- Silvestre is a new producer whose music sounds worn beyond its years. Over releases for Japan's Diskotopia and his own label Padre Himalaya, he's flirted with dusky, lo-fi downtempo, often throwing in jagged samples or snags in the beat that feel like skips in a well-loved record. On Floresta, his second Diskotopia EP, he comes up with his most approachable music, though it's no less odd as it weaves dense tapestries of drum loops and fogged-up synth leads.
On "Floresta," that method manifests as a whirlwind of drum tracks, like a strange kind of tribal house music. It's easy to get lost in the layers of percussion, which sound both thrown together and perfectly arranged, locking together in one bar and ungluing in the next. His music rarely feels like it's repeating itself, which also goes for "Gosto De Ti," where a straight-ahead house beat is bolstered by more hand percussion. "Gosto De Ti" also features some trippy modulation at the end, as if Silvestre had been playing the track at the wrong speed the whole time. Both tracks are marked by passive synths à la Mount Kimbie, which only make them feel more comfy.
Silvestre gets a little too comfortable on "Camisola Dos Morcegos." Its array of bobbing drums, twinkly synths and bird calls sounds like a boilerplate L.I.E.S. record from a few years back. But he redeems himself with "Ride," a mostly beatless track that might be the standout. On it, his loops play without drums holding them together, but hearing the creases and folds in his crackly samples is endearing. Every pass seems to reveal a new sound or idea, gently pulling you in unexpected directions.
Tracklist01. Floresta
02. Gosto De Ti
03. Ride
04. Camisola Dos Morcegos