EXCLUSIVE

Kanye West is making a new album, and he's holed up in a Wyoming retreat at the top of a mountain to find his inspiration.

We know exactly where he is but hey, we don't want to ruin his mojo ... we like his music, too. But we can tell you he's been there a week and also went 2 weeks earlier, so he's smack in the middle of the creative process.

This explains Kanye's absence from some high-profile Kardashian events, including the Met Gala last week, where Kim went solo.

Yeezy's definitely trying to disconnect ... he's scrubbed his Instagram and Twitter profiles.