Aurora Halal - Shapeshifter

  • Share
  • "I'm not interested in lo-fi at all," Aurora Halal told RA last year. "High-definition psychedelic immersion is my number one priority right now." The Brooklyn producer's latest EP, a collection of well-polished techno and electro on her own Mutual Dreaming label, might be the apex of this approach. The grooves are sleek, the melodies velvety—though the shift doesn't always work in Halal's favour. Where last year's Passageway had a pungency and vividness that gave it character, parts of Shapeshifter go down too smoothly. "Death Of Real," with its glistening pads and roiling bassline, cleaves into the electro formula so efficiently that it's easily ignored. The track's digital-only version, whose thornier tone recalls Dopplereffekt, isn't much better. These misfires are in the minority, though. "Shapeshifter" and "Sunlight" are darkly hypnotic techno tracks, their synth work haloed with luscious reverb. The aptly titled "Sleep Distortion" dives deeper down the electro rabbit hole to find a more convincing foggy groove. Halal saves her best for last with "Just Tell Me," whose cascading melody and whispered vocals are mesmerizing. In moments like those, Halal pulls off "psychedelic immersion" with style.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Shapeshifter A2 Death of Real B1 Sunlight B2 Sleep Distortion B3 Just Tell Me Digital Only: Death of Real (Version)
RA