Palmbomen II: Palmbomen II Vinyl 2LP

Hazy hardware house visions courtesy of Kai Hugo. This is the sound of spending a summer on lockdown in your mother’s attic with nothing but old school synths, drum machines and a tape recorder. “Program the rhythms, arrange the harmonies, play these together, and record to tape. Thats it,” says Hugo. It’s certainly a refreshing change of pace compared to the super clean, yet often over-thought and sterile sound of contemporary software production, plus Hugo pulls it off with enough nostalgic atmosphere to keep you entranced. Check the vibe on “Cindy Savalas,” “Carina Sayles,” “Mary Louise Lefante,” and “John Lee Roche,” then zone out to the ambient sounds of “Teena Mulder” and “Caitlin Ross.” Oh yeah, it’s worth mentioning this album is also inspired by binge watching sessions of early X-Files seasons, which is always a plus in my book. Fans of Aquarian Foundation, Pender Street Steppers, and ambienthouse vibesshould def check. Recommended.

• music label: Beats In Space Records 2015

reviewed by Baggy Tapir 04/2015

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