Neotropic

Most listeners will remember Neotropic for her successful releases on Ninja Tune’s Ntone offshoot, but White Rabbits marks her debut release on Mush Records. Neotropic (aka Riz Maslen) is well known for her forays into the worlds of techno, experimental, dub, beats, electronica, folk and hip-hop, and White Rabbits incorporates most of those. The album is definitely not a party starter, but it will fit in the electronic chill-out section quite nicely, as it offers more than just come-down music. After a few listens, it’s easier to distinguish the tracks that so seamlessly flow into one other. The album combines found sound, piano, strings, acoustic guitar, minimal and glitchy drum loops, with sparse bluesy Mooged-out voice snippets. Before you know it, you’ll be sitting palms up meditating. But it isn’t until the last two tracks where some noticeable vocals kick in. The ultimate song of the album, "If We Were Trees,” is replete with lines like "You’re doing my head in, isn’t it time we called it a day.” White Rabbits could be played in a yoga class, it could be a soundtrack, and it could be something you throw on at the end of your night or at the beginning with the first pop of a cork.