Product Description

EV Records is proud to introduce Chi-town beat-smith Earmint! This debut LP features vocals from Psalm One (Rhymesayers), Illogic (Rhymesayers), Diverse (Chocolate Industries), Murs (Def Jux), Roc C (Stones Throw) and LongShot (EV Records) along with co-production from Elliot Lipp (Hefty Records), Overflo (Birthwrite Records), and Mr. Magic Pantz. Earmint first hit the Chicago hip hop scene with a track on Diverse’s critically acclaimed album “1AM.” Emcees took notice of Earmint’s signature eclectic and quirky sound and since then his beats have been in high demand. Often compared to RJD2, Prefuse 73, and Madlib, Illogic and Psalm One of Rhymesayers are both using Earmint’s production on their upcoming albums — He’s also remixing a song for Hefty Record’s artist Elliot Lipp. Take a fanciful journey through the mind of Earmint in this 18 song debut that includes a 6-panel insert of Earmint’s amazing original artwork.

Track Listing

1. The Flashy Slang (feat. Psalm One)
2. Cut to Carchase
3. So Terrible its Terrifying
4. Guaranteed (co-produced by Eliot Lipp)
5. The Bluesinger (feat. Diverse)
6. So Much for Nothing
7. Wreck Shop (coproduced by Overflo)
8. Haven't Been Home (feat. Illogic)
9. Don't Even Know Why
10. G0od Grief
11. I'm The (feat. Murs and Anacron)
12. All City
13. Be That (feat. Longshot and Roc C)
14. Attack On All Fronts
15. Move That (co-produced by Magicpantz)
16. Watch My Climb (feat. Longshot)
17. Listen to the Pouring Rain
18. Then Go Outside

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #576945 in Music
• Released on: 2006-06-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .19 pounds

About the Artist
Robert Krums aka Earmint was born in 1976 in Maywood Illinois, a suburb of Chicago that represented the American dream to his parents whom emigrated from Latvia to the US in the 1950s. Attending Latvian Sunday school in Chicago until the age ten, most of Earmint’s childhood was spent in the equally innocuous suburb of Elmhurst. Things began to get more complicated for Earmint during his junior year at York High School; he dropped off the soccer team and got really into his skateboard, citing a “…A dislike for the attitude of people in organized sports.” He also got really into his music, buying both Nas “Illmatic” and a Nine Inch Nails EP in the same shopping trip. While the sounds varied dramatically, the underlying notion of electronic music – created by an individual instead of a band – was inspiring to Earmint. Earmint’s other major interest was in art, which led him to major in animation at Chicago’s Columbia College. Facing a boring life of “George Lucas ass-kissing,” Earmint took the opportunity to quit the animation program and buy audio gear when he got a $2000 inheritance from his grandmother Elvira Strazdin, who had saved the money working on the Russel Stovers candy conveyor belt in Nebraska. The pattern that emerges from Earmint’s formative years is that of an outsider, never fitting in and conforming with the rest of the kids. Skateboarding, drawing, and making electronic music became his primary outlets because he could do them alone. His quirky personality, Latvian roots, and off-beat, cynical humor sealed the deal. He also had some bouts of depression that caused him to re-evaluate what he wanted out of life and led him to study Buddhism. Having made the decision to focus on music rather than animation, Earmint set about inventing his sound. He bought an old turntable, a Mac G4, and an $8 acoustic guitar and began making beats with a mixer he stole from his older brother. His eclectic influences of The Cure, Depech Mode, New Order and the Smiths resulted in music as unique as his personality. Working his way through Chicago’s busy underground scene, Earmint used his affiliation with emcee Anacron to work with Murs, and also recorded with Chicago staples Diverse, Psalm One, and LongShot. Seeing an album in his future, Earmint began assembling the instrumentals and final guests for his debut as he shopped for a label to put it out. He also got a beat featured on Diverse’s breakout 12” “Just Biz” for Chocolate Industries in 2004, which gave him an invaluable bump-up to his street credibility. Finding a home with EV Records in 2005, Earmint is already looking past his debut album “Another Early Evening,” which streets on July 25th, 2006, toward instrumental projects and collaborations where he can further explore his outsider art. He is remixing a single for Hefty Records artist Elliot Lipp and producing half of Illogic’s upcoming album for Rhymesayers, and has been talking about a post-industrial instrumental album under his alter-ego “Flesh.”

Customer Reviews

Earmint's music is filled with excellent guests and hard-hitting instrumentals
I picked this one up this weekend and it has such a wide variety and some outstanding tracks of rap. It combines an excellent blend of tough instrumental tracks with lots of memorable rap artists. It contains explicit language, but Earmint really is a lot of fun and truly is sweet music to the ears.