More a showcase of his production wares than an album, this collection still suggests Clams might produce a pearl yet. Into the Fire with Mikky Ekko is stultifyingly bland, but Back to You with Kelly Zutrau is a piece of beguiling, enigmatic R&B, while Future Islands’ Samuel T Herring uses the platform provided by Casino’s low tempo to turn out a stab at a 2k16 Tom Waits. More interesting though are new departures into collaboration with singers. Staples in particular with his tricksy, tumbling flow, proves a perfect accompaniment to a track of pipes, birdsong and distorted squelches. There are rappers: Rocky, Vince Staples and, on three different tracks, Lil B. As the influential producer prepares to release his long-awaited album '32 Levels,' he sits down in a rare joint interview with longtime collaborator Lil B. Four years on and a combination of pan pipes and big beats no longer sound so fresh, so Clams has done what any producer would on his debut album and drafted in features. The influential hip-hop producer's debut album, 32 Levels, has two distinct sides: a uniformly strong rap side and a pop side that’s not nearly as. Coming on like Enya after 15 blunts, all new age melodies and huge woozy drums, Clams (his real name is Michael Volpe) had an interesting sonic aesthetic. As the producer most associated with the emergent talent of A$AP Rocky, Clams Casino had a big 2012.
