In every arts community there are people who, despite being little known even to fans of the scene, are deeply embedded in its past and present. When it comes to NYC independent hip-hop, Joseph Fusaro aka Steel Tipped Dove is one of those people. Not only has he quietly made beats for everybody and their cousin but for more than fifteen years Dove has run a recording studio out of the same 2nd floor walk-up in Brooklyn, weathering gentrification and the proliferation of home studios alike. In that time, a wealth of artists have crossed his threshold; some famous, some forgotten, and many in between. Dove’s was always a place where you could schedule a last minute session or have an out of town artist meet you at 1am after their show, no need to worry, Dove would be there. It’s a place that you drop by because you’re around the corner and end up leaving with a jump drive full of wild beats.

Call Me When You’re Outside is a testament to that energy: inspired collaborations with disparate artists from across the country and the indie music spectrum. The album features ELUCID, billy woods, KeiyaA, The Koreatown Oddity, Pink Siifu, SHIRT, Fat Tony, Fielded, Fatboi Sharif, and SKECH185, and is entirely produced by Steel Tipped Dove. Mixed and mastered by Willie Green and executive produced by billy woods, CMWYO not only speaks to Dove’s history in the scene but the vitality of his current work. He may have been in the game for a long time, but his beats have never sounded better and his vision as a producer has never been clearer. With that in mind, if you buy it directly from us the project comes with the full instrumentals, which are also included in the vinyl and CD versions. The vinyl artwork is masterfully handled by multidisciplinary artist Myra Musgrove, while the CD is designed by the enigmatic Harvey Cliff.

In some ways it’s surprising that for all the artists Dove has worked with—NOSAJ from New Kingdom, R.A.P. Ferreira, Tone Tank, Das Racist, ShrapKnel, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire, Kemba fka YC The Cynic—he has never put out a project like this. But if you know Joe, it’s really not. He has always been comfortable playing the background and contributing in whatever way he could. For him, it’s always been about the music. We hope you enjoy this rare peek into Dove’s world: his sound, his friends and collaborators. The studio is open to everyone but the buzzer hasn’t worked for fifteen years, so call when you’re outside.