Modern-day jazz trailblazer Makaya McCraven has announced four “distinct yet interconnected” new EPs, Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop, all set to arrive digitally on October 31 via International Anthem/Nonesuch/XL. The EPs will also be compiled as a 2xLP and 2xCD physical release called Off the Record, which arrives on October 10. Pre-orders are up now, and one song from each EP is streaming below.
Here’s more about the project, via press release:
The source material from each EP is drawn from moments of pure improvisation, recorded live in performance, shaped as much by the room and audience as by the musicians themselves.
Techno Logic features Ben LaMar Gay and Theon Cross, and draws from performances in London (2017), Berlin (2024), and New York (2025), showcasing nearly eight years of developing rapport between the three musicians, starting with their very first session at Worldwide FM’s former North London studio.
The People’s Mixtape has its foundation in a live recording from Brooklyn’s Public Records in January of 2025, where McCraven celebrated the 10 year anniversary of In The Moment with an intentional return to the improvisational language he developed over that album’s sessions. For the occasion, McCraven played with bassist Junius Paul and trumpeter Marquis Hill (two musicians who are majorly present on In The Moment), as well as vibraphonist Joel Ross (who has been a regular collaborator of McCraven’s since the 2017 sessions for Universal Beings), and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu (marking the first occasion for McCraven to play with the SML co-leader and International Anthem labelmate).
Hidden Out! is built off recordings from McCraven’s June 2017 residency at The Hideout in Chicago, where he improvised weekly with a revolving cast including bassist Junius Paul, Tortoise member, International Anthem labelmate, composer and guitarist Jeff Parker, and SML co-leader, GRAMMY-award winning producer and alto saxophonist Josh Johnson.
PopUp Shop was created from recordings of McCraven’s Los Angeles debut at Del Monte Speakeasy in 2015, where McCraven took part in the King Hippo and Grown Kids Radio produced event RAWS:LA, and improvised with guitarist Jeff Parker, vibraphonist Justefan, and bassist Benjamin J. Shepherd.
Though each EP was built from live recordings, the music you’re hearing on these EPs was reshaped by Makaya in his home studio in Chicago “via extensive editing, overdubs, and post-production.” Makaya himself adds, “In a time where we’re increasingly connected through phones, in a virtual world where you can’t really tell what’s real or what’s fake, there’s something special where we come together and share space, there is something special where we are sharing music, art. I want to create an energy that amplifies the magic in the underground moments where we come together and we experience something wild, different, off the cuff, human. What I’m trying to present is a dreamlike alteration of that energy, which only exists in the recorded realm. But to actually have been there, in real life, is the special thing.”
Makaya has also announced the Off The Record tour, with a US run in September/October and a Europe run in October/November. NYC gets a stop on October 8 at Le Poisson Rouge. All dates are listed, along with the four new song streams, below.
Makaya McCraven — 2025 Tour Dates
Thu 9/25 – Minneapolis, MN – Icehouse
Fri 9/26 – Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
Wed 10/1 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall (w/ Tom Skinner)
Thu 10/2 – Somerville, MA – Arts at the Armory
Fri 10/3 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theater
Sat 10/4 – Philadelphia, PA – Solar Myth (3 night residency)
Sun 10/5 – Philadelphia, PA – Solar Myth (3 night residency)
Mon 10/6 – Philadelphia, PA – Solar Myth (3 night residency)
Wed 10/8 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
Thu 10/9 – Springfield, MA – HOPE Theatre
Fri 10/10 – Ann Arbor, MI – UMS @ Michigan Theater
Sat 10/18 – San Diego, CA – Artpower at UC San Diego – Price Center East Ballroom
Tue 10/21 – San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Wed 10/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Jazz Is Dead @ Lodge Rooom
Thu 10/23 – Denver, CO – Dazzle
Fri 10/24 – Denver, CO – Dazzle
Sat 10/25 – Portland, OR – The Get Down
Sun 10/26 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s
Fri 10/31 – Berlin DE – Jazzfest Berlin
Sat 11/1 – Roma IT – Auditorium Parco della Musica
Mon 11/3 – Prague CZ – Palác Akropolis
Tue 11/4 – Brno CZ – Cabaret des Pêchés
Wed 11/5 – Katowice PL – Ars Camerails / Jazz Club Hipnoza
Thu 11/6 – Mannheim DE – Enjoy Jazz / Alte Feuerwache
Fri 11/7 – Bremen DE – Theater Bremen
Sat 11/8 – Groningen NL – Rockit / Oosterport Kleine Zaal
Mon 11/10 – Utrecht NL – TivoliVredenburg
Wed 11/12 – Lisboa PT – Teatro Sao Luiz
Thu 11/13 – Madrid ES – Madrid Jazz Festival / Teatro Fernan Go
Fri 11/14 – Namur BE – Le Delta
Sat 11/15 – Den Bosch NL – November Music / Willem Twee Poppo
Mon 11/17 – Lille FR – Aéronef
Tue 11/18 – Paris FR – New Morning
Wed 11/19 – London UK – EFG London Jazz Festival / Koko
Thu 11/20 – Cenon FR – Le Rocher de Palmer
Sat 11/22 – Athens GR – Gazarte
Sun 11/23 – Oslo NO – Cosmopolite