- As a member of two key groups, Aquarian Foundation and Kinetic Electronix, Chad Thiessen has long been involved in Mood Hut. Solo, he's taken longer to find his voice. A couple of tracks on a Pacific Rhythm compilation and a remix of Flørist on All Caps were decent takes on Vancouver's familiar fuzzy house style. On Thiessen's first full solo release, he doesn't develop a more distinctive identity. Instead, he executes a variety of minimalist ideas with a deft touch, demonstrating that versatility alone can be more than enough.
It's no surprise that a product of the chill Vancouver scene would favour deep and blissful terrains—three tracks here find different angles of approach. "Winskill Dub" is house as exquisite elevator music, with lilting snares and elegant keys. "Crystal Pool" leans towards new age, its kick drum the softest of rumbles under pads that lap like gentle waves. And "Positive Pressure," with its organ riff and vocals—spoken, then sung—floating out of low-lit surrounds, sounds like opiated New York house.
The rest of the EP makes some more surprising connections. There are shades of dubstep in "Duckberg"'s sparse halftime beat, pitch-black atmosphere and sparse bongos. It's the EP's most unexpected track, and probably its best. The beatless closer, "4B (Dab Mix)," suggests Autechre in its dramatic reverb spumes and lush IDM melody. Though these tracks allow simple ideas to soak in over extended periods, only this one feels overlong. Even then, it's only a minor blemish on a pristine EP.
TracklistA1 Winskill Dub
A2 Duckberg
B1 Positive Pressure
B2 Crystal Pool
B3 4B (Dab Mix)