{"product_id":"bf046","title":"Mono\/Poly - Golden Skies","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt speaks volumes for how long we’ve been waiting for the debut Brainfeeder album from \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/mono-poly#.U6we1a2wK7M\"\u003eMono\/Poly\u003c\/a\u003e that when \u003cstrong\u003eFlying Lotus\u003c\/strong\u003e first got in touch with him about doing something for the label, it was via Myspace. The wait, though, has been worth it. Specializing in a kind of beat-driven cosmic soundscape which he describes as “electronic-classical-alchemy music,” \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/mono-poly#.U6we1a2wK7M\"\u003eMono\/Poly\u003c\/a\u003e aka \u003cstrong\u003eCharles Dickerson\u003c\/strong\u003e has drawn on the lessons he’s learned from collaborating on last year’s \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/thundercat\"\u003eThundercat\u003c\/a\u003e album as well as the Flash Bang Grenada hip hop project with \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/busdriver\"\u003eBusdriver\u003c\/a\u003e and Nocando, and made a beautifully realized, endlessly expansive record.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the first orchestral trills of \u003cstrong\u003e“Winds of Change”\u003c\/strong\u003e you know you’re in for something special. As the track builds the listener notices not only the content but also the production chops – this is a record which sounds exactly as big, glossy and up front as its creator wants it to. \u003cstrong\u003eRebekah Raff\u003c\/strong\u003e adds scintillating harp work to \u003cstrong\u003e“Transit to the Gold Planet,”\u003c\/strong\u003e but it’s the way \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/mono-poly#.U6we1a2wK7M\"\u003eDickerson\u003c\/a\u003e integrates it and builds on it which is really special.\u003cstrong\u003e “Ra Rise”\u003c\/strong\u003e sounds like sunbathing in space, \u003cstrong\u003eNiki Randa’s\u003c\/strong\u003e abstracted topline vocal warming you right through. Title track, \u003cstrong\u003e“Golden Skies”\u003c\/strong\u003e uses a looping piano riff reminiscent of \u003cstrong\u003eBach\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eThelonious Monk\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eWu Tang\u003c\/strong\u003e on E, all at once, without sounding like any of them. Add sternum- thrumming bass to that and you know exactly what’s what. \u003cstrong\u003e“Alpha \u0026amp; Omega”\u003c\/strong\u003e does something clever with slowed down d\u0026amp;b licks and tweaked vocal snips. \u003cstrong\u003e“Empyrean”\u003c\/strong\u003e features \u003cstrong\u003eMendee Ichikawa\u003c\/strong\u003e (of the band Free Moral Agents), an ethereal, ghostly presence.\u003cstrong\u003e “Night Garden”\u003c\/strong\u003e sounds like a drive through the dark streets of an alternate LA. \u003cstrong\u003e“Euphoria”\u003c\/strong\u003e uses a simple, military-style snare and then twines keyboard lines over it until it’s lifted into the sky. \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/thundercat\"\u003eThundercat\u003c\/a\u003e joins in on last track, \u003cstrong\u003e“Gamma,”\u003c\/strong\u003e and adds some perfectly-judged low-end riffing to anchor \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/mono-poly#.U6we1a2wK7M\"\u003eDickerson\u003c\/a\u003e’s keyboard swirls.\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/mono-poly#.U6we1a2wK7M\"\u003eMono\/Poly\u003c\/a\u003e has been a name to watch since his debut, The George Machine, back in 2009. His 2011 EP release for Brainfeeder, Manifestations, was supported by artists as diverse as Radiohead and Erykah Badu and his work on \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/ninjatune.net\/artist\/thundercat\"\u003eThundercat\u003c\/a\u003e’s Apocalypse established once and for all the quality of his productions. With \u003cem\u003eGolden Skies\u003c\/em\u003e he has laid down a marker to any other “beat maker” out there. Because with a genuine producer with this much talent, everyone else needs to aim a little bit higher – up towards the golden skies. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cimg src=\"\/files\/images\/mono-poly\/two\/IMG-7835-EDIT.jpg\" width=\"430\" height=\"322\"\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ninjatune","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44934232932511,"sku":"BFCD046","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"LP","offer_id":44934232965279,"sku":"BF046","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0493\/8563\/5999\/products\/golden-skies-main.jpg?v=1736246470","url":"https:\/\/merch.ninjatune.net\/products\/bf046","provider":"Ninja Tune","version":"1.0","type":"link"}