One third of hard-touring space cadets Pnuma Trio, Colorado-based Alex Botwin has delivered on the promise of his previous remixes and mixtapes with this first album. As Alex B, he has composed a mostly instrumental debut that’s rooted in hip-hop yet surveys plenty of derivations. At times recalling Antipop Consortium with such queasy rhythms and open spaces, Botwin is also fond of disorienting splashes of samples and synths. But despite the tasteful influences at play – including DJ Shadow and Prefuse 73 – he makes Moments his own.
Warm details leap out from across the 17 tracks, whether a scrambled sample or springy melody. Chopped vocals provide the hook for the single “You And I Both Know’, while “Hide Extension’ is awash with burping fuzz and “Impressions’ spikes further ambience with a head-nodding snap. There are a trio of guest turns as well: Sunk1′ blurted flow on the 49-second tease “Kick Drone’, Count Bass D’ relaxed surrealism on “Drop Splatter’, and Lilla D’mone’ R&B whisper amid the rustling electronic embers of “Getting To Know You’.
The tracks flow together as naturally as could be, thanks to the eerie ease with which Botwin dispatches them. Some, like “Talk It Out’, border on the subliminal, albeit for the purpose of a respite or transition. In fact, Moments would almost qualify as background music if it weren’ so well crafted and constantly transforming. Tracks are kept short enough not to wear thin, but long enough not to feel like channel-surfing. Mixing up his approach throughout, Botwin emerges as a deft engineer of textures and emotions alike.
Doug Wallen
