Crate Digging: Hannah Crawford, MassiveMusic

Crate Digging is a music discovery platform where contributors take home and discuss two records from across Concord Label Group’s active and historical labels.

Hannah Crawford, Creative Development Manager at MassiveMusic, discusses her top two finds.

miloe – gaps

I went around the houses with this one, eventually settling on Miloe and his ep ‘gaps’, which came out last year on Loma Vista; I was drawn to his bedroom pop aesthetic, both from the EP’s cover art, and then reading the description about the music.

Miloe was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, growing up in Minneapolis since the age of eight, and has been inspired in this EP to pay tribute to his Congolese roots and musical heritage. His modern American pop mixed with Congolese history and hip hop and rap influences are really creative and accessible.

There’s a real fresh and unique sound to his music, and gaps has a rich joy that you can’t help but bop your head to, particularly in where u are, the EP’s opener, it’s a perfect summer vibe. rewind with singer / rapper PawPaw Rod, floating are two other faves. A bit psychedelic, and with a richness that feels like it stems from tradition, harking back to his Congolese roots, it's a really nice touch.

There are some proper gems here, and I love the mix of the contemporary production with the more organic traditional nods; this fullness and how they work so well together means that the music has an appeal that's really cross-generational and also cross-cultural, which is really special. Miloe's young and fresh, embracing TikTok and playing around with his own takes on other pop music; his fresh take on his Congolese heritage mixed with some killer pop is really accessible and also super cool.

Mongo Santamaria – Sofrito

These guys are some proper gems here, and I love the mix of the contemporary production with the more organic From the catalogue, I chose an album based on the wonderful artwork - the cover photo could’ve definitely come from my mum’s old Cranks recipe book, I love it. This album is Sofrito by Mongo Santamaría, a Cuban percussionist and bandleader. In another life I worked at World Circuit, a record label releasing music from West African and Cuban artists; Mongo Santamaría’s album from the seventies, feels like a real special one. 

We've probably all heard a lot of Cuban music from cheap imitations on those CD compilations you could buy in service stations back in the day; there's a whole world out there and this a really nice place to dive in. Mongo Santamaría spent most of his career in the USA, and collaborated on tracks with a mountain of instrumentalists, and notably Tito Puente and Herbie Hancock, so he did a lot in his career, moving into re-recording RnB and Motown songs with his Cuban touch.

Sofrito definitely takes me away from my flat in Peckham to a very different time and place; going back to '70s Havana might not be an option, but I can see myself hosting a summer garden party with friends late into the evening with this joining us, perfect.

Some of the tracks on the album feel like they're almost telling a whole story on their own, which could be interesting for a dialogue-free film. Five On The Color Side feels almost whimsical, which could definitely work for a vintage-feel character-led piece of film. Secret Admirer has some real pace to it, a really beautiful richness. I'd love to hear these on a really bonkers ad!

If you’d like to know more, or you’re keen to discover more of our repertoire, please contact: tom.frank@concord.com.