Narducci – Downstairs

Hauntingly short post-trip-hop piece by producer and saxophonist Matthew Silberman aka Narducci features a mindblowing solo on EWI and leaves you puzzled, inspired and pleasantly unsatisfied like its musical narrator – the perfect state to hit play once again. And again.

Matthew Silberman (Narducci): "This track was created for a scene of unrequited love, seeking to underline the sexual tension and desire that arise from yet-unfulfilled attraction.The synth solo was improvised live on an EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) in Downtown Los Angeles at Big Time Studio, and was inspired by the vibe/energy of the track and the contrast of lights and darkness in the environment (performance of the solo is beautifully captured by videographer Vincent Ducarne in this video).

Dovetail – nine

Dovetail is an anonymous project from Chicago. Its latest track "nine" sounds melancholic and somewhat restless, like a soundtrack to a daysleeper's night of work and meditation.

Dovetail: "This track was pretty much written in one sitting, everything just kept kind of flowing out after I came up with the main chords. I wrote this one late at night when I couldn't fall asleep which is how end up writing most of my music. I think that would be a good time to listen to this one too. Almost all of the synth sounds are from a Korg Prologue analog synthesizer, everything except the kick drum. I ran some of the pads through some delay pedals a few times to get some of that extra warble."

Sloki – Cheap Vacation

Sloki is an Egyptian-born, UK-based producer Marwan El-Menawy. He says his "Cheap Vacation" was meant to sound like a trip with no certain direction. It makes sense that the creative process behind the track was similar – it was written in the process of learning a new DAW and exploring the possibilities of new plugins. The track fully lives up to its name and Marwan's musical ambition, managing to balance between the feelings of dizziness and comfort and between fresh and familiar sounds.

Marwan El-Menawy (Sloki): "Cheap Vacation was made during a time last year when I absolutely needed to get out of town, but of course I couldn't. It's partly inspired by some old trips I used to take years ago on my really crappy first car (hence the sampled tape player used to make the beat at the start that carries on throughout). It's also partly inspired by this strange wish that I was in my 20s during the early 90s. I wanted to convey the feeling of staying at an old motel somewhere completely random with no idea where you're going or what you're going to do, but it's ok because you know it's going to be a trip."