Take has always been one of the more experimental producers from the Brainfeeder collective in LA, and Only Mountain collects many of his influences into one coherent album of varying styles. The electronics are laid on thick, intricate melodies woven together to create a dense sonic palette, Take’s own flavor of hip hop, ambient, IDM and wonky leanings. Luckily for me, Take does not head for beats that are too wonky for my taste, keeping more true to the Dilla championed style than so many other producers that interpret the genre to the extreme, creating beats that feel too disjointed for these ears, he has maintained a coherent grasp on the rhythms, weaving them around the lush electronic washes and gurgling synthesizers.
“Before You Think”, “Neon Beams”, and “Horizontal Figuration” shine with a crisp brightness; fresh beats; lush electronics; and immense washes of colour. “Crystallia” steals a highly addictive synth line from Tranqill, or maybe it was the reverse… “Quartz From Amber” manages to evoke crystalline qualities, while “Begin End Begin” and “Incredibright” hint at yet more experimentation with the bare bones of dubstep, Take fleshing out the sound with his electronic statements. “Creosote” features As Is drops the mood to a swagger, while “Paper Garden” takes a more frenetic approach with speeding bleep melodies and warm keys. “Juniper” ends this refreshing album with more future dubstep experiments.
Take stays away from the trappings of current styles, and although these styles may shine through, he takes his own path to arrive somewhere completely different.
Wayne Stronell
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