Canadian musician/producer Chin Injeti’s new solo album, recorded in Vancouver, is dense with groovy beats and light, airy vocals.
Injeti’s penchant for low-end and bass hooks is prevalent – a long-term carry over from his time in Toronto hip hop trio Bass is Base.
The Reverb is a futuristic sounding record with a trippy collage of short running songs (Nice to Meet You, Dance) that add modernist hip hop sound tracks behind ambitious songs like I Don’t Know Where We Are. Injeti brings in vocalist Sophia Danai who brings an urban vibe to the dreamy neo-soul track.
The electronic airiness that runs through the album’s centre is funky and vaguely robotic at times (Dance, Collision). Injeti’s bass and keyboard centred grooves play along free and easy with the tracks, allowing the atmospherics to soar while they keep the songs pinned down.
The Reverb has an affinity for the world view of Giorgio Moroder and Daft Punk, where the weirdness of synths, bass and assorted electronics is skillfully shaped into a natural partner for foundational thump-heavy rhythms that are progressive and funky. Throwback features this signature light and beat-happy sound, along with a suitably electro voiced performance from David Banner.
A garage friendly psychedelic touch coasts through the playful groove of Black Skeletons while Currency and Wherever We Go Tonight has the bounce and adventurous arrangement of early Prince material.
Injeti and his collaborators bring together a smooth merger of urban soul sensibility with exploratory hip hop based electro ideas. The Reverb is imaginative and dreamy – a groovy lullaby of airy electronic songs.
– Dean Gordon-Smith is a Vernon-based musician and freelance writer who reviews new releases for The Morning Star every Friday.
