Rico James is a producer from Burlington, Vermont. He has been releasing music for over a decade, often working with artists like Jobu and Jibba the Gent. Just last year, he teamed up with IAME and Elder Orange to form a group called Jade Relics, who released their debut EP, Mandarine. Now he’s back with a new solo instrumental project, Rico de Gallo.

There’s no secret formula to Rico de Gallo - it’s a time tested recipe called a boom bap beat tape. What makes it good is that Rico James is doing all the work to spice it up and not just let feel stale. That means he’s digging deep in the crates, flipping sample in some really creative ways, and finding some choice vocal samples to spread throughout to help give the project a theme and momentum across the tracks. He’s keeping things funky, and he’s providing enough rhythmic variety to keep you engaged across the fourteen tracks on the tape. It’s the type of project that just immediately feels familiar, and then surprises you a couple of times as Rico James zags with his beat construction that will delight. More than anything, though, this is just about a veteran producer playing to his strengths and doing what he loves to do, and that comes through time an again with this project.

Rico de Gallo is a beat tape from a veteran producer in Rico James that gives you exactly what you want and expect from him at this point in his career. It’s incredibly solid, funky, and enjoyable from start to finish.