Will Schube never forgot about Dre.
Remember Jonti? The Australian beatmaker put out the excellent Sine & Moon with Stones Throw in 2012, only to disappear a short time later. That record boasts a strong blend of left-field rap production, delicate arrangements, and a keen ear for melody. It lands somewhere between Nosaj Thing and cLOUDDEAD. Well, the dude is back with two great new tracks, “Scrood,” featuring the wunderkind Steve Lacy, and “Rain,” a grieving ode to Jonti’s late grandfather.
“Scrood” is the happier of the two tracks, a psych-funk cruiser already a lock for your summer BBQ playlist. Steve Lacy is the 17-year-old kid who produces for The Internet, and his innate sense of rhythm and precision pushes “Scrood” into thizz-face nod along territory. “Rain” has a bit more emotive depth to it than “Scrood,” fitting nicely into the falsetto-dwelling niche carved by fellow labelmates Mild High Club.
Jonti wrote “Rain” in LA a few days after his grandfather passed away. Once Peanut Butter Wolf heard it (Jonti affectionately refers to PBW as Wolf. Find yourself a friend you can call Wolf.), Jonti decided to release it. Jonti’s gentle falsetto is backed by a g-funk indebted synth and dusty drums. The brief choir sample appears and disappears before you notice. It’s an inspired touch. “Rain” boasts Jonti’s strongest feel for melodic power yet, and with more tracks promised to come in 2017, it’ll be interesting to see how he continues this development. You may have forgotten about Jonti, but with “Scrood” and “Rain,” you won’t make that mistake again.
