People Plus

Third Space

BY Josh ShermanPublished May 1, 2019

8
Normally, a record like People Plus's Third Space EP would be a frustrating affair. The latest from Vancouver-based imprint Mood Hut, which has carved out a niche combining New Age-y ambience with organic-grade disco, has loose, free jazz arrangements in which the solid elements are easy to lose.
 
People Plus, who are made up of Mood Hut's CZW and Joli B, skirt a fine line between progression and overindulgence — and they wind up on top. Abstract (at least as far as disco goes), the songs that make up this longer-than-usual EP are that rare combination of infectious and hook-less. "Ascension," with its Patrick Adams-like synth lead and delicate chimes, and "Journey to Being," a super-slow experiment in boogie, are the best examples of People Plus's wandering-but-not-lost approach.
 
The only misstep is the meandering, nearly nine-minute-long "Jungle Room." Dreamy broken beats are overshadowed by too-smooth guitar licks and a distorted clavinet.
 
Besides that, the Third Space EP is perfect for the approaching patio season. And though lesser DJs might have a hard time dropping any of these on the festival circuit this summer, in the right hands these are unassuming weapons.
(Mood Hut)

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