Over the years, label Huh What & Where has grown from a loosely affiliated group of friends sharing an obscure Wordpress page to an international roster of top talent. Their Guelph, Ontario-based beatsmith Elaquent, who labelmate Ta-Ku credits for inspiring him to make music, is back with the full-length Good Karma, a playful, optimistic collection of 11 instrumental tracks.
The jam session vibes in "She Remembers" evoke supreme relaxation, and the bouncy beat in "Midnight Snacks" gets flanked by heavy synths, yet keeps with the light nature of the record. Elaquent's deeply layered production employs acoustic guitar licks, running water samples and summertime sprinkler 808 hi-hats underneath drumbeats that suggest a human touch. It's fitting, as one of doodles on the album cover reads "Be human, don't quantize," a slight to the producers that rely on computer assistance to musically remain on beat. Elaquent is an obvious student of J Dilla and Flying Lotus, but he brings his own natural snap, present in both his laid-back and uptempo works.
At just over 30 minutes, Good Karma is a repeatable and tightly packed instrumental beat record that, refreshingly, doesn't take itself too seriously.
(HuhWhat&Where)The jam session vibes in "She Remembers" evoke supreme relaxation, and the bouncy beat in "Midnight Snacks" gets flanked by heavy synths, yet keeps with the light nature of the record. Elaquent's deeply layered production employs acoustic guitar licks, running water samples and summertime sprinkler 808 hi-hats underneath drumbeats that suggest a human touch. It's fitting, as one of doodles on the album cover reads "Be human, don't quantize," a slight to the producers that rely on computer assistance to musically remain on beat. Elaquent is an obvious student of J Dilla and Flying Lotus, but he brings his own natural snap, present in both his laid-back and uptempo works.
At just over 30 minutes, Good Karma is a repeatable and tightly packed instrumental beat record that, refreshingly, doesn't take itself too seriously.