particulars

Emil Torres was born in The Bronx, NY in 1974. He has been writing rap lyrics since junior high school, mostly influenced by golden era hip hop artists like KRS ONE, Big Daddy Kane, and LL Cool J. He began producing and arranging tracks around 2005, using an AKAI MPD24 MIDI controller in tandem with Propellerheads Reason, Propellerheads Recycle, and Sony Acid Pro music software. It was around this time that he conceptualized the sons of de cypher project. The SODC sound can be described as experimental and alternative. Besides hip hop, particularly the underground "backpack" aesthetic, SODC has drawn influence from disparate genres of music like trip hop, world music, alt/indie pop/rock, dance, and industrial/noise. Torres' lyrical style, as exhibited by the pseudonym Salamander the Mongrel, is largely centered around complex wordplay. His raps generally blend playful, obscure braggadocio with a sharp critique of contemporary commercial hip hop. Features of particular interest in the SODC project include singer/songwriter Lori Nebo, Corey Mitchell of the hip hop group Cloke & Dagha, and mutli-instumentalist producer and engineer Steve Sola.