‘Choo Choo’ is the lead single from Makaya McCraven’s new EP, The People’s Mixtape. The drummer, producer and sonic collagist creates his current output through live recordings - this one in particular comes from a January 2025 session in Brooklyn with bassist Junius Paul, trumpeter Marquis Hill, vibraphonist Joel Ross and synthesist Jeremiah Chiu - which are extensively edited and produced by McCraven in his studio in Chicago. ‘Choo Choo’ is lifted from one of four EPs Makaya McCraven is releasing on October 31st, 2025. Techno Logic, The People’s Mixtape, Hidden Out!, and PopUp Shop are also being combined into a physical release on October 10th. He says: “There’s something special where we come together and share space, there is something special where we are sharing music, art. I want to create an energy that amplifies the magic in the underground moments where we come together and we experience something wild, different, off the cuff, human. What I’m trying to present is a dreamlike alteration of that energy, which only exists in the recorded realm. But to actually have been there, in real life, is the special thing.” -Dan Peeke