Ryan Stinson

Prairie producer Ryan Stinson switches directions with his new release, a five-song EP of mostly dark, moody instrumentals. Futura opens with "DeLorean," an up-tempo, two-minute track combining spacey sounds and a bit of synth and piano over funky bass and slamming, start-stop drums. The sole vocal track, "Melt," follows, with Ghettosocks dropping a topical story rap about bullying and empowerment, the ethereal background vocals of the Henry Hudson Elementary School Choir (who will receive 50-percent of all proceeds from sales of the EP) lending the song an air of despair and sadness. If there must be one vocal track to offset the instrumentals, "Melt" is a good choice. The pace picks up again with "Dissociative," a drum-heavy instrumental incorporating more synths and a tweaked "ahhh" sample. It would make Endtroducing-era DJ Shadow proud. Next song "Move On" opens with a weird fairy tale narration that slowly incorporates violin and singing to become a big, boombastic beat for about two minutes before it cuts out and is replaced by plinking piano, angelic vocals and then faster drums and more synth. It's a rollercoaster ride. Final song "Rain" slows it down again, the twangy guitar and vocals giving this song a country & western twist that stands out from the rest of the songs, but serving as a nice, chill way to end this short EP. Hopefully there's more Futura in Ryan Stinson's future.