Toronto DJ/producer Basic Soul Unit (aka Stuart Li) explored deep Chicago house sounds on his last album, Motional Response, but there’s almost no trace of those soulful influences on his new offering. Instead, he’s shifted to Detroit and Berlin techno, and the mood is darkly dystopian. Kick drums are distorted, synth melodies are anxious and gloomy, and little of his jazz-funk DJ roots remains.
This shift isn’t as drastic if you’ve been keeping track of the range of approaches his singles have explored, an eclecticism also found in the beats he favours. Instead of a restricted metronomic kick drum pulse, the rhythms are often closer to dancehall reggae, Afrobeat and even Bo Diddley-style syncopation. Li’s productions tend toward a functional minimalism that works well for DJ singles but to some ears might lack the dynamics expected from albums. If you can get past that, though, Under The Same Sky holds together as a compelling exploration of a theme.
Top track: Until The End Comes