The album isn't just worth the wait: It's a strong argument for Clams as the pop auteur he's secretly been all along. And it's one of many amazing pairings to come out of the project: Other guests include Kelela, who entrances with pop vibes on the beautiful 'Breath Away,' Vince Staples, and A$AP Rocky, who appears on the same track as Lil B for the first time. But it was nothing compared to bombshell he had up his sleeve: a joint video with Lil B for the song 'Witness.' The song, co-produced by Keyboard Kid and one of three with Lil B on the album, was recorded as part of a three-day stint in LA, the longtime collaborators' first-ever in-person sessions together. 'I knew it was going to take a really long time because I had nothing.' He wasn't When he announced the album, with the release of the single 'Blast' a couple weeks ago, the reaction was enthusiastic.

'I wanted to keep it quiet because I didn't want people waiting for it,' he explained to me on a recent afternoon, coming through the VICE offices. That's because he'd signed to Columbia and was preparing an album, 32 Levels, due out July 15. His name popped up intermittently-most visibly in recent years on Vince Staples's excellent tracks 'Norf Norf' and 'Summertime'-but mostly he was quiet. But then, as the sound he helped create continued to spread, Clams kept a low profile. He released a widely praised album of his instrumentals on the indie label Tri Angle.

Meanwhile, the success of his productions with B put Clams at the forefront of this new movement, attracting attention from artists like A$AP Rocky and Mac Miller. The two went on to collaborate extensively, up through B's 2011 album I'm Gay (I'm Happy). With hazy beats for songs like 'I'm God'-which flipped Imogen Heap's 'Just For You,' creating a subgenre of production in the process-and 'Motivation,' Clams helped Lil B land on his signature sound. He connected over MySpace with a rapper named Lil B, then best known as a former member of The Pack, who was developing a style of stream-of-consciousness 'based' freestyle rapping. A physical therapy student from New Jersey named Mike Volpe, Clams Casino grew up on East Coast rap like The Diplomats, stumbling into the sample-driven sound of experimental ambient electronic music from the other direction. Ask anyone who was there, though, in those heady days of 20-eons in internet time-and the sound was synonymous with basically one name: Clams Casino.

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