De La Soul to officially release rare 1994 EP

De La Soul have announced that they will soon be officially releasing their rare 1994 EP ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’, which features A Tribe Called Quest – find out more below.

• READ MORE: De La Soul live in London: a feel-good celebration of one of the best to ever do it

Over the weekend, the legendary rap group took to social media to announce the upcoming release, which has been confirmed for March 7. ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’ will be available on digital platforms, with limited-edition CD and vinyl now available for pre-order – you can get your copy here.

The group wrote of the rare recording: “Originally pressed in 1994 as an exclusive promotional release for select DJs, ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’ has achieved near-mythical status among collectors. The album includes four tracks from the Buhloone Mindstate era, with two rare collaborations: ‘sh.Fe.Mc’s’ featuring A Tribe Called Quest and ‘Stix & Stonz’ with contributions from Tito of The Fearless Four, Grandmaster Caz, LA Sunshine of the Treacherous Three and Prince Whipper Whip.”

Upon its original release in 1994, ‘Clear Lake Audiotorium’ was limited to just 500 copies, which was sent to DJs personally selected by the group as promotional material. The record was later bootleged on black vinyl, though those were also rare and considered unofficial.

Most recently, De La Soul in November have criticised an “unauthorised” biography written about them, saying that they’re “exploring all of our legal options”. The book High & Rising – a reference to the group’s 1989 album ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ – was written by Marcus J. Moore and published on November 19. It is the first cultural biography to have been written about the legendary hip-hop group.

In response to the book, they wrote: “Friends and De La Family. We’ve been receiving congratulatory messages about a book titled High & Rising. However, we want to make it absolutely clear: this is an unauthorized book, and we are not connected to it in any way.”