Sandpeople 'Long Story Short EP' album

Sandpeople formed four years ago in Portland, Oregon as a 10-member hip-hop unit. The group's debut album Points Of View was released in 2005 and from there they have gained notable recognition. Member Illmaculate won the 2004 Scribble Jam rap battle, as well as back to back World Rap Championships. Producer Sapient has worked previously with the likes of Tech N9ne, Inspectah Deck, Slug, Aesop Rock, Sean Price, Cage, The Grouch and others. The group's new EP Long Story, Short arrived May 26th.

Sandpeople, a ten member collective from the Pacific Northwest, is proud to announce the release of their new studio EP, Long Story, Short... available May 26, 2009 via Sandpeople Music. The Juice Crew; Wu-Tang Clan; Native Tongues; these names conjure memories of a time when hip-hop collectives reigned dominant. Comprising 10 members in total, each with unique styles and abilities, Sandpeople is working tirelessly to solidify the importance of the hip-hop crew once more. Ethic, a rapper and one tenth of the group says, "The collective is not something you see too much of anymore; it's a unique group structure. Being from the Pacific Northwest puts us at a disadvantage, but being a crew adds a dynamic and cohesive element to what we're doing that helps us stand out amongst the crowd." With the release of Long Story, Short..., the group's cohesive sound at once harkens back to the crew aesthetic of the past while carrying the torch for the potential of the future.

For Long Story, Short..., operating entirely in-house, including recording and mixing, allowed the EP's creation process an organic feel, while remaining streamlined and efficient. That process begins with Sandpeople producer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist, Sapient, whose diverse production is on display throughout the EP. The rappers in the crew, each with a unique style, choose the beats they want to work with, brainstorm concepts, and self-select to decide who will fit the song style and concept for each song. The result of this tried-and-true process for Sandpeople is a stellar nine track EP, including the album's lead single, "Hate Aside," which the collective will be shooting a video for in the near future.

Since the 2005 release of Sandpeople's debut album, Points of View, the group has seen a growth not only in their own numbers, but also in their rate of musical output. The Sandpeople collective comprises several sub-groups, each recording and releasing their own respective works in conjunction with the group projects, expanding the Sandpeople catalog and stretching the reach of their music from Japan to Australia and throughout the United States. Among the ten artists who comprise the Sandpeople is Illmaculate, a Portland native who has accumulated numerous accolades for his rapping abilities, including being crowned champion of the 2004 Scribble Jam rap battle at the age of 17. Along with the group's producer Sapient, who has garnered recognition from his work with artists such as Tech N9ne, Inspectah Deck, and Aesop Rock, Sandpeople have the firepower to put on a great show and to make great music.

Sandpeople biography
Sandpeople was formed roughly four years ago as an unlikely gathering of hip-hop artists in the Pacific Northwest. The crew that now calls Portland, Oregon home has evolved into a 10-member unit fully equipped to fill a stage and empty a keg (preferably in reverse order). In their early stages, founding member Mo-B assembled a crew of eight members who were all carving out their own respective niches as solo artists, which included Illmaculate, OnlyOne, Gold, iame, Al-One, Simple, and DJ Spark. When Mo-B then moved down to Eugene, Oregon for college, he became impressed with the work ethic and skills of a rapper who had previously had considerable success in Australia named Ethic and a rapper/producer named Sapient. Soon, Ethic and Sapient spent the next two months doing “power weekends,” leaving Eugene after work on Friday to drive two hours north to Portland and then driving back down the following Monday morning just in time for work so they could a full weekend with the rest of the crew at Simple’s home studio.

In their formative years, Simple’s house became the creative think tank where all members worked around-the-clock on new projects, sharpening their skills and collectively honing their craft. Within the first two months of “power weekending,” Sandpeople created and self-released their debut album, Points of View, which was recorded over a two-week span. The album gained a cult-like following and spread virally along the west coast and the underground hip-hop scene.

