#95 Top Releases in Trap / Future Bass

For over a year now, Denni Kindred, a.k.a. Longstocking, has been captaining the ship that is Feral One Records. From the beginning her philosophy has been clear: pour into every release the unbridled love she feels for her hometown of Seattle while creating space for PNW artists to produce music that honors their own personal connection to the region (and to the dancefloor). Now Longstocking is back with another release of her own on Feral One. A release that is the most extensive and diverse in the history of the label: her new album, Creating Space. Seattle is Kindred's space. The musical contributions of Seattle and the PNW span all different genres and time periods, and the 16 tracks on Creating Space represent the diversity in sound and persona found within that space. It's as much an alternative album as it is a dance album. Kicking things off is "Good Stuff" (the title of which gives an unambiguous hint as to what is coming from the track and the rest of the LP). This track is just pure joy. There is a playful use of samples that plays like a child throwing different colored paints at the wall and ending up with a Jackson Pollack. Simultaneously, different string patterns, from arpeggios to chordal pads, provide a sense of acoustic groundedness, like that same child knew exactly what they were doing from the start. "A Little Too Much" is another indicative title, communicating the degree of Kindred's love of Seattle. The combination of rhythmic dulcimer strings and warm, inviting vocals is like the sonic version of a charter boat coasting on Puget Sound at sunset. The kick drum is just a reminder that after the boat docks, everyone is heading to the club. But remember, this album is not just for the club. And past the halfway mark, "Bombom" comes in to combine hip-hop, breaks, and IDM into one delectable, heady whole. Where does each of these manifest? Hip-hop comes through in even more airtight sampling. Breaks are found in erratic drum patterns. And the synth passages are so gruesome, there is no other genre classification that remotely makes sense besides IDM. The alternative side of the album reaches its zenith at "Office Window" when Kindred abandons all sense of dance music. But one thing she doesn't abandon even slightly is a sense of groove. The drum kit glides along a swing beat that Coltrane would be happy to riff over, but instead of bebop tenor saxophone, it's sound design that is equal parts precise and minimalistic. To close is another curveball in the form of "Green & Me." Given the context of this album, it should be clear that "Green" represents the lush, arboraceous environment of Seattle (as well as another plant that is as aromatic as it is combustible), and "Me" is Kindred, who so candidly shares over a serene lo-fi hip-hop beat that there's no other place that she could ever be. Original Art: Fernando Xerxes (BR) Mastering: Hume Audio Longstocking www.LongstockingMusic.com https://linktr.ee/longstocking Feral One Records LLC www.FeralOneRecords.com linktr.ee/feralonerecords Distributed by Label Engine - www.label-engine.com

Longstocking