Huerco S.

For Those Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)

BY Bryon HayesPublished Jun 1, 2016

8
With his sophomore full-length effort, Kansas City producer Brian Leeds (a.k.a. Huerco S.) has made significant leaps, both logistically and stylistically. Having dropped his debut for Daniel Lopatin's Software imprint, he's now shifted his base of operations, choosing to release For Those Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) on Proibito, the label helmed by NYC-based DJ/producer Anthony Naples. 
 
Similarly, Leeds has shed his outsider house modus operandi in favour of a more contemplative — and decidedly ambient — sound. While there's plenty of mellifluous, melodic content spread across all four sides of this album, not a single beat appears until the C side (and it's as sparse a beat as can be imagined). Instead, Leeds populates his canvases with dense swashes of hiss, shuffling near-rhythms and short, repetitive tones that are as colourful as they are thoughtful. While For Those Who Have Never leans more toward Leeds' softer and sombre sides, the introspective nature of the music hardly keeps it from being interesting. 
 
On the contrary, the depth and creativity the producer has employed make this album stand out as an example of ambient music at its most compelling.
(Proibito)

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