Back in May, Kid606 went off-script, releasing his 14th LP, the subdued Recollected Ambient Works Vol. 1. For volume number two, the Venezuelan producer decided to go off-grid. A concept album of sorts, Kid606's latest was written after living in Joshua Tree, California, an excursion that almost broke his spirit and his drive to make music.
While Vol. 1 was written almost strictly on piano, Recollected Ambient Works Vol. 2: Escape to Los Angeles finds Kid606 branching out sonically, layering sweeping synth waves over top of each other to create a soundscape that's richer and more enigmatic than anything he's written before. But like his last LP, much of Vol. 2 exposes Kid 606's limitations, as he focuses largely on wavering shades rather than concrete colours.
Still, there are simply too many clever moments on this quaint ten-track LP to write it off; from the barely-there Eastern rhythms on "Tibetan Summer" to the ebb and flow hums of "Skull Rock" to the overloaded warmth of "Keys View." 2015 has shown a different side of Kid606, proving that he's capable of sustaining a mood, rather than just building up a beat and burning it down.
(Tigerbeat6)While Vol. 1 was written almost strictly on piano, Recollected Ambient Works Vol. 2: Escape to Los Angeles finds Kid606 branching out sonically, layering sweeping synth waves over top of each other to create a soundscape that's richer and more enigmatic than anything he's written before. But like his last LP, much of Vol. 2 exposes Kid 606's limitations, as he focuses largely on wavering shades rather than concrete colours.
Still, there are simply too many clever moments on this quaint ten-track LP to write it off; from the barely-there Eastern rhythms on "Tibetan Summer" to the ebb and flow hums of "Skull Rock" to the overloaded warmth of "Keys View." 2015 has shown a different side of Kid606, proving that he's capable of sustaining a mood, rather than just building up a beat and burning it down.