Mimosa EP

I must admit to being slightly confused at fresh downtempo Chillosophy releasing something with beats.

Once I got the hang of it though, it started to make sense: Solead have, on this deliriously high-calibre release, combined the warm fuzzies you get from listening privately to downtempo with the smooth bumble groove that you get from quality tech. Mimosa is a sweet, sweet track bursting with tasty micronoises and a plastic, friendly groove running underneath.

They flirt with broken beats, stuttered drops, and trufflicious shuffle before bringing it all back home with a delicious, subtle melody. The Unkempt Tree is a hybrid of chill, playful reggae, and beats; the rat-a-tat-tats build intensity until by the end of the track you’re up on your feet wondering what’s going on.

Over on the other side, Beez puts us back on the dancefloor. Its wonderfully brittle backbone picks up textures and half-melodies here and there, going up to a serious highpoint. You’re left not quite sure how you got there – a sign that this is decent music.

Finally Graffiti is a melange of glitches and loops, for my money the weakest track here, it’s the experimental doodle amidst a selection of otherwise well-rounded, well-developed bits of music.