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With roots in Brooklyn , NY and Newark , NJ , Richard Les Crees found himself in one of the most ethnically mixed areas of the USA . His culturally diverse outlook on life was heavily influenced by the New York City areas' Spanish, Afro-American & Asian communities. More than culture, Richard adopted a love of music from each of these communities.
Richard credits his early influences to his parents' love of Tito Puente, and a local Jazz radio station that he used to listen to on the weekends. Growing older he began mixing the cultural influences and finding different elements of music he liked, thus crediting some early inspiration to various styles of music including Latin-jazz, disco, and bossa nova. Some of Les Crees' musical influences and favorite artists include vibraphonist Roy Ayers for his moody, jazz-fused R&B sound, pianist Michel Camilo with his fiery blend of jazz, latin, Caribbean, and funk elements, Stevie Wonder for his incredible songwriting talent and vocal ability, and percussionist Airto Moreira for his incredible fusion of jazz and Brazilian elements, as well as his experimentation and mastery of percussion.
As a teenager in the 1980's in this area, Richard gathered a host of other musical influences such as the up and coming hip-hop scene and early electro-dance music. Spurred by his brother, a local area DJ, he also took his love of music to DJing as he began organizing small house parties. During the 80's, technology was starting to allow more affordable music- making tools. Richard invested some of his DJing money into devices such as an Emu SP-12, a Roland R-8, and an Ensoniq EPS. From this he began production work with local hip-hop and Latin producers.
But deciding to go to college he was forced to invest time in educational requirements and pushed music aside. Studying history, languages, and philosophy his appreciation of the arts grew even further. The late 90's brought him to graduation from college and a new outlook on life and music. Accordingly, Richard opted to continue to work on his one true passion, music. He began developing his brand of unique house and Latin music. Hooking up with i! Records, he refined his sound and studio skills. This led to a few remixes on NYC's Hip Bone label and the "Growth" EP on i! Records.
Realizing his talents, i! records enlisted Les Crees to work on an album. Richard decided to take each track on the album and give it a unique blend. Out of this grew his concept of "ethno-house music" and the Bahia LP. Best described as a fusion of Latin, disco, funk, and jazz elements, this album further incorporates musical culture with Japanese and Portugues vocalists. Richard has currently completed his 2nd LP entitled Paradise, a mixture of classic RLC productions along with some new styles and musical collaborations. Les Crees also continues to release various remixes and 12" singles via i! records. Richard also plays at various NYC clubs and has played alongside label-mate Kevin Yost throughout the world.
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