Some artists operate like architects, carefully drawing up blueprints before placing the first brick. Others, like Philadelphia’s Sweater, move more like alchemists—turning sweat, soul, and musical memories into something raw yet refined, something lush yet unflinchingly grounded. His productions are like dimly lit street corners where Jazz-trained fingers meet the restless pulse of underground club culture. There’s warmth in his grooves, but also a sharp edge, a knowing nod to a city that has raised some of the most forward-thinking musicians across HipHop, Soul, and Electronic Music alike.
Having spent his formative years steeped in the Jazz and R&B-soaked history of Philly, and later cutting his teeth at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York, Sweater crafts music that breathes with lived experience. His beats carry the ghost of smoky basement jam sessions, his basslines throb with the after-hours energy of a city that never quite sleeps, and his melodies often feel like they’ve been lifted straight from a half-remembered dream. With releases on labels like Pearled Records, Secret Society Chile, and the ever-patient Blkmarket Music (where his much-anticipated “Contact in the Zone EP” is finally about to surface), his sound moves fluidly between Breakbeat, Techno, and Deep, Hypnotic House.
But Sweater is more than just a producer shaping the musical landscape—he’s an essential thread in the very fabric of Philly’s underground. Whether behind the bar slinging cocktails at a packed-out spot during an Eagles playoff run, curating gems at Impressions Philly record shop, or dropping unreleased heaters in a DJ set, he’s constantly immersed in music, living and breathing the culture that fuels his craft. His upcoming ventures include launching Sauna Records, a label where his vault of unreleased material will finally see the light of day, and continuing to sharpen his signature style—emotive, groove-driven, and always with a touch of grit.
In this interview, Sweater sits down with Torture the Artist to discuss Philly’s unsung electronic scene, the winding path that led him to underground dance music, his approach to production, and why the best tool a producer can have might just be the delete button. So pour yourself a stiff drink, listen to Lucas’ art:cast, and step into the mind of one of Philadelphia’s finest. Just one questions remains: Who really owns his favorite hoodie?
Torture the Artist: Hey Lucas, how has 2025 started for you?
Sweater: Hey hey! It’s been a great start to the year. I typically try and take January off from gigs every year to get a good start in the studio, rest my body, etc as it sets the tone for the year. So that’s been great. Making a lot of stuff I’m in love with at the moment. Outside of that my day job (or I guess night job) is a cocktail bartender at a very busy place in downtown Philadelphia and it has been absolutely mental with the Eagles playoff run and winning the Super Bowl. So yeah 10 out of 10 to start the year.
Torture the Artist: You’re based in Philadelphia, so can you give us a bit of insight as to the scene there at the moment i.e. DJs/artists to keep an eye on?
Sweater: The scene right now is growing at a great rate. Theres not a lot of legal venues at the moment but afters and free outside parties in the summer are always incredible here. I think Philadelphia gets overlooked a lot internationally as we’re close to NYC but there is top notch talent here across the board and across genres. Check out John Raffaele & Keen from the Subsurface crew for house n techno, DJ Papaya & Opheliaxz & Pontiac Streator from the Spindrift/ K.C. Crew for Downtempo/Dub/Ambient, Jewlsea for clubby stuff, DJ Dre (who does share as much music with the world as he should, his Instagram is @papadrezio, labels go annoy him for demos), Ty Salone, Taylor Shockley, Shakedown crew, House of Chicks-crew, and I’m sure I’m missing a bunch (Philly please don’t kill me) but the scene is a lot better than it has been in the 13 out of the last 15 years I’ve been living here.
I try and make things that can be lush and emotional but with a street/gritty attitude.
Torture the Artist: Philadelphia is also the home of a various famous HipHop artists, the most famous ones are probably The Roots. How did you grew up musically and what kind of influence do other genres like the before-mentioned HipHop-genre have on you and your music?
Sweater: I grew up as a Jazz trained pianist which obviously helps a ton in production, knowing rules and how to break them and what not. And in high school I played keyboards for a blues funk band that in its later years got much more R&B. I started listening to the Roots and the Soulquarions which are like their affiliated acts a lot (think D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Erykah, Dilla) and they had this lush R&B tinged sound but with attitude that when I moved here and then worked at Electric Lady Studios in NYC after college (where most of their classic albums were recorded) definitely influenced me and my sound. I try and make things that can be lush and emotional but with a street/gritty attitude. I’ve learned over time it’s okay to make things that make people feel real human emotions on the dance floor instead of jumping up and down all the time.
