Daedalus

On a mission to release his brand of lush electronic experimentation on every independent record label ever to exist, L.A.-based beatsmith Daedelus has taken his 13th studio album, Drown Out, to the legendary Anticon, and, surprise, surprise, it's a doozy. Always one to subvert expectations, Drown Out features less of the ultra-creative international crate-digging that coloured his recent releases for Ninja Tune, instead focusing on meditative synthscapes, textured and deeper than deep. Although, a sneaky Tupac sample does make an exuberant appearance on the house-tinged "Keep Still." One thing that does remain a constant on Drown Out is the intense musicality Daedelus brings to every project. Born 50 years ago, he would have been the toast of the avant-garde community; his musical experiments are a rarity in this ADHD world of MP3s and free downloads. Thankfully, we in the 21st century have him all to ourselves, and we should treasure him.