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Light Surfing on LP

Lowtec, the man behind Workshop and Out To Lunch, famously takes his time to make electronic productions that are, in turn, out of time. Over the course of his career he's released tracks that could have been made yesterday, years ago, or a decade into the future. With Avenue 66 he's found a leftfield home that celebrates pure creativity, that embraces the liminal, the weird, and the sublime. Light Surfing fits all of these descriptors. The double-LP rewards deep, repeated listening. There's plenty to unpack, but those who cherish the murky bangers that have been Lowtec's stock and trade will find plenty to love. "Boy With The Broken Glasses" weaves a subtle, dancehall-inflected riddim into hazy ambient house, while the closer, "Burnt Toast", is the latest example of Jens Kuhn's uncanny ability to perfectly fit a soulful vocal sample into an alien dance floor soundscape. Unexpected moments of sideways beauty also unfurl across the four sides. The two-part Light Surfing is one of Lowtec's most evocative suites to a date - it's mournful string soundtrack is the album's recurring, longing motif. Elsewhere, as on "Mynthenquai", Kuhn applies avant-garde strategies to his synth leads, taking you on head-spinning melodic journeys. Light Surfing is a masterful balancing act between dream states and machine-like efficiency, the experimental and functional, precision and spontaneity. Lowtec could have only gotten here by taking his time.