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Pause

Named after the ATP World Tour venue in reference to his early musical life sampling recordings of tennis matches, the Italian producer’s sophomore LP has been turning heads at the likes of Ninja Tune.

Coming out via the Berlin net label Bad Panda, which cut its teeth releasing a new digital single every week and has supported Indian Wells’ development for a while, having released his digital debut concept collection, Night Drops, Pause rises and fades in layers that are both relaxing and taxing. There’s an element of congestion to the multiple overlapping lanes of this musical motorway, flirting with the accelerator between cruise control and tentative pushes.

Opener ‘Lipsia’ leads in with that same chaotic propulsion, juxtaposing familiar popping metronomes resembling tennis strokes rallying over its building racket. ‘Mountains’ and ‘Alacantra’ drift freely through your unsuspecting psyche with complex yet accessible chimes and pops, while ‘Changes’ is more provocative in its sweeping rhythms, massaging those neck muscles into gentle nods. The shimmering, ambient house akin to The Field’s Looping State of Mind on ‘Pause / Vignelli’ lulls you into a meditative state with its oneiric glistens, and the breathy ‘New York Nights’ hints at ‘Karma Police’ among the many bricks in its wall.

With its progressive tendencies within the bounds of instrumental electronica, it’s no surprise that Pause has been featured on Tycho’s blog, ISO50. ‘Games in the Yard’ could have seamlessly been inserted onto either of Tycho’s last two albums, even when featuring the only vocals on the album, by Matilde Davoli.