Sub Pop just announced that the Central District’s smooth, jazzy MC Porter Ray is the newest addition to the local label’s roster—new A&R man Ishmael Butler’s first official signing. Butler, who is having Ray open for Shabazz Palaces’ Lese Majesty album release show tonight at Neumos, has openly expressed admiration of the MC in the past, calling him “the golden child.”

Butler’s signing of Porter Ray signals his developing role as a gateway for the fertile local hip-hop scene to Sub Pop since becoming A&R man. Unofficially, his influence was at least partially responsible for THEESatisfaction’s arrival on the label with the astral-R&B of awE naturalE. Porter Ray makes for a solid first official gesture—the rapper’s breezy “BLK GLD/WHT GLD/RSE GLD” triad of releases in 2013 were some of the scene’s best. Fundamentals, the new mixtape Ray released today (above) capitalizes on his glossy throwback style with subdued, bubbling production. Porter Ray’s debut Sub Pop release is slated for 2015.