Space People - Wet

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  • As outposts like Brainfeeder and Stones Throw have focused increasingly on jazz- and soul-sourced beats, a certain kind of spacey boom-bap has lost some traction. It was the sound of Flying Lotus's label in the early days and, for a while, defined the LA beatmakers who orbited Daddy Kev's Low End Theory party. New York native Davy Levitan isn't necessarily a student of this West Coast sound, but the cosmic hip-hop he makes as Space People brings a similar touch to his love for synthy funk and electronic sound design. His 20-track mixtape from 2015, SHMM, set Kraftwerk samples and lazer FX against banged-out MPC rhythms, rich chords and head-nodding grooves. Wet, Levitan's latest for Styles Upon Styles, operates on that same plane of animated and colorful beats. Better still, the EP's range of tempos and seamless genre blending show Levitan's versatility. The upbeat "DX7 Of Love," a major standout, and the fidgety "Do You Know How Lucky I Feel I Am" make house, funk and hip-hop sound like nearly one and the same. The heavily percussive, Missy Elliott-sampling "Work" takes an especially wonky approach to a dance floor track that could almost pass for Jersey club. Then there's the title cut, "East" and "Water"—three beats that seem like the foundation of Levitan's sound. Even if the music's unquantized drums, choppy sample work and purple melodies bring some familiar names to mind, it's all arranged with thoughtful detail. And when those hues of synth funk take over, it's clear that Levitan is well on his way to something remarkable.
  • Tracklist
      01. Wet 02. East 03. DX7 Of Love 04. Do You Know How Lucky I Feel I Am 05. Work 06. Water
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