Out now: Makaya McCraven – Off The Record digitally + ‘Bright Lights’

Acclaimed drummer, producer, and sonic collagist Makaya McCraven releases a new digital version of his 2025 album Off the Record (“so much more than jazz” – NPR). Previously only available on vinyl LP and CD, the digital release arrives in time for the one-year anniversary of the album’s original release and includes a new bonus track titled ‘Bright Lights’ (featuring bassist Junius Paul, guitarist Matt Gold, and saxophonist Caroline Davis) and comes alongside an animated video by Debora Panaccione and Nespy5euro, watch here.

‘Bright Lights’ is also available as a limited-edition phonograph flexi disc, designed by Aaron Lowell Denton with photography by Shannon Marks. Outside North America, the flexi disc is included with every new purchase of the Off the Record LP from the XL Recordings store, while stocks last.

Off the Record, originally released on 2xLP and CD October 24, 2025, marked McCraven’s first recorded offerings since 2022’s In These Times (“McCraven’s most ambitious set of music” -GRAMMY.com) and a return to the signature “organic beat music” approach that Makaya first debuted on his 2015 album In The Moment and further developed on Highly Rare (2017), Where We Come From (2018), and Universal Beings (2018). Built from live recordings, McCraven reshaped the music via extensive editing, overdubs, and post-production at his home studio in Chicago.

The source material of Off the Record was drawn from moments of pure improvisation that were recorded live in performance, and shaped as much by the room and audience as by the musicians themselves. Album highlight ‘Boom Bapped’ and four other tracks feature cornetist/vocalist Ben LaMar Gay and tubaist Theon Cross, drawing from performances in London (2017), Berlin (2024), and New York (2025), showcasing nearly eight years of developing rapport between the three musicians. “Choo Choo” and three other pieces have their foundation in a live recording from Brooklyn’s Public Records in January of 2025, where McCraven played with bassist Junius Paul, trumpeter Marquis Hill, vibraphonist Joel Ross, and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu. Seven tracks, including the album’s new bonus track ‘Bright Lights,’ are built off recordings from McCraven’s June 2017 residency at The Hideout in Chicago, where he improvised weekly with a revolving cast including bassist Junius Paul, guitarist Jeff Parker, and saxophonist Josh Johnson. The final 5 pieces were created from recordings of McCraven’s Los Angeles debut at Del Monte Speakeasy in 2015, where he took part in the King Hippo and Grown Kids Radio produced event RAWS:LA, and improvised with guitarist Jeff Parker, vibraphonist Justefan, and bassist Benjamin J. Shepherd.

Stream / download Off the Record here.