Chaim

From Tel Aviv, Chaim has been releasing music on Ellen Allien's BPitch Control imprint since 2008. Alive is his debut full-length record and is inspired by the strong euphoric music he heard years ago attending early raves in Tel Aviv. "The musicians from back then are no longer active," Chaim says, "but they still inspire me to this day." While first song "Rain" layers delicate sounds and samples, second track "U & Eye" causes Alive to live up to its title with steady beats and glowing house elements. Classic samples make subtle appearances throughout the record; the vocal sample in "Everything" echoes illusively like sections of the vocals from 1995's "Break of Dawn," by Rhythm on the Loose. While the record sometimes comes across as slow or lackadaisical, the depth in the audio in those moments is apparent ― next thing you know, another powerfully upbeat wake-up track dives in, like catchy single "Love Rehab," warmly drawing you in with its use of organic percussion and lumbering bass, as well as beautiful, clever vocal arrangements.