On “Instrumentals” we saw a level of emotion and sincerity never seen before in a purely instrumental hip hop album. The sounds that would later be adopted by the likes of Lil B, A$AP Rocky, SpaceGhostPurrp, and countless others were largely started by Clams’ sounds. In the early 2010’s Clams Casino was one of the most famous pioneers in the “Cloud Rap” genre, a style of hip hop production that incorporated haunting samples, icy reverb, and melodramatic moods mixed with trap instrumentals. It may not be that bold to say that the early sounds of Clams’ Cloud Rap sounds inspired much of the progression of emotional influence we see in hip hop today.

“Instrumentals” goes behind so much more than hip hop production, it remains a landmark in modern electronic music where we saw the hip hop producer take a more active role in diverse composition and expression. Few names in hip hop or electronic music can come close to the level of influence and pioneering that Clams Casino brought with him on his debut. Clams Casino was famously instrumental to much of Lil B’s trademarked ethereal production and behind many iconic tracks like the Imogen Heap sampled “I’m God” or “Cold War” that appears on “Instrumentals”. The mixtape acted as a collection of previous beats and reworks of tracks he had produced for rappers such as Soulja Boy and notably Lil B. Last week marked the 10 year anniversary of the release of “Instrumentals”, the debut mixtape from New Jersey electronic producer Michael Volpe, A.K.A Clams Casino.

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