- From the ashes of Aquarian Foundation rises Kinetic Electronix. In 2014, the name appeared on a Vancouver-themed split 12-inch from Future Times. As usual with Mood Hut, the project's details are foggy. It's unclear if Aquarian Foundation is over, or if this is just a diversion. Either way, Kinetic Electronix features the same lineup of artists as the band that introduced many to Mood Hut—Chad Thiessen (Neo Image), Jordan Matt (House Of Doors) and his brother Tanner (Hashman Deejay). Like the music they did as Aquarian Foundation, the group's work on Music For Beings is exploratory, elliptical and, above all, groovy.
If you're familiar with Aquarian Foundation, you'll know what to expect here: laid-back, dub-influenced jams. "Roamin'" is as comfortable and retro as a beanbag chair, with its groovy keyboard, gently shuffling drums and sparing dub FX. "New Jack Bubble," with pads that sound as if they're yawning, and the tribal-influenced "Low Moves" are classic Mood Hut tracks. The latter settles into an 11-minute trance complete with nature samples, a relaxing head massage that calls back to Tanner Matt's addictive "Messages" from the third Mood Hut 12-inch, in 2013.
On the rest of Music For Beings, the trio show off some new ideas. Standout track "Spring Step" is Detroit techno through the frosted lens of Vancouver, with breezy pads and a bassline that wiggles like a caterpillar. "Dew Droppinn II" balances Pearson Sound-style stutters with a slo-mo electro skeleton, while "Spirals" is a perfect wind-down, with careful drum programming and a touch of jazzy instrumentation. Music For Beings encapsulates the label's appealing ethos: old-school but inventive, aloof yet engaging.
TracklistA1 Roamin'
B1 Dewdropinn II
B2 New Jack Bubble
C1 Spring Step
D1 Low Moves
D2 Spirals