Lee Bannon is a producer and DJ from the Sacramento area who came up in the local hip-hop scene before relocating to New York and shifting toward experimental electronic music.[1] He worked as an in-demand beatmaker and collaborator across the Sacramento rap community in the early 2010s, then released drum 'n' bass and ambient-influenced albums on the UK label Ninja Tune.[1] His legal name is Fred Welton Warmsley III, born September 22, 1987 in Sacramento, California.[2]
At a glance
- Sacramento-area native who later based himself in New York.[1]
- Hip-hop producer who collaborated with major outside names including Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan), Talib Kweli, The Jacka, U-N-I, Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics.[3][1]
- Produced and DJed for Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew, serving as one of the main producers on the Summer Knights mixtape.[1][4]
- Released debut LP Alternate/Endings (January 9, 2014) and Pattern of Excel (July 10, 2015), both on Ninja Tune.[1][5]
- A connective figure in Sacramento hip-hop, supplying beats and recording space to numerous local artists.[6][7][8]
- Later retired the Lee Bannon name in favor of the Dedekind Cut project.[9]
Local status
Submerge consistently frames Bannon as a Sacramento-scene figure rather than a visitor. He is described in 2015 as "a native of the Sacramento area but now based in New York."[1] A 2010 feature embeds him in the local hip-hop community alongside rapper Chuuwee,[3] and a 2012 piece names "Bannon" among Sacramento acts whose visibility was "turning the tide" for the city's reputation, grouped with Blackalicious, Brother Lynch Hung, Chuuwee and Death Grips.[8] His later national career building beats from New York does not change his Sacramento origin. Confidence: high.
He grew up in Sacramento alongside creative figures including Zach Hill (of Hella and Death Grips), and credits the city's drum-and-bass scene as a formative influence on his later electronic work.[10]
Career and role in the scene
Hip-hop producer
Early in his career Bannon worked as a hip-hop producer, independently releasing beat tapes and producing for artists well beyond Sacramento.[1] Submerge's 2010 profile lists collaborations with Inspectah Deck of the Wu-Tang Clan, Talib Kweli, the Bay Area's The Jacka and Los Angeles' U-N-I, and notes he had produced multiple solo instrumental records.[3] The 2015 album announcement adds Souls of Mischief and Hieroglyphics to his hip-hop collaborators, and reports he produced and DJed for Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew.[1] In the 2010 interview he cited DJ Muggs and Madlib as influences he aimed to emulate.[3]
Collaboration with Chuuwee — Hot 'n' Ready
Bannon and local rapper Chuuwee met by chance at a local beat battle; Bannon reached out to Chuuwee before the battle and gave him a beat, then pushed the younger MC to write a full record rather than take a single beat.[3] The result was the collaborative album Hot 'n' Ready, conceived (per Chuuwee) after Bannon was "inspired by a pizza box."[3] The project featured an unusually elaborate physical release: 40 pizza boxes containing T-shirts designed by 12ftdwende, stickers and the CD, distributed as a "scavenger hunt" through Midtown/downtown Sacramento boutiques such as Havoc and United State.[3] Bannon framed the packaging as a deliberate marketing concept aimed at making the music a collector's item amid the decline of physical CD sales.[3] Chuuwee, three years younger than Bannon, requested a 1990s boom-bap-leaning sound for the project.[3]
Collaboration with C-Plus — Young Champions
Sacramento rapper C-Plus made a collaborative project with Bannon titled Young Champions, reported in April 2012 as due out around that month.[7]
Work with Tribe of Levi
Bannon played a significant role in helping the Sacramento crew Tribe of Levi (members of the People's Revolution collective) complete their long-delayed debut, Follow My Lead.[8] Mic Jordan opened the front apartment of his Midtown property to Bannon, and with the producer "a door knock away" the group recorded in his living room and kitchen.[8] Bannon also connected the group with New Jersey producer Akili Beats, who handled most of the production; Poor of Tribe of Levi credited Bannon with giving the group "a second wind."[8] Tracks were later mastered by PeteSpace at SoundCap Audio.[8]
Beats for Task1ne
For his 2011 solo album District 916, Sacramento rapper Task1ne restricted his producers to people from Sacramento and obtained a beat from Bannon, alongside Adam Bomb, Nicatyne, Rufio and Jon Reyes.[6]
Cosign of Jo Vegas
Bannon gave a "heavy cosign" to emerging Sacramento rapper Jo Vegas (Jovon Bray), who is described as "Sacramento super producer Lee Bannon."[11] By Vegas's account, the two met by chance at the mall; Bannon, having just gotten a beat machine from his parents, encouraged Vegas to rap, which helped launch Vegas's music career.[11]
Connection to Pro Era and Joey Bada$$
Bannon was introduced to Joey Bada$$ and the rest of Pro Era through a mutual friend and became one of the main producers behind Joey Bada$$'s Summer Knights mixtape.[4] This placed him at the center of the Brooklyn rap scene that was generating significant national press attention during the early 2010s.
Ninja Tune signing
Ninja Tune signed Bannon in October 2013, after his self-released material — including the June 2013 single "NW/WB," which showcased strong jungle and drum-and-bass influences — attracted the label's attention.[12]
Shift to experimental electronic music and Ninja Tune
Bannon eventually turned toward a less traditional, "anti-fad" sound rooted in drum 'n' bass and jungle influences.[1] He released his debut LP Alternate/Endings on January 9, 2014 on Ninja Tune, drawing praise from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Guardian and other outlets.[1][5] His second full-length, Pattern of Excel, was announced for July 10, 2015, also on Ninja Tune; the press material described a move away from the breaks and basslines of the debut toward ambient soundscapes and drone influences, with the first shared track titled "Artificial Stasis."[1] By 2015 he was described as "a bit of a shapeshifter" who found a place across scenes not normally connected.[1]
Pattern of Excel proved to be Bannon's final release under the Lee Bannon name. According to a Powmag interview,[13] he had grown dissatisfied with how Ninja Tune was marketing the project, and stated the name had "reached its limits." He sought a clean break from the identity.
Retirement of the Lee Bannon name and Dedekind Cut
In May 2015, Bannon announced via a handwritten note posted on his Instagram page that he was changing his moniker from Lee Bannon to "¬ b" (meaning "not Bannon"), and later that year launched the Dedekind Cut project.[9] The debut Dedekind Cut EP, tHot eNhançeR, was released on September 9, 2015. Bannon continued releasing music as Dedekind Cut on labels including NON Worldwide, Hospital Productions, and Kranky, with the debut Dedekind Cut album $uccessor released November 11, 2016 on NON Worldwide.[14]
Touring and live appearances
In 2015 Bannon completed a country-wide tour alongside Sacramento-rooted hardcore band Trash Talk and experimental hip-hop group Ratking.[1] He was also billed to perform at Trash Talk's March 16, 2015 show at Harlow's in Sacramento, alongside Ratking.[15]