeles underground beat scene, but also taking it to fresh places. Tracks brim with energetic rhythms, ear-catching melodies and floaty lyrics about truth, self-discovery and uniting through the celebration of timeless music. SRCFLP’s clever, complex work blossoms from his patience and love of the Hip Hop culture, illuminating his skills as a songwriter, producer and style innovator. Every fresh melody, harmony and beat he dreams up is an intricate piece of a grand, thought-igniting conversation about the vivid world, carried out on the sound system of a more discerning dance floor. Born in Japan raised in L.A., SRCFLP was influenced by both his Japanese and American heritage and raised in a musical household by a single mother. He began to study violin at the USC Colburn School of Music, but the rigid world of classical music did not suit him. Still, the lessons he took ignited his absolute passion for organized sound, and he sought out music that allowed him to freely and fearlessly express himself. He gravitated towards local underground hip-hop clubs because they offered the antithesis of the structured world of classical music: they encouraged artists to create something fresh, break the rules, and improvise. Searching for even more beat- centric music that made him feel free, he was pulled towards the electronic music pulsing through the Los Angeles Warehouse Rave scene of the ‘90s and early 2000s. SRCFLP’s true passion for making music bubbled to the surface in college, when he finally felt liberated from societal and family expectations. He sold his violin in order to get two Technics turntables and a mixer and started diving deeper into the work of artists such as JDilla, MF Doom, Madlib, RZA, and DJ Krush. He began to test out his songwriting talents by writing rhymes and lyrics as a way to write a record of and a soundtrack to his experiences. He co-founded a Hip Hop student club and began DJing on campus, playing free music during meals and gatherings. He started honing his rhyming skills while bonding with other Hip Hop artists through shows and sessions. Eventually, he was hired as a rap songwriter and even toured as a rap performer. Wanting to learn more about the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop, SRCFLP moved to New York City. While exploring the East Coast mecca, he discovered the beat scene that was erupting in Los Angeles, led by artists like Daddy Kev and Flying Lotus. Its no- frills, raw, hard, unapologetic, experimental, disruptive and familiar style caused an epiphany: He wanted to go beyond just performing and recording raps; it was in his heart to produce full, layered albums that told the full story of his personal journey. In the last decade, SRCFLP has put out several singles and EPs and has been a part of several compilations released on iTunes under different project names. He has also worked with Scion A/V, the creative marketing arm of carmaker Scion, who included one of his songs on their nationally distributed compilation, alongside Aloe Blacc among others. SRCFLP’s brand-new full-length album Hours is his first release under his current moniker and is described by music critics as “Hip Hop in 2015 meets post-EDM sobriety.” Mastered by L.A. beat scene giant Daddy Kev (founder of the experimental hip-hop and electronic music club night Low End Theory and mastering engineer for the Grammy-nominated Flying Lotus), Hours features 11 layered tracks featuring poetic lyrics about transcending life’s melancholy. It is SRCFLP’s celebration of the freeing, meditative and healing power of music and its ability to forge genuine connections between people’s minds and spirits. Hours is available now.