Then, with the first Instrumentals mixtape (eventually reissued by Type), Volpe's beats found their way to experimental music heads who admired their ghostly textures and sense of space. They caught the ears of Lil B and A$AP Rocky, helping define the cloud rap movement. Layering samples from all kinds of sources (choral music, new age, pop, R&B) and fastening them to sharp drums, Clams Casino productions were both mighty and mystical. But then he's a rare producer in general, arriving out of nowhere with an already well-defined and magnetic sound. Michael Volpe is the rare kind of rap producer whose instrumentals are better remembered than the songs they were made for.
