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Moomin A Minor Thought Smallville Records

14.03.16

Moomin has been part of the thriving “art of the loop” sector of the genre for half a decade now, and the Berlin house producer’s knack for sourcing enticingly hypnotic and emotional samples has made much of his output highly distinctive.

With his second LP, he treads slightly lighter – even going with the first coloured art seen on any of his releases – to bring what initially sounds like a walk through a Disney-sponsored woodland.

That’s not to say it is without depth or merit, but it does take a patient listen through a few uneventful tracks (including Loop No. 1, a track released two years ago) to get on side. Of the first act, the title track stands out with a very reassuring vocal sample, and several interplaying Rhodes swirlings.

It’s not until we get to Alone that the album reaches anything near the emotional heights of 2014’s Time Circle. It’s eerie and melancholic, but still childlike. For some unquantifiable reason, it’s these sets of samples that allow the listener to really click in to what Moomin does best: emote and entrance.

Tracks like Stotheh, on the other hand, tire out the same old palette used throughout the record. The percussive variations in Time To Reflect and Unshaped are a welcome change, but what a shame they are separated by yet another previously released Moomin track – from 2013 no less.

It’s these gaps that do little to justify long play formats for producers who struggle to persuade much of a narrative through their work. Stand alone they do just fine, but together it’s just loop over quality.

Stream the full album here.