Now here’s one of the more interesting off-shoots of theStar Warsuniverse to be announced in quite awhile. As Pitchfork reported last night, an album, entitledStar Wars: Headspace, is about to be released, with tracks that are built around sound effects and audio clips fromStar Wars. The album will see release digitally on February 19th with a physical release of the album planned to be put out on March 18th. On his Beats 1 show yesterday,Zane Lowepremiered three tracks whichyou can listen to over at Pitchfork.
The record was produced and compiled byRick Rubin, a name that will not be alien to major music fans - he co-founded Def Jam withRussell Simmonsand also started American Recordings, which will releaseHeadspace. Rubin was integral to the creation ofJay-Z’s seminalThe Black Album, and was a key collaborator and producer on several other major records, includingKanye West’sYeezus, Red Hot Chili Peppers’Blood Sugar Sex Magik, Slayer’sReign in Blood,Justin Timberlake’sFutureSex/LoveSounds, and several ofJohnny Cash’s final series of records. He’s continued to work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers throughout the aughts, but has increasingly has turned more toward hip-hop, which isnt surprising considering his work with founding acts like The Geto Boys, Public Enemy, and Run-D.M.C.
His taste for rap and hip-hop is likely why theHeadspacecompilation includes some of the best beatmakers working today. No, Mike Will Made-It isn’t here, but there are tracks from Baauer, who you may remember as the auteur behind “Harlem Shake,” and Rustie, one of the few EDM musicians to shape a distinct sound and who has collaborated withDanny Brown, one of the most interesting rappers working today. On the top of the heap, alongside Rubin, is the inimitable Flying Lotus, who has crafted some of the best records of the decade (You’re Dead!,Cosmogramma, andUntil the Quiet Comes, specifically) and has created a song centered around R2-D2’s bleeps and blips. Rubin has also included a remix by Shag Kava, the moniker taken byJ.J. AbramsandHamiltonmastermindLin-Manuel Miranda, of a track by A-Trak, based around Jabba the Hutt sounds. Is February 19th here yet?
