lowranger x aalon​$​e - colorwave

This tape made me wonder if Tom Hanks watched sunsetcorp as inspo before getting into the booth to play Woody. The lofi/beat scene coming out of Russia around this time seemed really pivotal to where we are today, taking similar techniques as greats like Ohbliv but dialling up the nostalgia a little. colowave as a split tape occasionally feels of its time but often seems pulled directly from the 80s, letting every bit of slap bass and colorful synth shine without a lot of immediately-recognisable drums surrounding them. This is particularly the case in lowranger’s half, which sounds like the loops were being borne out of the tape recorder itself, ragged beginning and ends and soft cassette hiss bleeding through every instrumental, surely intentional but always making the brief punchy ideas feel really unpolished in an awesome way. I love the bounce on these loops that you can only seem to make sense of depending on your ears, with a lot of these tracks almost feeling half time (like footwork) but play perfectly as a slower groove. To pair up against the radiance of the first half, aalon​$​e’s set feels strangely nocturnal in comparison, equally dreamy and direct like a late night drive blasting an Nmesh beat tape. The percussion on certain tracks is so striking but subdued, blending so well into the mix where you can’t quite work out what was in the source and what wasn’t. The two link brilliantly as they have many times over, with a short but memorable experience reminiscent of days old but seeping with originality, paving the way for what’s to come.

KEY BEAT: fancy - one of the more sparse beats here, aalon​$​e’s portion bursts onto the stage as soon as this track plays, with a slow and steady groove driving a little repeating melody that feels like some sort of startup sound. It’s just such a cool track.