The paradox at the center of Ol’ Burger Beats’ latest collection of songs is that the Norwegian hip-hop producer and curator of emcees is able to make the listener feel like they’re simultaneously living in 1974 and 2024 at any given moment across 74: Out of Time’s 17 tracks. Sure, it helps that our one-step-forward-two-steps-back approach to politics hasn’t permitted us to advance much beyond the bumbling Ford administration, but it’s primarily Burger Beats’ seamless fusion of vintage jazz- and soul-sourced sampling contrasted with an impressive list of currently ubiquitous underground voices in rap—to say nothing of each song’s 74 BPM setting—that turns what could easily come off as gimmickry into a legitimate magic trick.
Among the time-traveling tracklist, names like billy woods, Tha God Fahim, Fly Anakin, Pink Siifu, YUNGMORPHEUS, Quelle Chris, and lojii (not to mention the godfather of the online-era underground, Lil B) stand out as easy selling points for 74. Yet as OBB tells it, the record is equally indebted to Oslo’s local music scene, with plenty of shoutouts to the session players who helped glue the whole thing together. It certainly also helps that as far as the verses go, it seems like most of his roster of vocalists were on the same wavelength. “It’s not easy to tie things together thematically when you’re working with so many different rappers,” he notes, “but they really helped me establish the numerology theme I’m going for here.”
With the LP out today via Coalmine Records, you can stream the full project and get a behind-the-scenes look at how each track came together—instrumentally and collaboratively—below. You can also order 74: Out of Time here.
1. “Free Form” (feat. lojii, Ill Camille)
I think this is the closest you get to an Ol’ Burger–type beat as of now, with the bright chopped- up percussion, the blue electric piano chords, and the dry drums. So it feels right to start the album off by defining the sound I’m going for at the moment. The beat was originally named “Bells From Brazil,” and it’s one of my favorite tracks on the album, and also one of the more recent beats I made for this project. I absolutely loved hearing lojii and Camille over this; their voices and verses complement each other and the instrumental perfectly, and sets the right tone and theme for this LP: political while introspective, melancholic while constructive.
2. “How I Live” (feat. Lil B, Vic Spencer)
Here’s a track that feels pretty left-field and experimental, but I still think it turned out pretty good. I love the soprano saxophone on the hook and the spiraling percussion sounds, but I was a little unsure about this beat, to be honest. Vic Spencer loved it, though, and from the wide selection of tracks that I sent his way, this was the one he chose to work with. I’ve been a fan of his since his releases on Daupe Records back in 2017. Getting to work with the legendary Lil B is crazy as well. We met in Sweden at the Hultsfred Festival more than a decade ago, so that’s why he starts his verse with a shoutout to both Norway and Sweden, which always makes me smile. Lil B loved the beat and loved Vic’s verse, so he jumped on that same track and the result came out nice!
3. “For the Family” (feat. Awon)
This feels like the kind of beat I was making in my Mind Games era: a semi-rare vocal, soul-jazz track that’s been chopped so that you’ll hear small pieces of the vocals here and there, while revealing more of the sample on the hook. I’ve been a fan of Awon for years as well, a really inspiring guy and one of the hardest working people in the underground scene. I really appreciate the way both he and Vic worked the 74 number into their verses, too. It’s not easy to tie things together thematically when you’re working with so many different rappers, but they really helped me establish the numerology theme I’m going for here. I also have to mention Kristoffer Eikrem and Sigurd Drågen on this track. They’re both amazing trumpet and trombone players, and incredible beatmakers in their own right. They really elevated the music on this album to a whole new level and glued the whole record together, especially on this cut.
4. “Daybreaks” (Interlude)
This interlude nods to my 2019 album Daybreaks—a tribute to those who’ve been listening for a while and a lil’ nudge for those who haven’t. A couple of tracks on that album were actually intended for this one, so that’s essential listening after the 74 LP.
5. “Running” (feat. Pink Siifu)
Pink Siifu is another one of my favorite artists of recent years. You really never know what to expect when he sends you the vocal files, but you’re never disappointed. My next-door neighbor Guy Sion plays a beautiful saxophone solo on this track as well—I think it blends perfectly with the soulful live sample. The way I change the time signature back and forth on this beat is a way to pay my respects to one of my biggest heroes in music, J Dilla…born 50 years ago this past February 7.
6. “Out of Time” (feat. Ill Camille)
Another beautiful verse by Ill Camille on what became the title track of the album. I think her lyrics on this song are so powerful, but I had to remix it a few times before I felt that the beat was good enough to match her vocal performance. Now I absolutely love it, and I’m so happy with details like how the whistle starting the track feels like a referee ending a football match. I mention this in the album’s liner notes as well, but this track encapsulated a feeling that time’s nearly up on crucial political, social, and environmental matters, as well as in situations of both our personal lives. To enhance the time travel that I feel like this album could be, I included a short sample of a deeply political poem from a 1974 jazz album addressing the irony of self-proclaimed peace-keeping countries like Norway and the United States.
