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| Photo by Tonje Thilesen and lifted from HAPPY TRENDY on Facebook |
Stay tuned: formerly (or also?) known as HAPPY TRENDY, Edmontonian and soundscape architect Khotin is due to release his next album, Hello World on Canada Day / July 1st, digitally and on cassette via 1080p.
Relatively quiet but relatively sassy, Khotin paints his visions swimmingly with percussive techno rhythms and washes them with an ambient house overlay. Then he weaves these versatile motifs into the mix, creating an intricate dance on tracks like "Why Don't We Talk," the first cut from the record. I recall having only good words for his earlier EP, Die Young (2011), which was then and remains "bubbly, distant, bliss."
On the contrary, today's lead is rather moody and driven, an atmospheric piece focused sharply on its woody, layered percussion. This second track, "Flight Theme," is a better example of the visually evocative titles on the album, such as "Ghost Story" and "Everything Dub." Stimulating words for stimulating sounds.
Here are track numbers four and eight from Hello World, respectively.