Daddy Kev

Kevin Marques Moo (born 1974), better known by his stage name Daddy Kev, is an American record producer, DJ, Grammy Award-winning audio engineer, songwriter and executive from Los Angeles, California. He is the owner of Alpha Pup Records and the founder of Low End Theory. As an audio engineer, Daddy Kev has mixed and mastered albums by Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, and Leon Bridges.

Early life Daddy Kev was born and raised in the Harbor City neighborhood of Los Angeles. As a child, he played piano and trumpet. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from University of California, San Diego.

Career In 2001, Daddy Kev released an EP, Lost Angels, on Celestial Recordings. It featured guest appearances from the rappers Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Busdriver, Awol One, and Circus. In that year, he also released Souldoubt, a collaborative album with Awol One, on Meanstreet Records. Another collaborative album with Awol One, titled Slanguage, was released on Mush Records in 2003. 2004 brought Busdriver's Cosmic Cleavage, which was produced entirely by Daddy Kev and released on Big Dada.

In 2006, he founded the weekly Low End Theory club night at the Airliner in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles.

In 2012, he founded the studio Cosmic Zoo in Los Angeles along with the rapper Nocando.

At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards held in 2016, he was nominated for the Best Dance Recording award for mixing the Flying Lotus song "Never Catch Me" featuring Kendrick Lamar.

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards held in 2021, he won the Best Progressive R&B Album award for mixing the Thundercat album It Is What It Is.

In July 2021, he started the weekly Scenario club night in Los Angeles, which showcases upcoming artists in the local scene.

In 2022, he self-published a book on audio engineering entitled Audio Dynamics: Compression Techniques for Modern Mixing and Mastering.

At the 65th Annual Grammy Awards held in 2023, he was nominated for the Best Historical Album award for mastering the Freestyle Fellowship album To Whom It May Concern....

Style and influences Pitchfork called Daddy Kev "one of the Los Angeles underground's most visionary producers", while Fact called him "one of underground hip-hop's most respected engineers".

Discography Studio albums Souldoubt (2001) Number 3 on the Phone (2002) Slanguage (2003) Reefer (2008)

EPs Lost Angels (2001) Sound Advice (2003) Killafornia (2005)

Singles "Rhythm" (2001)

Productions Phoenix Orion – "Scanners", "Millennium Fever", "Dead Men Don't Download", and "Blade Runner" from Zimulated Experiencez (1998) Supernatural – "Seven Minutes of Understanding" (1999) Alien Nation – "Unicron" (1999) Sole – "Famous Last Words" from Bottle of Humans (2000) Naptron – "Marvin Meets Seymour Frye Pt. I" (2000) Mikah 9 – "First Things Last" from Timetable (2001) Abstract Rude – "Frisbee" from P.A.I.N.T. (2001) Busdriver – "Mindcrossings", "Suing Sony", and "Single Cell Ego" from Temporary Forever (2002) Existereo – "Four Way Window Pain" from Dirty Deeds & Dead Flowers (2003) Abstract Rude & Tribe Unique – "Flow and Tell" from Showtyme (2003) Neila – "Vertical Trees with Eternal Leaves" from Vertical Trees with Eternal Leaves (2003) Busdriver and Radioinactive – "Winthorp & Winthorp" (2003) Existereo – "Same Breath" from Crush Groove (2004) The Shape Shifters – "Rockin' These Mics", "Kreye Inn", and "Futuristic" from Was Here (2004) Busdriver – Cosmic Cleavage (2004) Sage Francis – "Dance Monkey" from A Healthy Distrust (2005) Awol One – "Everything's Perfect" from The War of Art (2006) Subtitle – "Restructure/Reroute" from Terrain to Roam (2006) Acid Reign – "Too Kool for Skool" and "Here Comes Trouble" from Time & Change (2008) The Grouch – "Shero" from Show You the World (2008)

Select works mastered by Daddy Kev 2000s

2002 – Shockadoom – Freestyle Fellowship 2002 – Temporary Forever – Busdriver 2003 – Sound Advice – The Grouch 2004 – Bangzilla – Mix Master Mike 2004 – Cosmic Cleavage – Busdriver 2006 – Throw A Fit EP – Daedelus 2007 – Reset – Flying Lotus 2008 – Early Works For Me If It Works For You II – Dntel 2008 – Los Angeles – Flying Lotus 2008 – L.A. EP 1 X 3 – Flying Lotus 2008 – Ken Can Cook – Kenny Segal 2008 – Rap Beats Vol. 1 – Samiyam 2008 – Live at Low End Theory – Daedelus 2008 – Reefer – Reefer 2009 – Drift – Nosaj Thing 2009 – Brotha From Anotha Planet – Ras G

