Normally, a record like People Plus's Third Space EP would be a frustrating affair. The latest from Vancouver-based imprint Mood Hut, which has carved out a niche combining New Age-y ambience with organic-grade disco, has loose, free jazz arrangements in which the solid elements are easy to lose.
People Plus, who are made up of Mood Hut's CZW and Joli B, skirt a fine line between progression and overindulgence — and they wind up on top. Abstract (at least as far as disco goes), the songs that make up this longer-than-usual EP are that rare combination of infectious and hook-less. "Ascension," with its Patrick Adams-like synth lead and delicate chimes, and "Journey to Being," a super-slow experiment in boogie, are the best examples of People Plus's wandering-but-not-lost approach.
The only misstep is the meandering, nearly nine-minute-long "Jungle Room." Dreamy broken beats are overshadowed by too-smooth guitar licks and a distorted clavinet.
Besides that, the Third Space EP is perfect for the approaching patio season. And though lesser DJs might have a hard time dropping any of these on the festival circuit this summer, in the right hands these are unassuming weapons.
(Mood Hut)People Plus, who are made up of Mood Hut's CZW and Joli B, skirt a fine line between progression and overindulgence — and they wind up on top. Abstract (at least as far as disco goes), the songs that make up this longer-than-usual EP are that rare combination of infectious and hook-less. "Ascension," with its Patrick Adams-like synth lead and delicate chimes, and "Journey to Being," a super-slow experiment in boogie, are the best examples of People Plus's wandering-but-not-lost approach.
The only misstep is the meandering, nearly nine-minute-long "Jungle Room." Dreamy broken beats are overshadowed by too-smooth guitar licks and a distorted clavinet.
Besides that, the Third Space EP is perfect for the approaching patio season. And though lesser DJs might have a hard time dropping any of these on the festival circuit this summer, in the right hands these are unassuming weapons.
