- Cloudface is an important member of Vancouver crew Mood Hut, a loose collective of artists obsessed with hardware. Their monthly loft parties are known for a laid back, anything goes vibe, and the dazed music that makes up their new vinyl label's first EP embodies that ethos.
These beats are definitively analogue, but they aren't simple keyboard workouts. David Reynolds—a music tech repairman by day—knows his way around his equipment, and the title track starts the EP with stunning detail. With its shimmering pads and slowed-down electro bassline, it's as though it's trying to get up on its feet only to be weighed down by some viscous substance. "Otcho" notches up the tension, keeping the same lazy gait but shrouding it in clicking sounds and drum machine splats. The sedate nature of both tracks makes them feel less like club jams and more like fascinating little exhibits.
Standout "2N" is a club jam, although it's not typical by any means. The lead line sputters in incomplete phrases, set against a twilight backdrop of evocative synths. "Summer" wraps things up in supremely strange fashion, as resonant metallic sounds frame a Jabba The Hutt vocal growl. It's more of an afterthought than an additional song, but one that reveals the adventurous undercurrents beneath the pleasant cruise control vibes.
Tracklist A1 Devonian Garden
A2 Otcho
B1 2N
B2 Summer