Daddy Kev Explained

Daddy Kev
Landscape:no
Birth Name:Kevin Marques Moo
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years Active:1998–present

Kevin Marques Moo[1] (born 1974),[2] better known by his stage name Daddy Kev, is an American record producer, DJ,[3] Grammy Award-winning audio engineer,[4] songwriter and executive from Los Angeles, California.[5] He is the owner of Alpha Pup Records[6] and the founder of Low End Theory.[7] As an audio engineer, Daddy Kev has mixed and mastered albums by Flying Lotus,[8] Thundercat,[9] Kamasi Washington,[10] and Leon Bridges.[11]

Early life

Daddy Kev was born and raised in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles.[12] As a child, he played piano and trumpet. At the age of 13, he started playing turntables. He graduated from Narbonne High School.[13] He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from University of California, San Diego.[14]

Career

In 2001, Daddy Kev released an EP, Lost Angels, on Celestial Recordings. It featured guest appearances from the rappers Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Busdriver, Awol One, and Circus.[15] [16] In that year, he also released Souldoubt, a collaborative album with Awol One, on Meanstreet Records.[17] [18] Another collaborative album with Awol One, titled Slanguage, was released on Mush Records in 2003.[19] 2004 brought Busdriver's Cosmic Cleavage, which was produced entirely by Daddy Kev and released on Big Dada.[20]

In 2006, he founded the weekly Low End Theory club night at the Airliner in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.[21]

In 2012, he founded the studio Cosmic Zoo in Los Angeles along with the rapper Nocando.[22]

At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards held in 2016, he was nominated for the Best Dance Recording award for mixing the Flying Lotus song "Never Catch Me" featuring Kendrick Lamar.[23]

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards held in 2021, he won the Best Progressive R&B Album award for mixing the Thundercat album It Is What It Is.[24]

In July 2021, he started the weekly Scenario club night in Los Angeles, which showcases upcoming artists in the local scene.[25]

In 2022, he self-published a book on audio engineering entitled Audio Dynamics: Compression Techniques for Modern Mixing and Mastering.[26]

At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards held in 2023, he was nominated for the Best Historical Album award for mastering the Freestyle Fellowship album To Whom It May Concern....[27]

Style and influences

Pitchfork called Daddy Kev "one of the Los Angeles underground's most visionary producers",[28] while Fact called him "one of underground hip-hop's most respected engineers".[29]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Productions