7. “Black Sabbath” (feat. billy woods, Tha God Fahim)
The hardest track of the album without a doubt. The harshness of this song feels like a natural way to address the serious theme of the previous two tracks, and Guy’s saxophone solo is a beautiful contrast to the melancholic beat and lyrics. When I first heard Tha God Fahim’s verse on this I knew it could be an album highlight, but I really love music like this: tough rap on simple spiritual jazz beats. billy woods is another artist I’m really thrilled to be working with—he’s made several of my favorite albums of recent years. He dug the beat and felt inspired by Fahim’s verse, so we made it work!
8. “Change the World” (feat. MoRuf)
One of the earliest beats I made for this project, maybe around 2017. I premiered this one and “Peace” in Amsterdam for my Boiler Room set there in 2018, and I remember thinking that these two tracks felt like a new direction for the way my music should sound. An album often starts like this for me; if I make one track that I really like, maybe I could try making a whole album around that one track? MoRuf is another incredible rapper, and I really like the way he took the theme of the ’70s soul song that I chopped up and sampled the lyrics of that into his own verse, which adds another layer to this time travel of sampling.
9. “Peace” (feat. YUNGMORPHEUS)
Another deeply political track both in terms of the lyrics and the music. The sample can be traced back to the American winter of 1974, with vibrating Fender Rhodes chords, crushed cymbals, and one or two subtle references to an early Kendrick Lamar beat that I love. I also really like Née Pauline’s flute details on this one. I was very grateful when MORPH sent me his verses for this one. MORPH raps vividly about his frustration with society and the treatment of his people. I really emphasize with the hook here—it feels extra pressing in times of war both in Ukraine and Palestine where I get the sense that there’s little each of us can do but to insist on peace.
10. “For You” (feat. MoRuf)
Another beautiful contribution from MoRuf, who I’ve been listening closely to for more than a decade. I really like this track—it feels like one of the more personal songs on the album. I’m proud of the beat as well; it’s pretty tightly chopped up, but still sounds cohesive and smooth. Thanks also to my friend and Loft collaborator Wendell Harrison for letting me sample the track “Where Am I” from his incredible LP An Evening with the Devil from the early ’70s.
11. “The Last Of Us” (feat. Quelle Chris)
The sampling here feels kind of advanced. Thanks to my friend Fredrik Lavik at the Jazzaggression label for letting me sample Erik Andresen Quartet’s beautiful “Cointreau” track, a Norwegian 10-inch jazz record that Fredrik released. Thanks to Quelle Chris for some of the best lyrics on the album as well. We’ve been working together on several projects since the High Rhodes LP in 2014, and he always delivers.
12. “Count Your Blessings” (feat. lojii)
Another track where lojii shows his incredible writing skills. He’s been one of my favorite rappers since I heard his Due Rent album with Swarvy—one of my favorite albums of the last decade. My friend Maxo was supposed to be featured here as well, but it didn’t work out. Hoping to work more with both of them in the future!
13. “PGO” (feat. Oliver the 2nd)
Another spiritual jazz sample from one of my favorite labels. This track feels really special to me, most of all because it allowed me to reconnect with one of my favorite lyricists, Oliver the 2nd. Me and Oliver had a falling-out the last time we collaborated after I used one of his verses without confirming it with him first. Then Oliver sent me a message to leave all of that behind. I really respect him for that, and I’m so glad we got the opportunity to record together again! The result is one of the hardest and most experimental songs on the LP.
14. “Stories” (feat. J’Von, Vuyo)
One of the more laidback and smooth songs on the LP, which samples a cover version of “Ain’t No Sunshine.” It’s been really cool to match different rappers that I like on the same track, and it’s fun when the pairing makes sense for others as well. I think J’von has a pretty big following here in Oslo, because both Sigurd Drågen on trombone and my friend Vuyo were super excited to be on the same track as him! Check out my collaborative album Dialogue with Vuyo if you like this track. And thanks to Guy Sion for the lovely saxophone solo here!
15. “Recuperating” (feat. Gabe ‘Nandez, Fly Anakin)
“Recuperating” was the first single we released from 74: Out of Time. Two of the most distinct voices in underground rap, which you can tell within a matter of seconds of them each delivering their verses. This is a quality I really like in a rapper. The sample I used for the beat has been used dozens of times, but it sounds so good! Definitely one of the album highlights for me.
16. “Discipline 74” (Interlude)
Just a quick jazz-funk interlude before we wrap up the album. It felt kind of space-travel-influenced to me, so the title references Sun Ra’s many “Discipline” compositions via one of Madlib’s Quasimoto albums, perhaps.
17. “Holler Back” (feat. Kooley High)
Another beat that was finished early in the making of this album, and one that I’ve been sitting on for close to a decade. I always thought this would be an album outro based on the words in the sampled track, which lets the sample talk (as I think 9th Wonder coined it). This track definitely has some 9th-type inspiration, and I think that’s one of the reasons why I contacted Kooley High, who worked with him on several occasions. I’ve been a fan of Kooley since I was little, so working with them was really special as well. We have more music coming up together, so stay tuned for that! All in all I think this album rounds up the LP nicely. I often tend to finish my albums on a more positive, soulful note (after all the blue jazz), and this album is no exception.
