Multi-instrumentalist/producer Cory Grindberg came on my radar when his duo CHAD (alongside producer Dylan Frank) began working with Saba. From there, they went on to produce for everyone from Lucki to Anthony Pavel to Tink. John Walt, MFn Melo, basically all of Pivot Gang. While the duo properly shines on their chemistry-driven collaborative production (including a string of live performances as Saba's backup band), Cory Grindberg decided to take a solo leap with the track "Clockman". His first independent release in two years, the instrumental track fittingly begins with a ticking clock, some voices in the background, and sound effects galore, before forming into something smooth and experimental at the same stinkin' time. Can we talk about Mr. Grindberg's synth game? 

According to an article for Elevator Mag, Grindberg is a Minneapolis transplant who moved to Chicago "after receiving a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious Northwestern University for Jazz Bass Performance." Respect is given when respect is deserved, and damn is it deserved here. 

Not a simple composition by any means, "Clockman" is not one meant for #bars. Don't expect a sampled loop and added bass. Instead, this is a tropical jazz wave mind shatterer, lost in outer space, complex in design on a planet full of exotic islands. Hopefully this is a piece of something larger down the road.