Someone left a window open somewhere in Acid Dad and you can practically feel the breeze coming through it. Maribou State work a sunlit, organic corner of electronic music where live instruments and dance-floor mechanics share the same room, and even in demo form this has that unmistakable hand-played looseness. The British duo have been quiet for a while, so a rough sketch surfacing is a small event on its own. There’s an acid line in here, as the title threatens, but it’s a gentle one, more Sunday-afternoon than peak-time, curling around a groove that takes its time getting anywhere. The percussion has that live-kit shuffle they do so well, a fraction behind the beat, human in a way sequenced drums rarely manage. It’s unfinished and you can hear the seams, and honestly the seams are half the charm. I hope they never over-produce it. Some demos are better left exactly this undressed.
January
Chrome Daydream
Chrome stars, jelly hearts and holographic colour. A nod to the glossy, optimistic graphics of the early web.