Every now and then a special new thing happens in the world of music. In 2015, that thing is “Surf,” a new album from Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment. The album was produced by Chance the Rapper (SPIN’s 2013 Rapper of the Year) and his childhood friend Donnie Trumpet. The duo joined forces to craft an amazing blend of musical styles including rap, soul, and pop. The album also includes cameos from stars like Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Quavo (of Migos), Janelle Monáe, and Big Sean.
“Surf” was given a thumbs up by WBEZ, Chicago music critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis who said, “it’s a very sonic album that showcases sounds, musicians and friendships…it’s inspired and brilliant.”
The release of the album was promoted in April 2015 with a short film for the track “Sunday Candy” directed by Austin Vesely, Ian Eastwood, and Chance the Rapper. The short combines the wonderful music and lyrics along with sets inspired by nostalgic childhood memories and joyful dance routines.
In an interview with Naomi Zeichner for The FADER, Donnie Trumpet (aka Nico Segal) described “Sunday Candy” as “a great representation of [The Social Experiment’s] collaborative efforts. It’s my curation, but then bringing it to the table with all these beautiful people and including them in their own way. Jamila sang on that hook, then I brought it to the collective. Peter added some great layers of texture and helped produce, Nate added a bunch of drums, tons of our friends from Chicago played instruments and added their ideas.”
When “Surf” was released on May 28, 2015 to the iTunes music store, fans were delighted to learn that they could download the entire album absolutely free. If you are looking for fresh new music with a positive vibe and beautiful instrumentation, you really should give “Surf” a try!