Take “Incredibright” from Alpha Pup on Vimeo.
However it happened, Take had a right to be irate that Only Mountain leaked a month early. A driving force behind the underground LA beat scene for the last decade, Sweatson Klank’s debut not only evidences a singular synthesis of IDM and dubstep, but it’s also one of the finest releases to emerge from the Low End Theory — and a noticeable departure from the noirish murkiness of his Alpha Pup peers (which is to be expected when you name a track “Incredibright.”)
Pushing the boundaries of a genre is often a win-lose situation, and though some of the attempts slightly miss the mark, his unique style brings something fresh to a scene that could go stale overnight were it not for the abundance of highly gifted talents. On tracks like “Crystallia,” he strikes the right balance of weirdness, and where some DJs come off as too abrasive or too loungy, he consistently finds a spot somewhere in the middle. Granted, there are some pretty high pitched spaceship sound effects on “Quartz For Amber” that might not sound so inviting on your $300 Dr. Dre headphones (Sidebar: I don’t even own a pair of headphones), but Take mostly succeeds at balancing the experimental and warmly familiar. His greatest victories arrive when offering his own twist on certain genres, with jungle and dubstep on “Incredibright” and R&B on “If We Don’t All Go Insane.”
Many producers struggle to produce a coherent piece of work when shifting to the LP format, but with years of LA DJ gigs under his belt, Take doesn’t have that problem. By its conclusion, Only Mountain actually starts to feel like a late night, rooftop set, complete with stunning skyline views. If you haven’t had the chance to see him live, his recent Getaway Mix (see below) is the next best thing. As for Only Mountain, though, Take plants a flag at the summit, daring other beatmakers to snatch it away. — Aaron Frank
Download:
MP3: Take – “Neon Beams”MP3: Low End Theory Podcast XIV – Take & Nobody
MP3: Take – “Getaway Mix” (Tracklist Below Jump)
Dimlite – Elbow Food
James Blake – Air and Lack Thereof
Indigo Pyramid – 4-2in5 Four
Phantogram – Mouthful of Diamonds
Giles, Giles, and Fripp- Drop in
Flying Lotus – Mmmhhhhh
Bug – Indica
Loscil – Dub for Caacadia
Anenon – Damiel
The Seven Fields of Aphelion – Saturation
Jneiro Jarel – Android Love
Devonwho- Adept (Tokimonsta rmx)
Paul White- Anchor Records
Devonwho – Tracklift
Indigo Pyramid – Touch Myself
Junior Parker – Tomorrow Never Knows
