Step into Portals, a selection of sounds by a group of exciting up-and-coming producers and songwriters based in and around the Los Angeles area. In August 2022, a group of artists had been learning, listening and creating together in a workshop program called OVERTONES, led by Nereya Otieno and Ben Rafson of the Rising Artists Foundation and Chilean musician Nicolás Jaar. Following the conclusion of the program, the artists — Becca Lilia, brz, mrsebs, Neyva, Romeo Diablos, Umbra Abra and VORA — decided to forge a sonic testament to the experience they’d shared and the explorations that developed as a result. Cue Portals.

19 tracks spanning 1:22:20 minutes, Portals features both solo compositions, collaborative songs and one full group track — the first single “Xqst Corpz” to which Jaar also contributed. Releasing in early 2023 by the independent label Other People, Portals is a condensation of the time, work, bonds, thoughts and explorations of this group of electronic musicians at a crucial point in their creative career.

All profits from the album will be split between the participating artists. Portals was mastered by Kassian Troyer.
All art by Maziyar Pahlevan.

OVERTONES was a grant program and workshop created to reduce barriers to electronic music production, nurture creative exploration and provide music industry education in the Los Angeles area. The program explored the concept of overtones in the creative process and in the music industry, and was led by artist Nicolás Jaar and special music industry guests. The workshop lasted 2 months and featured 2 in person classes per week, one on electronic music production with Ableton Live 11 led by Jaar, and the other providing tools to navigate and demystify the music industry led by The Rising Artist Foundation, Jaar and guests. All participants were granted a stipend of $4,375 and received funds to cover health care costs and obstacles to entry (child/elder care, transport, etc.) for the duration of the program.

OVERTONES is a program created in partnership between Other People and The Rising Artist Foundation.

The Rising Artist Foundation elevates a broad spectrum of voices in American music. We foster creative and professional growth in the early stages of a musician’s career to nurture uncompromising artistic expression. We envision an America in which the music industry is demystified, diversified and accessible for talented people both on stage and behind the scenes. We foresee a system where new musicians are healthy, educated and financially stable — with agency over their craft and careers.

Other People is a record label started in New York City in 2013 by Chilean artist and musician, Nicolás Jaar. In its 10 years of existence, it has featured the sonic work of over 70 music releases, highlights include Terepa (2015), a "telepathic" collaboration helmed by Kohei Matsunaga (aka NHK’Koyxen) featuring Rashad Becker, Charlotte Collin, Lucrecia Dalt, Laurel Halo, Julia Holter, Grégoire Simon and Kohei himself, Caves (2021), a compilation of silences featuring Laraaji, Aho Ssan, Ana Quiroga and more, Weavings (2022), a collaborative live piece with Juliana Huxtable, Ellen Fullman, Wukir Suryadi and Rully Shabara of Senyawa, Angel Bat Dawid and others. The label has also put out the 1990 spoken word piece "Conspiracy of Women" (2015) by Lydia Lunch, as well as Tomaga & Pierre Bastien's collaborative album entitled Bandiera di Carta (2019) and Lucrecia Dalt's Esotro / Veta release (2014) with remixes by William Basinski and John Wall. It has also featured the likes of Magdalena Dàugosz, Barbara Zawadzka, Bernadetta Matuszczak, Krzysztof Knittel, Bogusław Shaeffer, Saint Abdullah, Eomac, Dienne, Charbel Haber, Okokon, Against All Logic, FKA Twigs, Darkside, Nicolás Jaar and others.

Other People has prominently featured the visual work of Maziyar Pahlevan, as well as Africanus Okokon, Zofia Kulik, Jena Myung, Charbel Haber, Abeera Kamran, Somnath Bhatt and others. The label’s current contract states that an artist on the label owns all their rights and decides the full percentage of the revenue they wish to make from their releases on the label, after recoupment. All of the label’s profit gets given out to various artists and organizations in forms of grants, workshop and educational initiatives. The label has collaborated in this form with more than three dozen exceptional organizations and individuals in the past three years. Although the label works not-for-profit, it is not a registered non-profit.