John Herndon – the respected drummer, producer, and founding member of the band, Tortoise has released a remix EP A Grape Dope: Backyard Blenders The Remixes. Comprised of four reimaginings of songs from his debut LP Arthur King Presents A Grape Dope: Backyard Bangers, the EP includes the first-ever, deeply beautiful remix from Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab. Other remixes are provided by Four Tet, Roberto Carlos Lange AKA Helado Negro, and fellow Tortoise member Jeff Parker. Getting these four highly lauded and influential musicians on one EP together shows the understated reach of Herndon’s profound influence in music. The EP also serves as the first official release on new Dangerbird imprint AKP Recordings – a series of meticulously curated projects inspired by deep exploration of Brian Eno’s works and philosophies. The label will house projects from Bill Baird, Randy Randall, Jason Lytle, and more. 

The original album Arthur King Presents A Grape Dope: Backyard Bangers can be heard here and was released late this past summer. An amalgamation of eclectic influence, impossible to tag with any one genre yet assured in its execution. Herndon describes the album as, “a collage of sounds – found and recorded in various places and in various ways and then glued together with some rhythm, some space, melody, harmony, noise. I hope it reads like a slice of my record collection- hip hop, punk, disco jazz, metal, noise, house, techno, comedy, various others.”