Live, From New York… It’s Kevin Casey

When we first came across Live From New York: 1994-2001, we were impressed with the concept, execution and overall quality of the project, yet unfamiliar with its creator, Kevin Casey. We went so far as to suggest, “We’re pretty sure we should know who Kevin Casey is, because he can’t possibly be a total new jack. If he is, this is a damn fine rookie effort. If he’s not, then we slept.”

We didn’t sleep. It’s a damn fine rookie effort.

Casey professes himself as a “producer/engineer”, and the mixtape was not constructed on-the-fly, but the songs on LFNY are blended together so cleanly and thoughtfully, it is clear that a DJ mentality pervades the project. Though there are many who criticize mixtapes created from the comfort of a Pro Tools console, LFNY weaves its 46 timeless NY throwback tracks in such a clean, easy-listening way that even the staunchest purists would be hard pressed to argue that the use of technology diminished this listening experience.

Let’s face it, 1994-2001 was a good time for New York hip-hop. Some might say it was the second coming of the original “Golden Era”. And while other regions had by this time fully escaped the gravitational pull from the center of the hip-hop universe, the infamous duel-coast feuding was only possible due to the considerable strength that the NY faction still commanded.

It was during this time that Wu-Tang members had broken off to release classic solo material, and groups like The Lox and Mobb Deep were lacing magically noddable thug anthems that sounded like pure NYC personified. Hip-hop heavyweights Big Pun and The Notorious BIG and highly anticipated burgeoning underground lyrical legend Big L went from peak, to literal demise during this period, ironically helping allow Jay-Z and Nas to complete their own iconic ascensions to rap royalty. Noreaga was still superthugging, the Lost Boyz were dropping club and radio classics, and in Southside Jamaica, an up-and-coming ex-drug dealer was riddled with 9 bullets, an event that would set into motion the next chapter of hip-hop history.

Live From New York captures this time superbly. During the last four years represented on LFNY, Casey, who currently makes a living engineering and producing music out of the The Mes Hall in Mount Vernon, was in high school, formative years for those who choose hip-hop as their lifestyle and culture. Purposefully avoiding creating a “best of” for the time period, Casey wanted to construct a mixtape that with simple listening, would evoke a feeling and an understanding of a time and place in music lore. “This isn’t a best of,” he promises. “I knew the records I wanted to have on there, but overall I was concentrating on the feel of the mixtape over making sure I had X-number of rappers on there. That era probably could have had 4 of 5 mixtapes and they all would have felt different. Mine was exactly what it was meant to be.”

What the 26-year-old meant it to be was something he took meticulous care to create. In an age of mixtape saturation, it is perhaps surprising that Casey, admittedly more interested in making his mark as a producer, would release a concept compilation of older tracks with no exclusives, no remixes and no original production.

“When I would explain to people my whole idea of the mixtape, they would say ‘I don’t get it’, because of what mixtapes have come to be looked as,” he explains. “I wanted to try and do a lot of things I don’t hear on a lot of mixtapes. I didn’t want to talk over the records, I wanted to take the time to make sure everything was clean, so someone would be able to listen to it over and over again and continue to enjoy the songs, and I hope it works. I feel like it did.”

Bloggers and media agree. After an initial write-up on BirthplaceMag.com, a flurry of hip-hop blogs picked up on his release, issuing overwhelmingly positive co-signs. Those commenting almost unanimously agreed, a response Casey humbly enjoys, giving most of the credit to the influence provided by his personal history surrounded by music.

His path is similar to others who have found success in the genre. An audiophile who started with the making of pause tapes, moved to dabbling with a single belt-driven turntable and ultimately graduated to two direct-drive wheels of steel, Casey, raised in Pleasantville NY, largely expanded on his musical interests north of the border. While pursuing a degree in business at the University of Western Ontario, Casey, a dual-citizen, planted the roots of a career he continues to follow. “I don’t mean to be cliché with my story, but I loved hip-hop, freestyle, breakdancing,” he recalls. “I really just wanted to touch the music.”

