When producer 99 Letters first caught our attention all the way back in 2009 (!), the music he was making aggressive chiptune music, a series of bleeps and bloops rendered a bit more crushing. He stuck at this for a while — and was very good at it — but he’s taken a step in a different direction in recent times. Gone is the 8-bit suffocation and, as highlighted on his new album Drawing Days, in comes a more spacious dance sound jumping between techno and house. It can get somewhat intense at times — the squelches on acid-house rumbler “Do Acid,” the far-off sirens on “Phantasy Dub” — but for the most part this is a well-constructed collection that works hard to establish grooves to get lost in rather than trying to crush listeners. Not every artist can mature in this way, but 99 Letters has pulled it off well. Listen above.