Select works mastered by Daddy Kev

2000s

2010s

2020s

Awards and nominations

AwardYear of ceremonyNominee / workCategoryResult
Grammy Awards2016Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar – "Never Catch Me"Best Dance Recording[30] [31]
2021Thundercat – It Is What It IsBest Progressive R&B Album[32] [33]
2023Freestyle Fellowship – To Whom It May Concern...Best Historical Album[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: How Daddy Kev Uses Low End Theory as a Talent Incubator. LA Weekly. Chris. Walker. August 29, 2014. August 26, 2019.
  2. Web site: Daddy Kev. Resident Advisor. August 26, 2019.
  3. Web site: Slinking In LA: Daddy Kev Plays Tour Guide. Clash. Fabrice. Bourgelle. April 2, 2014. August 26, 2019.
  4. Web site: Thundercat Wins Best Progressive R&B Album at 2021 Grammys. Pitchfork. Madison. Bloom. March 14, 2021. August 15, 2021.
  5. News: Lost, With Laptops, in Psychedelic Space. The New York Times. Mike. Rubin. May 28, 2010. December 24, 2010.
  6. Web site: Episode 100: Daddy Kev. Kinda Neat. 2016. August 26, 2019.
  7. Web site: Interview: Daddy Kev. Red Bull Music Academy Daily. Laurent. Fintoni. February 11, 2013. August 26, 2019.
  8. Web site: How Flying Lotus Built Brainfeeder, His Spiritual Little Empire. The Fader. Laurent. Fintoni. August 26, 2015. August 15, 2021.
  9. Web site: Here Are The Full Credits For Thundercat's Drunk Album. The Fader. Ben. Dandridge-Lemco. February 24, 2017. August 14, 2021.
  10. Web site: How The LA Beat Scene Brought Jazz Back. Forbes. Alex. Dwyer. May 3, 2017. August 14, 2021.
  11. Web site: Leon Bridges: Gold-Diggers Sound. Pitchfork. Jonah. Bromwich. July 23, 2021. August 14, 2021.
  12. Web site: Sounds of LA: Daddy Kev. Daily Bruin. Kristy. Pirone. February 3, 2015. August 26, 2019.
  13. Web site: "I'm Going To Make Records Until I'm Dead": An Interview with Daddy Kev. Passion of the Weiss. Max. Bell. May 16, 2016. August 26, 2019.
  14. Web site: When It Comes to L.A.'s World-Renowned Beat Scene, Daddy Kev Does It All. LA Weekly. Max. Bell. May 4, 2016. August 26, 2019.
  15. Web site: Lost Angels – Daddy Kev. AllMusic. M.F.. DiBella. August 26, 2019.
  16. Web site: Daddy Kev – Lost Angels E.P. – Celestial Recordings. RapReviews.com. Steve. Juon. May 29, 2001. August 26, 2019.
  17. Web site: Daddy Kev & Awol One – Souldoubt – Review. Stylus Magazine. Tony. Van Groningen. September 1, 2003. August 26, 2019. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130629055517/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/daddy-kev-awol-one/souldoubt.htm. June 29, 2013.
  18. Web site: Awol One & Daddy Kev – Souldoubt. Exclaim!. Thomas. Quinlan. May 1, 2001. August 26, 2019.
  19. Web site: Awol One and Daddy Kev: Slanguage. PopMatters. Dave. Heaton. June 1, 2003. August 26, 2019.
  20. Web site: Busdriver: Cosmic Cleavage. Pitchfork. Chris. Dahlen. July 25, 2004. August 26, 2019.
  21. Web site: Low End Theory: High-concept music. Los Angeles Times. August. Brown. October 4, 2009. August 15, 2021.
  22. Web site: Inside Cosmic Zoo, the studio at the heart of L.A.'s beat scene. Fact. Laurent. Fintoni. September 12, 2015. August 26, 2019.
  23. Grammy Nominations 2016: Dance Nominees Are Deserving, But Can't Catch a Major Category Break. Billboard. Matt. Medved. December 7, 2015. December 7, 2015.
  24. Web site: Thundercat's 'It Is What It Is' Wins Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album. CBS News. Jordan. Freiman. March 15, 2021. August 15, 2021.
  25. Web site: Weiss . Jeff . 2023-03-16 . After the death of the Airliner, who are the next heirs to L.A.'s underground throne left behind by Low End Theory? . 2023-03-24 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  26. Web site: Low End Theory founder Daddy Kev publishes book on mixing and mastering. The Fader. Arielle. Lejarde. November 10, 2022. November 27, 2022.
  27. Grammy Awards nominations 2023: The complete list. Chicago Tribune. Chris. Willman. November 15, 2022. November 22, 2022.
  28. Web site: Awol One / Daddy Kev: Slanguage. Pitchfork. Julianne. Shepherd. March 27, 2003. August 26, 2019.
  29. Web site: Daddy Kev drops essential mastering advice on Twitter. Fact. June 21, 2014. August 26, 2019.
  30. Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees. Billboard. December 7, 2015. August 26, 2019.
  31. Grammy Awards 2016: See the Full Winners List. Billboard. February 15, 2016. August 26, 2019.
  32. Web site: Grammy.com page for Kevin Marques Moo. Grammy.com. February 1, 2022. Feb 1, 2022.
  33. Web site: Thundercat Wins Best Progressive R&B Album For 'It Is What It Is'. Grammy.com. March 14, 2021. August 14, 2021.
  34. Web site: Grammy Awards 2023: The Full List of Nominees. The New York Times. November 15, 2022. November 17, 2022.

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