Daedelus, a Los Angeles producer lauded for his uniquely genre sampled releases, which owe a lot to his musically spoilt background in jazz and electronic music not to mention his aptitude for an array of instruments; has released this similarly dappled album.

A feature of his music which has thankfully been sustained in this release is his signature indulgence in musical anachronisms amid electronic backdrops. Throwbacks to Glenn Miller big band era and samples of ragtime piano relate his keenness for distinctively era specific samples and particularly for those belonging to the 30’s and 40’s. The frenetic whiplash electronic interruption in ‘Drummery Jam’ for example is fed to us through an oneiric depression era chorus in its introduction.

Daedelus is at his best cutting up samples of unusual sounds and blending them into chaotic collages rather than a concentration of a single style. Unfortunately this is made all too clear on tracks such as ‘Hrs:Mins:Sec’ and ‘Bass In It’ which due to their sparse use of this skill cause him to shoot wide of the left-field hip-hop that he successfully produces on the track ‘Touchstone’.

But these weaker moments only serve to emboss the albums highpoints, tracks such as ‘If We Should’ where doppler-esque glissando is cut short by synths sighing beneath Laura Darlington’s ambient vocals. Also the catchy ‘Make It So’ and the albums opener ‘Fair Weather Friends’ both feature the same endearingly optimistic beat.
It’s Daedelus’ willingness to introduce soundscapes paved with everything from samba drumbeats to electronic bleeps and cut-ups of noise turned music that redeem this album from the more forgettable tracks that unfortunately score through the continuity of its better tracks…

Shauna O'Brien
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