Early on in its existence, clipping. was a band in search of a scene. According to William Hutson, the adventurous 13-year trajectory of Los Angeles-based experimental hip-hop trio has largely been about trying to find a community. This is not to say they were lost or lonely, but the band's unique makeup initially made them hard to characterize.
While producers Hutson and Jonathan Snipes and rapper and Tony-winning actor Daveed Diggs had been friends for a long time before deciding to unite, their individual musical paths didn't seem the likeliest to cross. 'Daveed was a rapper, I made harsh noise and free improv, and Jonathan did electronic dance music and pop music,' says Hutson in a Zoom interview. 'The impetus for starting as a band had more to do with the three of us being really close friends. We did a lot together, and we spent a lot of time talking about music, and we thought we would have a really good time on the road. We started figuring out what the band would sound like after we had already decided to be a band. I think it meant that we didn't really know if we had any peers or a scene.'
In other words: No one was really doing what they were doing. Experimental hip-hop is a broad umbrella and clipping. further complicates the mix by adding elements of horrorcore, industrial and noise-rap and wrapping it all into broad, concept-album narratives that lean heavily on sci-fi elements. Hutson is reluctant to suggest clipping. has inspired other acts to follow its lead, but says the natural evolution of hip-hop has led more performers to embrace outside-the-box thinking in the genre. The band eventually began finding kindred spirits as they toured and recorded.
Rap's Weird Evolution
'Rap has gotten weirder in the last 15 years, and we have found a lot of weirder rappers,' Hutson says. This became a guide for Hutson, Diggs and Snipes when they were asked by Sled Island Arts and Music Festival organizers to serve as guest curators this year. The trio has now joined an eclectic list of past curators that includes everyone from Japanese garage-rockers Otoboke Beaver to post-hardcore New Yorkers Show Me the Body, Wire vocalist and U.K. punk veteran Colin Newman, boygenius singer-songwriter Julien Baker and DJ and rapper Flying Lotus.
As with past curators, clipping.'s policy seemed to be to program acts that were the same but different from them, so to speak. 'The type of people who we programmed for this definitely don't sound anything like us, but have a similar sensibility. I think they don't sound anything like each other, at least on the rap side of things,' Hutson says.
Curated Lineup Highlights
Sled Island's website highlights eight artists that clipping. invited to Calgary and all eight are listed under the wide-reaching label 'experimental' by the festival. In fact, most have the word 'experimental' in their official bios and the few that don't probably should. That includes Australia's Granpa (Luca Abela), a free jazz-inspired artist who tends to bloody himself during performances, which are based on blowing on shards of amplified glass.
The guest curation role allows clipping. to showcase the diversity of experimental music, bringing together acts that share a boundary-pushing ethos. The festival, known for its eclectic programming, provides a platform for these artists to reach new audiences. For clipping., it is an opportunity to highlight the community they have built over years of touring and recording.
Hutson emphasizes that the selected artists, while different in sound, share a commitment to innovation. 'They don't sound like us, but they have a similar approach to making music,' he explains. This approach aligns with Sled Island's mission to present adventurous music across genres.
