Washington, DC rapper GoldLink has just released his debut album And After That, We Didn't Talk on Soulection. It's an extension of his critically acclaimed mixtape The God Complex, which got people not only talking about his slippery, elusive delivery on the mic but the sound of his music, which GoldLink calls "future bounce."
"It's like futuristic nostalgia," GoldLink tells Exclaim! "You know we're pretty much taking the essence of the '90s or the '80s or the '70s; taking that bounce and recreating it in today's times is what future bounce would be considered."
GoldLink also counts the influential Joe Kay-led Soulection collective of DJs and producers, who are releasing And After That, We Didn't Talk, as "family" and their sound is in line with GoldLink's future bounce vision. "It's not about the money, we believe in our vision so much that they'll do anything for me and I'll do anything for them," he says.
Another person in GoldLink's corner is famed producer Rick Rubin, who served as another set of ears on the full-length project. "He'll never like tell you what you should and shouldn't do, but he'll just tell you the best thing at what you're trying to do, if that makes any sense."
While he takes advice from sage veterans like Rubin, GoldLink derives much of his creative inspiration from home. GoldLink's primary sound partner is DMV-based producer Louie Lastic, and he feels that being based in the Washington, DC area is key to the music he makes.
"We're known for go-go music, which is really like more sequenced bounce, almost like African bounce and then also our attitude as DC people. Original DC people [are] very braggadocious and very confident. That's what we're good at. Very confident and very braggadocious. So that all coexists with my style. So DC is like the biggest influence that I have in the music that I make, because it's such a unique place."
"It's like futuristic nostalgia," GoldLink tells Exclaim! "You know we're pretty much taking the essence of the '90s or the '80s or the '70s; taking that bounce and recreating it in today's times is what future bounce would be considered."
GoldLink also counts the influential Joe Kay-led Soulection collective of DJs and producers, who are releasing And After That, We Didn't Talk, as "family" and their sound is in line with GoldLink's future bounce vision. "It's not about the money, we believe in our vision so much that they'll do anything for me and I'll do anything for them," he says.
Another person in GoldLink's corner is famed producer Rick Rubin, who served as another set of ears on the full-length project. "He'll never like tell you what you should and shouldn't do, but he'll just tell you the best thing at what you're trying to do, if that makes any sense."
While he takes advice from sage veterans like Rubin, GoldLink derives much of his creative inspiration from home. GoldLink's primary sound partner is DMV-based producer Louie Lastic, and he feels that being based in the Washington, DC area is key to the music he makes.
"We're known for go-go music, which is really like more sequenced bounce, almost like African bounce and then also our attitude as DC people. Original DC people [are] very braggadocious and very confident. That's what we're good at. Very confident and very braggadocious. So that all coexists with my style. So DC is like the biggest influence that I have in the music that I make, because it's such a unique place."