コンシャスTHOUGHTS – Lonely Nights

Recommendation: ☀☁☁


If one were to judge a book by its cover, they’d probably think Lonely Nights were to sound like a dreampunk or ambient album with regards to those soft lights and nigh-empty sidewalk except for an embracing couple. That couldn’t be farther from the truth: コンシャスTHOUGHTS’1 2015 extended-play is nothing but booty-moving future funk and vaportrap – and one that avoids either genre’s common pitfalls with deftness.

The biggest problem with either genre is that producers all too often take already-amazing funk samples, slap some compression on them, add a few extra drum beats, and call it a track. While that brand of sample curation might totally work for hypnagogic pop, when it comes to future funk, the result is often the very sterility upon which vaporwave seeks to comment. Lonely Nights is a great release because it throws some production tricks into the mix that’s more than just an equalizer: opening track “Sexy Thing” is chopped-and-screwed to impressive extremes, “Smooth” utilizes a mallsoft milieu, and the title track has a 「fluence」-esque backdrop. The whole release is an excellent example of how varied future funk and vaportrap can be if producers work past just finding a sample that sounds fun – and make no mistake, fun is a good thing; but fun with a twist is even better.2

This Glaswegian artist is talented, and has frequently shown himself to be skilled in sample-based and original production. Lonely Nights is worth checking out for those who may have written off future funk as too derivative of its source material for verity.

 

Tracklist


1. Sexy Thing – (2:15)
2. From the Moment I Met You – (2:53)
3. Smooth – (4:20)
4. Lonely Nights – (4:18)
5. Why Wont You Love Me – (3:51)


 

1Japanese translation: “Conscious thoughts”
2Think kinky thoughts.

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