Since their first contact with NYC based producer Thavius Beck in 2018, he sent U-Trax over 100 unreleased tracks, or beats, as he calls them. 25 of them have been selected for releases on U-TRAX, good for over 2 hours of music, across one album and an EP. The tracks vary in style a lot, but what they have in common is that they either are moody – in U-TRAX lingo: deep – or they are drum heavy. The common denominator would probably be ‘experimental/instrumental hip-hop’, reminiscent of producers like Flying Lotus. People have tried all sorts of comparisons to pinpoint Thavius’ sound, ranging from ‘between DJ Shadow and Orbital’ and ‘a mix of Massive Attack and The Orb’.
None of these are spot on, yet quite a few of these tracks feel like a happy marriage between hip-hop beats and techno sounds. Despite the fact that some tracks are 20 years old and have been made with widely different gear (one track was even made on a PlayStation 2), this selection sounds remarkably balanced, yet diverse. From the irresistible single ‘Lovesick/Still Sick’ to the dark and massive ‘Birdsong’ (that echoes the sound of his popular song ‘Atmos’), and from the head-nodding ‘Work!’ to the soothing ‘Reunited With The All’ – if this collection showcases anything, it’s Thavius’ brilliant production and composing skills, as well as his wizard-level sampling techniques. The result is a luscious electronic music album with a broad appeal.