Torture the Artist: How and where did you get involved with electronic music and what was the track, which basically opened up this world for you?
Sweater: When I was a senior in high school, I don’t know where, but I heard the term house music and went home, opened up Limewire (RIP my moms computer, sorry mom) and typed in house music in the search bar. The first track that came up was Kerri Chandler – Track 1/Atmospheric beats and that New Jersey sound immediately became a big part of my life. In college my freshman year I had an EDM phase and then a good friend of mine Very J calls me up to ask what I’m doing and tells me he found the underground. He pulls up, we light up a spliff and listen to a three hour Maya Jane Coles mix live from Panorama Bar. I think that was 2011 and yea from then on out it was buying records and it really took over my life for the better.
Torture the Artist: There’s been a little buzz around your release “Contact In The Zone EP“ on Blkmarket Music, which was meant to be released in July 2024, but hasn’t seen the light of day yet. Can you fill us in about this one a little as a lot of people are waiting on it to drop?
Sweater: Yeah, so first I want to give a shoutout to Taimur who runs the label for believing in the vision and sticking out these delays with all the frustration. But essentially shortly after we announced the previews the label sent it to manufacturing and within a week or two the pressing plant went out of business and shut down. So the significant delay has been the label and distribution working together to find a new plant. But I can confirm that a plant has been found and that the order has been sent in so in the next few months we should have copies for sale. To everyone in my dm’s weekly asking about it thanks for the patience and I promise you’ll have copies sometime this year.
Torture the Artist: Musically, the EP is spanning the realms of Breakbeat, Techno and Tech-House. What’s your personal favorite from those five tracks, and why?
Sweater: So the EP was a bit of a challenge as I find it hard to make harder sounding stuff at times. But “Contact in the Zone“ for sure as it was made in like 4 hours. I made it the same day as I did “My Love Inside” off of the “Perspiration Nation EP“ on Pearled Records. It’s top 3 of anything I’ve ever made and I had shopped it around for like two years and a lot of labels I sent it to passed over on it which I was always kind of bummed about. I sent Taimur like 10 or so tracks and that was the one he immediately picked out that he wanted so I knew I could trust him with my art. I took the bleeps from HUD SFX from different video games, 808s for the bassline, and the vocal from a fallout 3 droid. At the time (this was 2020 deep covid) I was really really deep into digging for UK breakbeat from 89-93 on Discogs and learning as much as I could about the history of it and tried to apply what I learned through a modern lens.
I just love the way those records from 98-2004 in the UK progress. Everything is pushing forward.
Torture the Artist: Generally, your vibe seems to have a hint of early 00’s London Tech-House, akin to labels such as Wiggle & Eukatech – is that a vibe you were into, or is that just the way the tracks have appeared?
Sweater: So hilariously I had never been hip to Wiggle until a few months ago but Eukatech for sure. I think I just love the way those records from 98-2004 in the UK progress. Everything is pushing forward. And all the drum parts really work in unison or have some call and response with the percussion. It’s something in the last 2-3 years I’ve really tried to improve upon (I think with some success) and records from that or SWAG and 20:20 Vision have been really helpful study material. Unless I’m layering a breakbeat for a nostalgic or classic effect I play each drum sound on my midi keyboard and program that way so just learning from the best to do it always helps.
Torture the Artist: You were part of a v/a 12″ for Hack The Planet in 2024, after a couple of 12″s in 2023 on Pearled Records and Secret Society Chile, so do you have any more wax outings we can look forward to in 2025 aside from the one Blkmarket?
Sweater: Yes, for sure. I’m doing the second release on MME Recordings which should be out sometime this year. I have the 3rd Post Play record (the collaboration I do with John Raffaele) coming very very soon as the 1st release on a new label out of New York called Risk/Reward run by Archivo Records boss Daniel Dutts. And a 1st release on a new label I can’t talk much about from an artist we all know from Miami.
Torture the Artist: You are also part of the record shop Impressions Philly. What are your three favorite digs of recent times?
