Agnarkea is Keaton Transue, a 20-year-old producer from Richmond, Virginia, whose debut album is forthcoming on Manchester-based Natural Sciences.

Originating out of the Waist Deep Clique—a cell of emerging hip-hop crews operating out of the Southern United States—and recorded on budget equipment, across its near two hours and extended 23 tracks, the project seeks to unpackage homegrown “conspiracy theories” (MK Ultra, Black Helicopters, The Deep State, Black Sun, Waco Texas) and use this web of extended source material to make sense of day-to-day life in Trump’s America, police oppression of black neighbourhoods, and the systematic suppression of mind-enhancing drugs.

The total recording is made at home with raps and beats thrown down over busted microphones and equipment. Moving between Memphis hip-hop, broken matrix electronics, radio transmissions, and gas station psychedelia, it’s supposed to be used as a black market recording, cursed and feared by the state with all remaining copies cast down into police station ashtrays. It’s an idea that goes throughout the whole nucleus of the project, from the sounds used, its musical structure, right through to the artwork: “The art of the tape represents duality and the sheep/shepherd mentality of the government and the people it governs. It’s supposed to turn you from a sheep into something free and wild like a rabbit.”

“That summer before college I had some psychedelic experiences that opened my eyes to some deep fundamental things that I find to be completely fucked about the way we run our societies and live our lives. The concept for the release is to delve into esoteric subjects and conspiracy theories but still be accessible to a regular person. I didn’t want to come off to “tin foil hatty” but I did a lot of research into Breitbart, the deep state, black sun, aliens, Hilary Clinton, soooo much shit … Waco, Texas! Not that I truly believe in all of these conspiracies, I just wanted to open people up to these concepts. The whole release is designed to have separate hidden meanings; it’s supposed to make you think in new ways.” — Agnarkea

In support of the release, out October 26, you can download “Kill Yo Brain w Calsutmoran” in full via the button below—or here for EU readers due to temporary GDPR restrictions