Bridging the gap between hip hop, ambient music, and the all-encompassing bass music, Leeds based duo, Loftmind, seem to be carving their own sound in a world of recycled and re-hashed R&B vocals. The pair’s newest ep, INTP, has an almost live feel to it, comparable to Mount Kimbie; every addition builds off the other, nothing feels as though it were added to cross off a checklist.
The opener “Davidoff” is a beatless orchestral track, which receives some of its punch from distorted guitar riffs mid track. This helps set the tone for the rest of the ep. As Joel and Dom describe themselves they are “miserable bastards, that like big spaces and sub” and a bit of that attitude and melancholy pours out in this intro. Another highlight of this release is “Bayouver”, a heavily hip hop tipped instrumental over an aggressive vocal oozes a raw almost violent energy. The track does not succumb to the problem many hip hop tracks have, which is either the vocal or instrumental outshines the other; both elements work well together and are up to par. Taking a listen to “Waves”, this one is clearly aimed at the dance floor with its big room low end and four to the floor beat it is one their more straightforward tracks. The vocal sample is clever and works nicely with the track, telling the listener to get ready for the waves just before the drop. Judging from the samples the pair gravitates to, there is a clear infatuation with hip hop.
“A White Sheet” is comparable to a skit or maybe an extended intro as it uses a few of the core elements of the track it leads into “A Gold Buccina”. Once again hip hop comes to mind with “A Gold Buccina” along with drum & bass. This track uses the emotive pads that the rest of the ep is soaked in along with scattered hi hats and drums. Everything builds very slowly making the track more of a thinker or slow burner, reminiscent of early Om Unit. “Emeralds, Emeralds” is the closer and one of the strongest tracks on this ep. It comes together perfectly, sounding almost orchestrated. You can almost picture both of them in front of a band cueing each section. The track has a great deal of groove, largely due to the shuffle coming from shakers and drums. It also brings some footwork elements down to a house-friendly tempo.
Overall a solid release from the duo split down the middle between experimental bits and dance floor oriented tracks. This year is only beginning and all directions are pointing upwards.
