Since I came across a song called "Silver Lining" on SoundCloud in Fall 2015, I've been attentive to the transmissions of Pittsburgh-native Andrew Andrle aka Derlee. In 2016 alone, he released Against The Current EP alongside NYC-lyricist Des Brennan and then a full co-release with fellow Philos producer Daily Bread entitled Divided Souls EP. On top of this, Derlee was featured on some tracks in Daily Bread’s Summer 2016 release Cloud Conductor. All of this was done while attending graduate school full-time to become a Physician’s Assistant.
Enter Glimpse of the Gold - Derlee's second full-release on Philos Records and a project that he had been working with for some time. Immediately following his debut on Philos, it was back to the grindstone without hesitation.
Started working on the project in the Summer of 2015, immediately following the release of my first Philos full length, Off The Beat'n Path. To be frank, since then it has been the busiest, most challenging, and yet the most exciting few years of my life.
Pieced together in 6 different locations, 'Glimpse of The Gold' was with me everywhere I went and became my outlet. Inspired by what was moving me at the time, my goal was to build on the first release by tightening up the nuts and bolts so to speak, while still keeping things optimistic, soulful, and concise.
Following years of hustle, which included some of his first live sets, Derlee’s putting it on the board with a hometown throw down at the Rex Theatre in Pittsburgh’s South Side on December 30th, 2017.
Through the eyes of the album's creator, we get a mix of realms to play with in Glimpse of the Gold. From ghetto electro hiphop to good-natured, atmospheric chillhop, Derlee breaks it loose with a seasoned sample-based sound. A soulful entrance guides us through a blend of clever sample placement, bombastic bass-heavy beats, and old-school funk grooves.
Tracks like “Morning Routine” give an everyday occurrence a sincerely raw and engaging feeling, while tracks like “Still Searching” featuring GYVUS (Chillhop Records) bring sincerity to the soul's core. Other tracks sound out the experience of Derlee himself, like “Country Bumpin’”—a track that filled his time while on rotation in rural New York during the winter. Songs like “Mama Said” —a song dedicated to and inspired by his mother (hats off to Moms) keeps us engaged as we continuously pick up what he's laying down. This album keeps the execution clean from start to finishing sounding at times as if was being tracked live on an MPC drum machine.
Glimpse of the Gold is a unique opportunity to witness the artistic vision of an impressively hard-working producer and own it for ourselves. May this release also remind us of the sheer production that goes into something like this. It’s not only the amount of vinyl crate-drudging required to dig up such a library of samples, it’s also that Andrle worked directly with a local artist Eric Bussart to envision the album artwork from scratch. On top of this, independent record label Philos Records continues to support a grassroots sound, even encouraging vinyl nerds of all kinds by pressing Glimpse of the Gold to wax.
Inspired by those brief moments of clarity we all experience on occasion - where maybe despite the circumstances, the world seems to affirm your place in it and reveal what's most important. 'Glimpse of The Gold' if you will. If this release can help provide that moment for just one person, I'd consider it time well spent.
Get Your Copy of Derlee's "Glimpse of the Gold" here.
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