— Cosmopolyphonic associate Tidal started a new project called Room-T, for all things funk and soul. It’s a deliberate throwback, and “Fools Garden” loads up on tight bass notes and drum machine hits to really make that 80s / 90s feel soak through. Yet despite the very specific time range Tidal eyes with this track, the lack of vocals make it still feel a little less aged than it should, its elastic nature sounding just as welcome in 2018 as 1988. Listen above.
— On a similar nostalgia kick, Takeda Soshi returns with a new house number that has a little bit of a memory haze around it. “Costa Rica Adults Only Romance,” however, avoids the faded feel of lo-fi house in favor of tropical splashes bringing to mind Dorian or PellyColo. Besides having a light waft of melancholy to it, it’s also just a bouncy fun track. Listen below.
— Finally, something with no past trappings to it! Toccoyaki teams up with Sanso Nakamura for a bubbly pop number that manages a fizzy feeling without overloading the track. Rather, the pair use space to accentuate the rollicking electronic beat and Nakamura’s singing. Listen below.