- Leonard Campbell might be the most unpredictable artist to land on Mood Hut. His first Lnrdcroy album, including tracks like "Sunrise Market" and "I Met You On BC Ferries," helped crystallize the nascent Vancouver sound, as foggy and slate-grey beautiful as the Pacific Northwest region itself. But see the man live and you'll likely be treated to something you weren't expecting, especially because he tends to draft up bespoke material for each performance. (I once saw him play a set of what sounded like dubstep.) Add in his reclusive nature and he's a hard to pin down character, someone who surfaces once a year or so with another dose of weird, humble brilliance.
Campbell's latest, Ooze City, is his first release for Mood Hut, and it finds him stretching out on three lengthy dance floor jams. "Kali Yuga," which closed a memorable 2014 live performance, begins with a drum circle sample and ends up as the most forceful track on Mood Hut, reinforced with techno steel. But the label's lollygagging basslines return for the more idyllic "Aquabus (Plaza Of Nations Dub)," a wobbly tune with chalky drums and a bevy of delay effects. It starts off slow and kicks into high gear once Campbell drops a kick drum like an anvil, but the drowsy melody retains the escapism of his past work.
When things gets tough on Ooze City, there's always something behind it to sink back into: the starry synth leads that soften the blow of "Kali Yuga," the effervescent bubblebath that eventually swallows up "Ooze City"'s acid house bounce. It's part of what makes Campbell's work so superlative, even in a crowded scene of talented producers. There's a sense of wonder that surfaced on Much Less Normal and still courses through his music, no matter the genre.
TracklistA1 Ooze City
B1 Aquabus (Plaza Of Nations Dub)
B2 Kali Yuga