What a Time

Limited vinyl LP pressing. 2016 release. Singularis, the talented young beat-wrangler from the Netherlands, first appeared on the Cold Busted label at the age of 16 with his impressive debut album Evening Hours. Since then he's grown both as a producer and in age, now unveiling What A Time, his third full-length for the prestigious downtempo imprint. The album's 16 tracks combine Singularis's agility with tough hip hop beats, G Funk style lead lines, and spaced-out vibes for a listening experience beyond easy categorization. The album's "Introduction" (appropriately subtitled "Slowmotion") sets the tone with big chords in a layered progression, loping - but swinging - drum machine beats, and Singularis's trademark synth leads. The way Singulars takes this template and playfully twists it throughout is what makes What A Time a memorable ride. Take "Crassinez" for example, which adds strange synth dives and other digital hijinks, as if Aphex Twin stepped in the studio for a quick moment. And also "Bang", a very Singularis-ish interpretation of southern low-rider hip hop, clouding the genre with cosmic atmospherics and vague melody. There's much more to discover here and it's exciting to know, that at his young age, Singulars is just getting started.