Baltimore club DJ/producer
Aaron LaCrate is the founder of Milkcrate Records. His style of music draws from a variety of club styles, primarily ghetto-tech, dirty rap, grime, electro, and bass music. Though he'd been active as a DJ in Baltimore since the 1990s,
LaCrate didn't begin to make a name for himself internationally until 2006 with the Bmore Gutter Music mix album on Milkcrate Records. Also that year, he released the Blow Remix EP, which featured a number of raps by
Amanda Blank and co-productions by
Debonair Samir, and remixed
Lily Allen's hit single "Smile."
LaCrate subsequently toured as a DJ with
Allen and teamed with DJ/producer
Mark Ronson for a series of YoYo club nights in New York City. Meanwhile, his production work continued with a remix of
Dizzee Rascal's "Pussyole" in 2007 and the
Delicious Gutter Remixes 12" EP (featuring
Young MC and Master Ace Incorporated) in 2008. There was also Wow That's What I Call Gutter Music, Vol. 1 (2007), a Milkcrate Records release that compiled some of
LaCrate and
Samir's recent production work. ~ Jason Birchmeier