Julian Durbin - I'll do my best tomorrow too​!​(​・​∀​・​)​ノ​"

There are any number of tapes that can be used as key reflections of Julian’s music - he’s put out nine projects this year alone. His July drop has been one I’ve kept coming back to throughout the year for its cohesion, even without the tonne of great bonus tracks that end up outnumbering the amount of songs on the actual tape! I’ve gotta admire Julian as someone whose music reflects his weighty involvement in the community; a real listener of so many artists’ output with god knows how many bandcamp titles to his collection, and someone whose always open and willing to collaborate, like his excellent minitape with scape a few months back. I think it’s in Julian’s diverse listening that a tape like this ends up feeling so varied but reflective of his character, represented through these bite-sized moments of short and sharp beats that always catch you off guard not knowing where he’ll take you next. Take the three-track run from bstfriendinthewrld to cicadas - all in the span of two minutes he’s taken you from a sweet and wistful tone, straight to neck breaking, then loops you up again in swirls of reverb. I’m always amazed that no matter how odd the chops get, he always pairs them up against rhythms and drum timbres that fit and compliment the sample. I think there’s just a rawness to how the beats are built and the construction of the tape that I love; it all sounds like he made the beats quick and maybe even arranged them chronologically. But what results is a tape that always feel unfiltered and honest, influences worn proudly on the sleeve, never letting a moment taper too long before moving onto the next.

KEY BEAT: drumsinajar - there’s something texturally about this one that makes me want to keep coming back, those jangly percussive elements looping back in on itself against muted snares and syncopated kicks, with the beautiful guitars and keys like they’re reversing all the way back to the start of the sample.