A brief history of Spacecrime

If you grew up in the ’90s, you probably watched MTV. You might have been a Headbangers Ball kid, a YO! MTV Raps kid, or a TRL kid. I was personally an Amp kid who stayed up past 1 a.m. on weekends to listen to new ambient, trip-hop, and electronic music.

Maybe that’s why I was so attracted to the sound of Milwaukee’s Spacecrime, a sound that made me think of the silhouettes of East Side smokestacks and graffiti under bridges that ran along wet corridors after a nighttime summer rain. There was that, and also, of course, the fact that Spacecrime—known to me as John Brander—was good friends with my then-roommate, Zach Chappelle.

<a href="https://tripleeye.bandcamp.com/album/sounds-from-the-milky-way">Sounds from the Milky Way by Spacecrime</a>

Zach and John were the original Spacecrime, a duo of dudes drawn to the idea of making music despite not being able to play any instruments. They started in the same vein as artists like DJ Shadow, with nothing but a turntable and Brander’s laptop.

“We didn’t have money to really get any fancy equipment, but Zach was living above Honeypie at the time and Acme Records had just opened up the street, so we would go and raid their dollar bins and just take it back to his place and record as many sounds as we could,” John says. “That was definitely the first iteration of the project, and we did a lot of spinning wherever people would let us. I think it was at one of those shows we overheard someone talking about crimes committed in space and it was just a wild concept.

“Or maybe we just thought it up randomly, I don’t remember,” John laughs.

Indeed, the name truly fits with John’s overall style and personality. His favorite movie genres are science fiction and crime, with Alien and Smoke being contenders for his number ones. The life of the Spacecrime project has taken on many forms and gone through different lives, the most current being the beat showcases and production that John has taken up.

“The Milwaukee sound is definitely something that should be paid attention to right now,” he says. “It’s known as the ‘lowend’ sound because it’s been created in the lower street numbers on the north side. And where there is usually a hi-hat in a beat, it’s replaced with a clap.”

This is the sound that has been replicated by many Milwaukee producers, and has found its wings by being dubbed on many a track, with artists like Spaidez, 414BigFrank, and Sunny Lou representing the lowend sound well.

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Spacecrime is now a solo venture, with John making the music and teaming up with Milwaukee rappers like King Myles, Mo’City, PaperStacks, and Spaidez. The efforts to uplift the sound and the flow of the city continue, usually through live shows, as well as records and social media. Beat showcases where John plays the beats for a marathon of rappers are not uncommon, and happen at venues all across the Mil.

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A post shared by Spacecrime (@spacecrimebeatz)

Sounds From The Milky Way is Spacecrime’s first record, but it will definitely not be the last. Inspired by artists from the Stones Throw record label, like Peanut Butter Wolf and J Dilla, John is planning a series of records. July 10 is when we can expect to see a collaborative EP with Spacecrime and Kendell Bell called KB In Space.

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A post shared by Kendel Bell (@kndl_b)

A truly original sound has been birthed through Spacecrime, and that comes from the attention John has gotten from the younger crowd. “Everyone considers me an unc and I am willing to play that role. I have been around for a while and can honestly say everything I have seen and heard up until now has shaped my vision for what I want to be my contribution,” he says, giggling slightly.

He hits a little bit of a move here, like the dances he does on his Instagram. You can see him hitting the licks on his page, where his knees work pretty damn well. Spacecrime is the elevated Milwaukee sound, with collaborations that will solidify the arrival of a new era. We can thank the Boom Bap sound and Ridley Scott for piquing John’s interest all those years ago.

Spacecrime and DJ Pan Fino will be doing a dual spin for John’s birthday on Friday, July 3, from 7-11 p.m. at Wiggle Room.