Herring (Future Islands), and others.īorn Michael Volpe, Clams Casino landed his first collaboration after contacting Lil B (then a member of Bay Area rap group the Pack) via MySpace near the end of the 2000s. He continued releasing solo instrumental work, additionally making his major-label debut with the 2016 full-length 32 Levels, which included guest appearances by Vince Staples, Kelela, Samuel T.
His sound remained influential throughout the decade, as he produced or remixed songs by artists such as FKA twigs, Lana Del Rey, and Blood Orange. Around the turn of the 2010s, his atmospheric production work for rappers like A$AP Rocky, Main Attrakionz, and especially Lil B stood out and garnered much critical praise, and his 2011 mixtape Instrumentals became a landmark release, gaining a cult following and expanding his audience beyond underground rap circles. New Jersey-based producer Clams Casino's instantly recognizable sound, fusing sludgy, blown-out beats with hazy, nearly shoegaze-like distortion and haunting, dislocated samples, almost singlehandedly spawned the cloud rap subgenre.
