Raleigh Moncrief is a Sacramento-based music producer and solo recording artist, known both as a "behind-the-boards" producer for local bands and for his own genre-blurring electronic/glitch-hop work.[1] Submerge characterized him as a "renown Sacramento producer" who stepped out from behind the boards with his solo debut.[1] He was active from approximately 2009 to 2019.[2]
At a glance
- Sacramento-based producer working from a home setup, recording "in his kitchen with an acoustic guitar and laptop."[1]
- Co-produced/engineered Dirty Projectors' nationally lauded album Bitte Orca.[1]
- Collaborated with Zach Hill and toured in Marnie Stern's band.[1]
- Released his solo debut Watered Lawn on Anticon Records, Oct. 25, 2011.[1]
- Produced/recorded local releases for Ganglians, Appetite (Teddy Briggs) and Cuckoo Chaos.[1]
- Released early EPs Combed Over Chrome (2009), Carpal Tunnels (2010), and Vitamins (2010).[3]
- Released the Dusted EP on Anticon on March 19, 2013.[4]
Local status
Moncrief is treated as a Sacramento local throughout Submerge's coverage. He is repeatedly described as a "local producer"[5] and "renown Sacramento producer,"[1] and the profile frames "living in Sacramento" as the condition that gives him "unlimited hideout time to craft a solo record while producing for the budding local bands."[1] His home-recording base is depicted as a Sacramento kitchen.[1] He also performed as a local act at the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival.[6][7]
Role as producer
Moncrief built his reputation as a producer and engineer for both local and national projects. His most-cited national credit is co-producing/engineering Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca, described as one of the most unanimously lauded albums on a national scale in the preceding two years.[1] He cited bandleader David Longstreth ("Dave") as an influence, crediting him with the lesson of "exploring those outer limits" and being unafraid of discomfort.[1]
Locally, in 2011 alone he recorded a Ganglians record, the Appetite record, and an EP with Cuckoo Chaos.[1] He produced and recorded the Ganglians' new full-length, describing it as "borderline hi-fi," more textural, and a subtler, "new" sounding take on psychedelia than the band's older lo-fi material; the band tracked 14 songs with 11 or 12 expected to make the final cut.[5] For local musician Teddy Briggs (aka Appetite), Moncrief produced and recorded Scattered Smothered Covered, released via Davis-based Crossbill Records.[8][1]
He also worked in hip-hop and beat production: he sporadically released free digital beat-tape EPs and remixed local rap artists, with his Carpal Tunnels beat tape introducing him as a hip-hop producer before his sound drifted toward chillwave and the Los Angeles-associated beat scene.[1]
He also contributed remix work to several notable projects. He remixed Tera Melos' "Frozen Zoo" in 2010 and, later, Dirty Projectors' "Cool Your Heart" for Domino Records in 2017.[9]
Earlier bands and instrumental background
Before his production career, Moncrief played guitar (described as "the silent axe man") in instrumental post-rock bands What's Up? and Who's Your Favorite Son, God?[1] That instrumental, non-vocal role continued into his project with Zach Hill and his playing alongside Marnie Stern.[1]
Discography overview
Moncrief released his first EP, Combed Over Chrome, in 2009, followed by two EPs in 2010: Carpal Tunnels and Vitamins.[3] Also in 2010, he appeared on a 4-Way Split EP alongside Ellie Fortune, Mason Lindahl, and Zach Hill.[10]
Solo work: Watered Lawn (2011)
Watered Lawn, Moncrief's solo debut, was released on Anticon Records with an Oct. 25, 2011 release date.[1] He wrote it over a roughly three-month span (December through March), whittling his interests — mainstream hip-hop production, leftover "8-bit" intrigue and his indie collaborations — into 11 songs across a 38-minute runtime.[1] He said he drew more from mainstream hip-hop than from beat music, citing T.I. as more inspiring than the beat scene, with the low end being his key takeaway.[1]
The album marked Moncrief's debut as a vocalist; he had previously written songs for others to sing and felt singing them himself was something he "needed to prove."[1] His singing style on the track "I Just Saw" (released late August) was likened to David Longstreth of Dirty Projectors.[1] Earlier, he leaked "Lament for Morning" to blogs in March; he considered "Cast Out for Days" his breakthrough track, balancing organic guitar and vocals with glitches, synths and programmed drums.[1]
The deal came about after a blog post (rather than his own emails) drew Anticon's attention, leading the label head to offer him a record deal; Anticon's heads had initially balked at his beats.[1] Anticon sent the record to Los Angeles to be mastered by Daddy Kev, owner of Alpha Pup Records and founder of the Low End Theory club night.[1] Submerge ranked Watered Lawn at No. 7 on its Top 20 of 2011, calling it a solo debut amalgamating his producer credentials with "midnight recordings of glitch hop in the kitchen."[11]
Dusted EP (2013)
Moncrief followed Watered Lawn with the Dusted EP, released on Anticon on March 19, 2013.[4] According to Fact Magazine, the EP contains five tracks: "Reflect That," "Everybody's At The Mall," "First Person," "Dusted," and "On Feedback."[4]
To support the release, Moncrief embarked on a ten-date North American tour in March 2013, supporting Javelin, with dates spanning March 19–28.[12]
Collaborations and singles
The single "Beyond the Neon Lights" features contributions from songwriter Zac Nelson and Angel Deradoorian, a former member of Dirty Projectors and solo artist in her own right.[13]
Live performance
To support Watered Lawn, Moncrief planned a few mostly-coastal California tour dates and was assembling a four-piece band, which was still being completed at the time of his October 2011 interview; the tour would be his first chance to debut the songs live.[1] He performed at the 2012 Sacramento Electronic Music Festival (SEMF), held May 3–5, 2012 at Harlow's and Momo Lounge, billed among the festival's local and national talent.[6] On Day 3 (Saturday, May 5, 2012), Submerge reported that Moncrief "unveiled an unheard archive of EDM meditations" that suggested Watered Lawn was "far from a debut fluke."[7]
In summer 2012, Moncrief toured with Man Man, with fifteen dates running June 1–17 across East Coast and Southeast venues including Lancaster PA, Albany NY, Hoboken NJ, Baltimore MD, Richmond VA, Greensboro NC, Asheville NC, Orlando FL, Tampa FL, Gainesville FL, Athens GA, Atlanta GA, and Durham NC.[14]