Sweater: Beat Box & DJ Gordon – Delicious, Vintage Future – Venomous reissue on Underground Resistance (we just got a bunch of U.R. reissues in stock straight from the U.R. crew, shoutout Detroit), and Thompson Twins – Play With Me (Sweet Garage Mix) that I got in the dollar bin there has been in my bag for a year and has really provided a couple big dance floor moments for me.
Torture the Artist: Working in a record shop implies that you constantly check out (new) music. How much time do you spend digging for music per week and do you have a routine when doing so?
Sweater: So unfortunately I haven’t been able to work as much as the shop this year due to my bartending gig being insane with understaffing, but I go in at least once a week or constantly listening to records when I’m pricing. But week to week it differs. Between the shop and Discogs anywhere from 2-20 hours a week. But recently a bit less as I’ve been in the studio a lot the last month or so.
I try not to go into any shop unless I have like $150-200 and 2-4 hours to dig.
Torture the Artist: Has your job at Impressions Philly made you buy more records than before and what’s an average of records you buy per months?
Sweater: 100% but I’ve gotten a lot more picky as I’ve gotten older and I think that’s a good thing. I try and buy like $60-100 worth on Discogs every two weeks when I get paid and in the shop it’s more about budget. I try not to go into any shop unless I have like $150-200 and 2-4 hours to dig because I have – like a lot of us – an addiction. <laughs>
Torture the Artist: The press of the Blkmarket release says “he [Lucas] had mentioned he had a bunch of unreleased music to check out.“ Even though this was back 2021, how many more are there that are waiting to be released and have you planned/ scheduled more releases this year?
Sweater: Yeah, so I make like 2-5 tracks a month at least if not more. I think my Soundcloud account (where I upload to listen myself on the go) private links are in the 100’s. The best of the best gets pressed for the most part but I am starting my own label this year so I’ve been hoarding a bunch for the first two releases for that. Be on the lookout for Sauna Records this year!
I’m not afraid of the delete button. That’s any good producer’s best tool.
Torture the Artist: How much time do you spend in the studio and what’s your process for producing tracks? Are you software, hardware or a splash of both?
Sweater: I block out at least 4 hours if not more a week to get in. With being 32 having high student loans and bills etc. working full time and DJing weekends can make it tough, but it’s really really important to me to block out that time where I’m in my studio with my phone off or in the other room. I usually have an idea or inspiration from another track or piece of Jazz music, maybe it’s a chord voicing, or drum pattern, or recently been making stuff from 120-126 bpm because a lot of my catalogue is 128+. But I try not to give myself to many limitations and keep things open. That can also backfire though and you end up over-searching for the right sound. But I’m not afraid of the delete button. That’s any good producer’s best tool.
All my stuff is in the box on the laptop. I use DIVA, the Korg and Roland bundles, tons of Waves plugins, and Logic Pro. I’d like hardware but the cost is too high to invest in a $1000 synth with my budget. And I’m also just so quick on my DAW. I’ve been using Logic for 15+ years so my workflow is great. Also one of the benefits of working in the box is recalling presets, making your own and saving them quickly etc. If any newer in the box people are reading this learn to use small amounts of reverb on a bus. Things totally in the box can sound thin at times and this will help add depth you can feel not hear to make your tracks not sound thin.
Torture the Artist: Following the question before, do you have any plans to move into any live-style shows?
Sweater: At the moment no. In the future 100% but it’ll probably start with the Protozoa Project, the studio Electronic Pop-band my roommates and I did album over Covid with. We’ve had a few offers to play live but haven’t invested in the tools yet. So if I do in the next year or so it’ll probably be related to that.
Torture the Artist: You are responsible for the latest art:cast. Where and when is the mix best listened to?
Sweater: On the go/in transit. I really enjoy walking around Philadelphia listening to music in my headphones watching people live their lives on the go so this mix was made for that in mind. Also as a pregame for sure. Theres also a bunch of unreleased material from me in there so enjoy!
It’s my black Impressions Philly hoodie I wear whenever I get the chance to steal it back from my girlfriend.
Torture the Artist: Lastly, and we have to ask, you must have a favorite sweater, right? Give us a description of your go-to sweater that never lets you down!
Sweater: <laughs> Yes, I do. It’s my black Impressions Philly hoodie I wear whenever I get the chance to steal it back from my girlfriend. We’re currently in a custody battle for it. Unfortunately she’s winning.
Words by Al Bradley & Holger Breuer
Torture the Artist 