textura

Albums
Vieo Abiungo
Monty Adkins
Anduin
Asonat
Aspidistrafly
Bersarin Quartett
Black Eagle Child
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Bryter Layter
bvdub
Celer
Claro Intelecto
Cock And Swan
J. Crunch & H. Nakamura
G. Davis & F.-Marie Uitti
Gareth Dickson
Dictaphone
Roger Doyle
Ex Confusion
Fear Falls Burning
Greg Haines
Konntinent
Nina Kraviz
Listening Mirror
Markus Mehr
Matt Northrup
Orcas
Oxia
S. Peters & S. Roden
Pjusk
Quicksails
Riverz End
School of Seven Bells
Yoshinori Takezawa
Manuel Tur
Robert Turman
WhoMadeWho

Compilations / Mixes
Photek

EPs
Evy Jane
Father You See Queen
Tevo Howard
Jitterbug
MayMay
Mr. Beatnick
Tony Ollivierra
Shaula
Spargel Trax

Cassettes
56K
Windmill • Waterwheel

Mr. Beatnick: Sun Goddess EP
Don't Be Afraid

In its own quietly seductive way, Sun Goddess, Mr. Beatnick's second EP outing on Don't Be Afraid (following 2011's Synthetes), is a head-turner. Apparently, Mr. Beatnick established himself as a hip-hop producer before entering the house and techno fold, but the EP's four tracks make him sound like the furthest thing from a novice. Nothing would make me happier than to have material like this playing all of the time, kind of like an omnipresent soundtrack always ready to brighten one's mood and lift one's spirits.

“Sun Goddess” immediately draws the listener in with its warm Balearic vibe and the mellow funk of its Rhodes-kissed house swing. Mr. Beatnick works a burbling bass pulse, silken strings and synth radiance into six grooving minutes of beachside sparkle and splendour. Having set the EP's tone, the UK producer takes things up a notch for the slightly more aggressive “Beneath the Reef” without losing any of the material's luscious character in the process, and then digs even deeper with the body-moving thrust of “Shifting Sands” and “Savoir Faire.” It's in these tracks that the material's physical potency is felt most of all, especially when the tracks are powered by pulsating bass lines and subtly skipping beat patterns that're lighter-than-air. Throughout the twenty-four-minute EP, the emphasis is more on atmosphere than melody, but no one should complain when the mood is so enticing.

April 2012