DJing turned into engineering and producing, and inspired by the efforts of notable multiple-threat DJs such as Green Lantern and Scram Jones, Casey formulated the idea for his mixtape debut. “I had the Live From NY project in my head for years, I just knew I wanted to do it,” he relates. “I knew what the reaction would be, if I just  did it right, if I didn’t compromise quality and made it what it could be. More than me, it’s the music in that era. I think it’s so plentiful that it made my job really easy. I knew that if it was presented in the right way it could be a special 73 minutes.”

It was that confidence that led Casey to painstakingly whittle an initial pool of 255 songs down to the final 46, cautiously dwelling on the impact each would have to the overall project. Repetitive playbacks, conscious transitions and professional mastering topped off the effort, all while working alongside other like-minded individuals, which kept his skills sharp and insured his connection to the music he loved would not be severed. “Not a lot of people understand that,” he insists. “You know, Scram is from New Rochelle, Westchester, and I grew up watching what he did. The kid can do everything, scratch and rap… Everything. And now I’m in a position to work with him. So it’s cool being around other people who understand this. I don’t think a lot of people understand what it’s like to put your life into this music stuff.”

The efforts have paid off for Casey, at least for the time being. Live From New York gained a wealth of positive attention in a murky field of mixtape releases. With the notice his virginal project has garnered, he will have ample ears awaiting future work. Work, Casey promises, that will showcase the other skills in his arsenal.

“That’s what people will hear from me next,” he promises. “I would love to do another project like LFNY, and I plan on doing it, but before people hear another mixtape they’ll hear production by Kevin Casey.”

Despite the initial clamoring for a LFNY2, Casey calmly refuses to succumb. “The mixtape took a little while to make,” he laughs. “So the day I put it out and I heard people talking about a Volume 2, I just rolled my eyes like, ‘Wow, you have no idea!’ But I take that question as a compliment, people wouldn’t be asking about a Volume 2 if they didn’t like the original.”

And people do like it. Some are hip-hop heads who are his age, who appreciate the music from the era as he does. For those who are older, and recognize the time represented on LFNY as the last great renaissance from the NY area, LFNY holds down these hip-hop Baby Boomers as they await the next great NY resurgence. Even those younger than him are influenced, as his mixtape also serves as a form of edutainment. “I came across a kid that went to the high school where I used to work ,” Casey says. ”He’s 18 years old, and he really didn’t know any of the songs  on the mixtape prior to hearing it. Yet, he loves it. He can’t stop listening to it, all his friends like it. That was one thing I was going for. Even for people who weren’t knowledgeable about the music I could package it in a way where I was cutting down hundreds of hours of getting to know albums and give them a look into the sound of that music. Hopefully in return, they’ll go out and seek to learn more about it, and in turn, maybe look at the way they listen to music differently.”

Hopefully so. In the meantime, while LFNY marinates on- and offline, invoking a nostalgic look at a specific time and place, Casey is grinding away, pleased that his work ethic and respect for the artform has paid off in a world where overnight successes with less talent than time in the spotlight seem to be the order of the day. It will be interesting to see if the production work Casey has bubbling in the background will be as well-received upon its release, but he appears  thankful and motivated by any pressure to produce an equally impressive follow-up. “Anything to inspire better music,” he states. “It’s a cliché thing to say, but that’s really what I’m about, just trying to come out with great music, and hopefully I can do that.”

Again, hopefully so. The New York scene, and hip-hop in general, could certainly use more of these kinds of efforts. And as Casey reflects, “NY hip-hop never went away. Like anything, it comes in stages. I think we’re on the brink of a new stage, and I’m definitely looking to be a part of it.”

Don’t sleep.

Download Live From New York: 1994-2001 for free at www.kevincaseymusic.com