#b.b.h.e.

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"Tar" by Hudson Mohawke https://ift.tt/3ilFqqA

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Last week Hudson Mohawke released a new LP called B.B.H.E., and it's another satisfying record that finds Hudson right in his sweet spot delivering beats that split the difference between experimental beat, wonky, and his signature trap bass sound. Highlight "Tar" is one of the more substantial cuts here, and Hudson gets enough mileage out of the chip-tune-esque synth melody melody to last the nearly five minute runtime before the compositions grows stale. Over choppy boom-bap drums, harpsichord loops, and that bright synth melody Hudson crafts an infectious instrumental brimming with life. Compared to the low-end heavy bass trap that Hudson records with Lunice as TNGHT, "Tar" is a decidedly low-key, downtempo affair that seems content to survey the comedown after a party scored by TNGHT.

Shortly before the two minute mark the percussion drops out leaving just a lone synth to glisten unobtrusively for a few moments before a looped snare rhythm creeps into the fold, slightly accentuating the momentum before suddenly dissipating. The original melodic motif then returns to the fold, and Hudson subtly heightens its potency through drums that knock a little harder, and synths that swell with a slightly brighter tone that before. "Tar" is one of the few songs here that extends past the two minute mark, and while it initially seems somewhat antithetical to Hudson's general compositional approach, it's refreshing to hear him really flesh out a beat to its full potential instead of just fading out as soon as the initial arrangements seemed to have run their course. B.B.H.E. isn't quite as well-realized or as cohesive as the two TNGHT EPs, but it's a welcome affirmation of what Hudson is capable of when it's just him behind the boards.

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