Melting Records travels the spaceways with an exciting new compilation: ORBEATS. The album gathers
ten international downtempo artists for the purpose of creating music suitable for the dreamy,
languid journey through interstellar space. Side A represents the light of our closest star while the
darkness of the long void is found on the flip side. Εach track is matched to a heavenly body — it’s an
aural trip to the moon, to the planets, and back to Earth.
Greek beat maker RSN opens the ‘light side’ of ORBEATS with a ”Trip To Mars”. The track sets the tone
as it floats and shimmers over a downtempo shuffle, meteoric accents sparkling as we go. Keno — AKA
David Hanke from Renegades of Jazz — gently offers plucked celestial strings on “Elwood”, joined by
lovely vibraphone and saxophone flourishes. The renowned rhythm-wrangler Kill Emil features on
the next two collaborative tracks. “Transformations” includes the Hungarian-based Savages who
contributes twinkling instrumentation over Kill Emil’s exceptional beat construction. Young producer
Mononome then joins Kill Emil on “Clear Skies”, providing a particularly phat beat to accompany the
track’s spaced-out treatments and melodies
.
The Spanish beat-matador Pablie opens the ‘dark side’ with “Sunny Riders”, an ethereal cut driven by
visions of harps, sitars, and a snapping rhythm. Now, on the B side, we’re traveling through the ‘dark
side’ of the cosmos. French flutist and producer Hugo Kant creates an exotic mood with pulsating
chords, strange vocals, sitar, and a bevy of other instruments. “Coriolis Effect” — by UK producer
Hashfinger — is next, teleporting solid drums and alien vibes across the galaxy. Then there’s a lovely
space station transmission from acclaimed duo Ancient Astronauts, the evocative and cinematic
“Crescent Moon.” Russian downtempo veteran RADJ closes out the set with his otherworldly “Batiskaf”.
Coded signals percolate over flickering vibes and a subdued beat, ending ORBEATS on a sense
of wonderment.
ORBEATS is an essential addition to any music lover’s cargo, whether for a short trip to the DJ booth or
a long haul across the solar system. Blast off! |
