Music-making racoon Trash Panda collaborates with long-time friend Andrew, to deliver an aptly-titled album of original compositions that quickly sets listeners off on an immersive and dreamy journey.
Contact Light introduces us, creative and uncomplicated but with a twist of the unexpected, before we move into the lo-fi groove and catchy melodic patterns of Extraterrestria. It’s a smooth sound, a little retro and nostalgic in being so, but also distinctly original. The latter evolves into a longer-form melodic progression that draws upon old-school gamer tones in a way, before softening back into that lo-fi nu-jazz mood from earlier.
Raising the bar and the pulse somewhat is Astral Projection, a euphoric dance arrangement that’s equally calming but features a more trippy rhythmic set-up; and veers towards the self-defined style of dubstep and electronic dance that first ignited the TrashP@nda creative route. Contrast is crucial, and the highs and lows of this make it an intoxicating and deeply soothing highlight from Atrip2Sp@ce.
From Contrast Overdrive through Event Horizon the vibes continue to enthral, the latter adopting a loveable contrast between softness and distorted, retro fuzz, offering a joyful bounce of a track that’s close to impossible to feel sad around. Then suddenly we move into the neo-classical simplicity and evocative beauty of a solo-piano introduction for Universes Edge, and we realise how truly unlimited the TrashP@nda sound really is.
Quick-fire strings add intensity for Ancient Alien Illusion, before dubstep takes hold in that classic fashion that first gifted ravers the stop-start escapism of a brand new genre. A rhythmically unique highlight, followed by the more ethereal and other-worldly embrace of a fully-loaded Blazar.
After this, the EDM supremacy of TimeStop makes for another euphoric peak that’s perfectly engaging – and impressively recognisable as a stand-alone dance track.
In short, this album is an easy dream to let play, creatively fresh but well-rooted amidst the immersive, shifting landscapes of effective electronic music. TrashP@nda gets the chemistry just right with this album, wrapping up an enjoyable and original playlist with a celebratory mix that somewhat encapsulates the artistic freedom and highs-and-lows of the style. Atrip2Sp@ce is essentially the fully realised audio offering implied by its title, and it’s a timeless project that’s a joy to let play.
Find TrashP@nda on YouTube.
