Summer in full swing – the sound of good vibes, organic and warm; eclectic grooves that keep on giving. Creative producer IcyBeast lights up the space this season, with tracks like the iconic PAJAMAS, and the impressive album BLONDE in full.
Setting a kind of contemporary big-band aura, PAJAMAS offers hip-hop rhythms, colourful synths, keys and horns, all united across a single three-part riff that consistently rises. It’s an easy-going flow, softly distinct and somewhat in line with the lo-fi sounds of recent years, only brighter – cleanly mixed, more uplifting, excitable.
From the same project, CONVEY features a funky guitar line and beat, something like nu-disco at a faster pace, with another horn section and retro keys lighting up the old-school dance-floors. The energy is high, the optimism too, and with almost half a million monthly listeners, this track and IcyBeast’s music at large pays clear attention to both detail and the shared desires of its audience.
Prior to this, expect a salsa-side-step in the form of the addictive and catchy anthem CASABLANCA. With a yesteryear choir of male voices and a simple stomp of a groove, this track leans towards electro-swing in a way, but maintains the colourful simplicity and joyful rhythmic escapism of IcyBeast in a subtle yet effective fashion. The music uplifts, keeps things interesting and creative, and even shifts gears entirely at the half-way point – an electro rhythm and fast-fingered guitar-work carving out a sense of live musicianship that’s impressive in its own right.
BLONDE is an easy pleasure to let play this summer. The skill and passion combined allows for music that simply works its magic for you – not trying to grab attention on behalf of a leading performer, but simply providing the good vibes we all crave; drowning out the weight of the world, and adding a likable ambiance and optimism to our daily lives.
PUPPETEER is another highlight, and completely different once again. Here we enter an ambient, dreamy arena of mellow sound, with a heavy, fuzzy bass-line and beat, but a mellow tempo, and ethereal tones that naturally calm the body and let the mind wander off without a care.
Seventeen original productions make up the BLONDE album, and from the smooth-jazz simplicity of EXISTENCE, right through to the hazy distortion and warped samples of PEACH TEA, the project fills the space with both a professional and enjoyable energy.
IcyBeast clearly loves music, first and foremost, and that quality is rare these days, and difficult to fake. Add these tracks to your playlist this year.
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