2010s

2010 – Cosmogramma – Flying Lotus 2010 – Machines Hate Me – Dibiase 2010 – Ardour – Teebs 2010 – Midnight Menu – TOKiMONSTA 2010 – Shlomoshun Deluxe – Shlohmo 2010 – Cerulean – Baths 2010 – Camping – Shlohmo 2010 – After Parties 1 – Dntel 2010 – After Parties 2 – Dntel 2011 – The Golden Age of Apocalypse – Thundercat 2011 – Endless Planets – Austin Peralta 2011 – Bowser – Jonwayne 2011 – Collections 01 – Teebs 2011 – Creature Dreams – TOKiMONSTA 2011 – Complex Housing – Salva 2011 – Stade 2 – Mr. Oizo 2011 – Outmind – Matthewdavid 2011 – Manifestations – Mono/Poly 2011 – Life is Full of Possibilites (Deluxe Edition) – Dntel 2011 – Ghost People – Martyn 2011 – Sam Baker's Album – Samiyam 2012 – Until the Quiet Comes – Flying Lotus 2012 – The Death of Andrew – Jonwayne 2012 – When You're Gone – Lapalux 2012 – The Narcissist II – Dean Blunt 2013 – Indigoism – The Underachievers 2013 – Needs – Giraffage 2013 – Stade 3 – Mr. Oizo 2013 – Apocalypse – Thundercat 2013 – Kenny Dennis LP – Serengeti 2013 – Obsidian – Baths 2013 – Back on the Planet – Ras G 2013 – Rap Album One – Jonwayne 2014 – You're Dead! – Flying Lotus 2014 – In Return – ODESZA 2014 – a toothpaste suburb – Milo 2014 – Estara – Teebs 2014 – Desiderium – TOKiMONSTA 2014 – The Church – Mr. Oizo 2014 – Ocean Death – Baths 2014 – Vivid Green – Nobody 2015 – The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam – Thundercat 2015 – The Epic – Kamasi Washington 2015 – Jonwayne Is Retired EP – Jonwayne 2015 – The Courage of Present Times – Sonnymoon 2015 – So the Flies Don't Come – Milo 2015 – Hella Personal Film Festival – Open Mike Eagle 2015 – Mù Chè Shān Chū – Howie Lee 2015 – Plain Speaking – Scallops Hotel 2015 – Intermission – Shigeto 2015 – In the Moment E & F Sides – Makaya McCraven 2015 – Mars Is A Very Bad Place For Love – The Breathing Effect 2015 – Sold Out – DJ Paypal 2015 – Lil Me – Wiki 2015 – Chinese Nü Yr – Iglooghost 2015 – Thumbs – Busdriver 2015 – Evermore: The Art of Duality – The Underachievers 2015 – Shades – Alix Perez & EPROM 2016 – All Wet – Mr. Oizo 2016 – Callus – Gonjasufi 2016 – Labyrinths – Daedelus 2016 – Stairs – GASHI 2016 – Enter the Gungeon (Original Soundtrack) – Dose One 2016 – The Feminine: Act I – Anna Wise 2016 – Fool – Jameszoo 2016 – Astral Progressions – Josef Leimberg 2016 – No Reality – Nosaj Thing 2017 – Harmony of Difference – Kamasi Washington 2017 – Drunk – Thundercat 2017 – Brick Body Kids Still Daydream – Open Mike Eagle 2017 – Rap Album Two – Jonwayne 2017 – Mandela Effect – Gonjasufi 2017 – The Feminine: Act II – Anna Wise 2017 – Romaplasm – Baths 2017 – Spangle-Lang Lane – Ryan Porter 2017 – Triumph – Ronald Bruner Jr. 2017 – The Fisherman Abides – The Breathing Effect 2017 – Uprising – Miles Mosley 2018 – Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?! – Milo 2018 – Aphelion – Ross from Friends 2018 – Heaven and Earth – Kamasi Washington 2018 – Overload – Georgia Anne Muldrow 2018 – Budding Ornithologists Are Weary of Tired Analogies – Milo 2018 – The Optimist – Ryan Porter 2018 – Family Portrait – Ross from Friends 2019 – Flamagra – Flying Lotus 2019 – I C U U C ME Pt. II – Sebastian Mikael 2019 – Force For Good – Ryan Porter 2019 – Encrypted & Vulnerable – Saul Williams 2019 – As If It Were Forever – Anna Wise 2019 – Epiphany – Ross from Friends 2019 – Zdenka 2080 – Salami Rose Joe Louis 2019 – Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery – The Comet Is Coming

