It takes a lot to elevate a beat tape from Bandcamp loosie to something absorbing on its own, but Kotetsu from Picnic Disco pulls it off the rare feet with the disorienting MAVTAPE 1. Based on how they describe it — “chill&vapot-trap beats” — I was bracing for something like one of those YouTube mixes called ” S U R G E E N E R G Y97″ with a picture of a water fountain attached. Instead, I got something that got me thinking about SELA., with a little Noah mixed in for good measure. Although most of the tracks here do leave space for voices to sneak in, MAVTAPE 1 stands strongly alone, with additions such as the warped-vocal-heavy “Asagao” and the disjointed jazz stylings of “Opera” (sudden sax blurts and stand-up bass notes, you have my attention) being far more than backdrops to spacing out. This is intricate and at times unnerving music, and don’t let any buzz words scare you away from it. Get it here, or listen below.