Leon Raum is a prolific German producer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist and creative who has worked with several live bands and music projects across a number of different genres. These include instrumental electronic outfit Bokoya, whose style ranges from ambient to drum & bass and dub, as well as hip hop duo Wyl, a downtempo collaboration with DJ and producer Felix Fleer, and soul jazz project Wukan.

Indeed, it’s jazz that’s very much at the heart of Leon Raum’s music. The way the genre encompasses all of the technical intricacies of the instruments themselves is central to his production remit. Leon’s father was a huge influence in this world, mentoring him in the basics of playing and also helping him with the skills of multi-track recordings. Having worked as a multi-instrumentalist in several bands and projects for over a decade, Leon now finally feels that the time is right to step out of the shadows and into the light to showcase his own solo productions.

“There are so many influences and impulses that don’t find actualization when in a collaborative setting, that I feel it’s so enriching to establish oneself as a solo artist, not being bound to expectation or compromise even in the creation of music. I aim to spread my musical love and creative vulnerability with this project. Of course, I hope to reach people with it, but my priority is really to be transparent and creative in making music.”

Leon’s debut EP offers up snapshots of different periods of the producer’s process. Its title, Basement Meditation (Release Date: 13th December 2024), comes from the fact that these tracks were made alone in the studio, where the emerging loops often created a trance-like meditative state. The loops are a mixture of analog instruments and synthetic sounds, and whilst the music is very much an independent, individual project, the artwork that accompanies it is drawn by Leon’s own sister, Penelope. Finding a label to release this deep, introspective and very personal collection of beats was an important task, but happily Leon feels that joining forces with Sonar Kollektiv was the right choice for him:

“Collaborating with Sonar Kollektiv has enabled me to unveil this raw, unfiltered sound that resonates with the core of my natural being.”

The opening track on the EP is the laid back and low slung ‘Cascade’. Leon describes the track as “classic basement meditation with keyboard sounds and rhythmic arpeggios” and indeed, the track does have the feel of an instant classic, complete with multiple ambient layers and, of course, those boom-bap drums.

“For years, this was my favourite beat on my hard drive, especially because of the transition from the ‘calm arpeggio’ to the higher more ‘aggressive arpeggio’.”

As a drummer, Leon comes very much from the hip hop side of things – hugely influenced by the beats of J Dilla and Questlove. This sound is particularly strong in ‘For QnD’, the second track on the EP. The piece is very much a tribute to the pioneering pair, who have such an impact on Leon’s work, as he explains further:

“Questlove and J Dilla are my two biggest long-term sources of inspiration and role models. I learned the basics of drumming from these two. The beat is how I imagine baseball college vibes in the U.S.!”

‘Champloo’ is another classic Basement Meditation and one that found its source of inspiration from Japanese anime series Samurai Champloo, as well as its theme tune performed by Japanese producer Nujabes.

“I was watching a lot of Samurai Champloo, and I visualised a hectic yet collected sword fight scene while making this.”

Insistent piano stabs and swinging drums build tension throughout the track as Leon explains:

Finally on the EP, ‘All Night’ raises the tempo and is the only Basement Meditation that developed into an all-night dance with a pure, four-to-the-floor early 2000s house sound.

“The recording process took about 10 minutes, during which the entire studio was wired up, and the spirit made no compromises for a moment.”

This four track EP is a very special collection of sonic reveries, crafted from moments of solitary creation. Within these tracks lies the essence of meditative studio sessions, where loops emerged to captivate and enthral. Fusing predominantly analog instrumentation with delicate synthetic nuances, Basement Meditation invites listeners on a journey of introspection and exploration, where every note tells a story of solitude and serenity. Who knows where the journey will take us next….