Points of View, which was only for sale at CD Baby and iTunes, quickly grabbed the attention of music fans everywhere; people started burning CD’s and passing them to friends, and they even discovered that someone in LA was selling a compilation made up of his favorite Sandpeople tracks called Sandtrap. Eventually, industry people in LA picked up on Sandpeoples’ buzz, which led to a yearlong courtship by Epic Records in 2005. “The whole experience was crazy and a proved to be a very valuable lesson for us,” remembers rapper Ethic. “I remember two funny things – Epic Records flew a producer up to Portland to work on our demo. At the time, he was dating a girl who would eventually be in Danity Kane and she sang on one of our hooks. Later we saw them break up on the show, which was kinda weird,” he says lightheartedly. “The other amusing thing was that our A&R guy from Epic was juggling two projects at the same time – one was us and the other was The Fray. Boy, we got the short end of that stick,” says Ethic with a laugh.

Sandpeople used their experience and valuable lessons learned from the Epic Records courtship to step up their hustle. In addition to learning how the business worked, the crew worked to improve their song writing. They evolved from being rappers who had fun recording all weekend long to finish as many as six songs to focusing on perfecting just two songs. “We concentrated on increasing our quality, as opposed to quantity,” says Ethic. He continues, “The dream became more attainable to us. We felt like we were on the same level of people we had previously looked up to and changed our level of professionalism accordingly.”

The groups' appeal has grown immensely amongst industry players and fans alike because of the recent success of a few key members of Sandpeople. After winning the world-renowned battle at Scribble Jam in 2004, rapper Illmaculate went on to win back-to-back titles in the internationally recognized World Rap Championships hosted by Jumpoff .TV. He has since gained exposure through Comcast On-Demand, XXL Magazine and was named one of Vibe Magazine’s top 50 rappers on MySpace.

The crew’s producer Sapient has also made a name for himself. His signature sound is quickly gaining him a national reputation as one of the best up-and-coming talents on the independent hip-hop scene. He has produced tracks featuring: Tech N9ne, Inspectah Deck (Wu-Tang Clan), Slug (Atmosphere), Aesop Rock, Sean Price (Boot Camp Clik), and The Grouch (Living Legends), just to name a few.

Sandpeople’s newest effort, the aptly titled EP Long Story, Short..., is the product of the insight gained from their major label courtship and their deeply ingrained work ethic and self-imposed high standards. The result of such motivation is an ironclad project that walks the fine line of being both accessible and impressive, while ensuring the emcee’s talents and numbers are on full display. With concepts ranging from the struggles of being self-funded ("Money is on Their Minds") to overcoming the adversity of a hypercompetitive indie hip-hop scene ("Hate Aside"), Sandpeople manage to carve their diverse personalities into the inherently brief EP format. From boasting a fierce introduction of back-to-back verses on the lead track "Strands", to its conclusion with Sapient’s dark and demented ballad "The Dapper Mob", Long Story, Short... is a well-rounded offering from this rapidly emerging crew.

Hailing from the cold and dreary Pacific Northwest comes with little to no advantages on the national stage for an aspiring hip-hop crew. Although the area has gained notoriety with the success of rap groups the Lifesavas and Oldominion, the Pacific Northwest still remains a difficult place to make industry power moves. Explains Ethic, “We’re a bit isolated up here and we lack the networking opportunities that we’d get if we lived in a more central location, such as LA.” Gigging in the area has proven to be a challenge too; the next two biggest cities are 3 (Seattle) and 10 (San Francisco) hours away. However, the crew also sees some advantages to being tucked away in the Northwest corner of the country. Says Ethic, “Because we’re isolated, our music doesn’t reflect what’s ‘hot’ in the rest of the country and we’re often considered a breath of fresh air. And due to our geographical challenges, we know we have to make music that is better than what's out there in order for us to get equal recognition. We can’t rest on our laurels and we don’t settle for less.”

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Sandpeople - Long Story Short EP