Calvin Valentine

Making his Mello Music debut, Plush Seats heralds Valentine’s arrival as one of the most formidable and versatile producers of his generation. Of course, this isn’t his first rodeo. By his mid-20s, the precocious producer had already racked up a resume that could pass any certification exam, featuring collaborations with De La Soul, Nas, Bun B, Boogie, Juicy J, Illa J, Planet Asia, Fat Tony, and Devin The Dude. 

Plush Seats follows Home, a gorgeous record that Valentine produced entirely for Illa J (brother of the late immortal, James Yancey), which Fader hailed as “a moving testimonial to the family and the power of community.” His previous album was Eugene,a full-length gumbo of celestial R&B, pop, and hip-hop that would you leave you rightfully believing that Valentine grew up eating Coney dogs in Detroit, rather than the bucolic countryside of Eugene, Oregon. 

XXL raved about its trippy psychedelia. Uproxx called it the “smooth groove that your summer needs.” Okayplayer said that with Calvin Valentine, “the future of music is in good hands.”  With Plush Seats, the future is now. It’s a work of supreme virtuosity, a stoned immaculate saga ideal for blunt cruises, impromptu cyphers, and meditative late night head nods.