2020s

2020 – It Is What It Is – Thundercat 2020 – Becoming — Music from the Netflix Original Documentary – Kamasi Washington 2020 – Crazy – Kelly Rowland 2020 – Purple Moonlight Pages – R.A.P. Ferreira 2020 – Anime, Trauma and Divorce – Open Mike Eagle 2020 – Photosynthesis – The Breathing Effect 2020 – Sea Monster – Joey Pecoraro 2020 – The Room – Ricky Reed 2020 – These Days – St. Panther 2020 – Ryan Porter (Live at New Morning, Paris) – Ryan Porter 2021 – bob's son: R.A.P. Ferreira in the garden level cafe of the scallops hotel – R.A.P. Ferreira 2021 – Gold-Diggers Sound – Leon Bridges 2021 – Duets | Golden Gate Bridge – Nate Mercereau 2021 – Under the Lilac Sky – Arushi Jain 2021 – Primordial Waters – Jamael Dean 2021 – Greatness / Places – St. Panther 2021 – BLK VINTAGE – BLK ODYSSY 2021 – the Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures – R.A.P. Ferreira 2021 – shut the fuck up talking to me – Zack Fox 2021 – When There's Love Around – Kiefer 2021 – To Whom It May Concern... – Freestyle Fellowship 2022 – Ozzy's Dungeon – Flying Lotus 2022 – PHILEO – Sebastian Mikael 2022 – Component System with the Auto Reverse – Open Mike Eagle 2022 – 5 to the Eye with Stars – R.A.P. Ferreira 2022 – Resilience – Ryan Porter 2022 – SUNDAYS EXPANSION – Nate Mercereau 2022 – Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam – The Comet Is Coming 2022 – wood tip – Zack Fox 2022 – LUME – Jeff Rona 2023 – Ojai Orange Grove Concert – Nate Mercereau 2023 – Intergalactic Warp Terminal 222 – Lionmilk 2023 – PHILEO Deluxe – Sebastian Mikael 2023 – Live in Venice – Nate Mercereau 2023 – Saana Sahel – Colloboh 2023 – Akousmatikous – Salami Rose Joe Louis 2023 – SOUTHEND LEGEND – KingTrey 2023 – Another Triumph of Ghetto Engineering – Open Mike Eagle 2023 – The Fall Collection – Hemlock Ernst & Height Keech 2023 – It's Ok, B U – Kiefer 2023 – How To Capture Playful – Pink Navel & Kenny Segal 2024 – Subtle Movements – Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño 2024 – the First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap – R.A.P. Ferreira & Fumitake Tamura 2024 – The Bird – Delilah Montagu 2024 – Delight – Arushi Jain 2024 – Paradigm Shift – Sebastian Mikael 2024 – This Ain't the Way You Go Out – Lucy Rose 2024 – Night Reign – Arooj Aftab 2024 – Spirit Box – Flying Lotus 2024 – OUTSTANDING UNDERSTANDING – R.A.P. Ferreira 2025 – Pale Blue Eyes – Lucy Rose 2025 – ASH (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Flying Lotus 2025 – Lorings – Salami Rose Joe Louis 2025 – Weirdo – Emma-Jean Thackray 2025 – Oriki Duuru – Jamael Dean 2025 – Mystic Journey – Josef Leimberg 2025 – Gadabout Season – Brandee Younger 2025 – Openness Trio – Nate Mercereau, Josh Johnson, Carlos Niño 2025 – ANYWHERE HERE IS PERFECT – Sam Gellaitry 2025 – The Night Green Side of It – R.A.P. Ferreira & Kenny Segal 2026 – BIG MAMA – Flying Lotus 2026 – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) – Anish Kumar & Arooj Aftab 2026 – 1983 (Remastered) – Flying Lotus 2026 – Mudhole – Captain Murphy 2026 – DOOMED! – Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal 2026 – Fantastic Thoughts – Nate Mercereau 2026 – Memory Bomb – Kiefer

Awards and nominations Award Year of ceremony Nominee / work Category Result Grammy Awards 2016 Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar – "Never Catch Me" Best Dance Recording 2021 Thundercat – It Is What It Is Best Progressive R&B Album 2023 Freestyle Fellowship – To Whom It May Concern... Best Historical Album