Kiki

Finnish architect turned musician Joakim Ijas (aka Kiki) is known for his crisp, minimal sound. The tracks on his second album, Kaiku ("Echo," in Finnish), are what one would expect from the conceptual tech house producer: dark, moody compositions with clean sonic lines and a sense of space and depth. Kaiku is a cerebral record, with seemingly incidental music that fades into the background in a most interesting and provocative manner, becoming a part of the space it occupies. Although Kiki's tracks are rhythm-driven, with hints of melody, this album is largely a textural, ambient work. Much like the classic dub excursions of '60s Jamaica, it's meant to let the listener drift away into space, and that space may very well be the dance floor at a more adventurous club, rave-type thing or art gallery.