This little gem of an EP was released about a month ago on avant-garde maestro Nicolas Jaar‘s own Clown and Sunset record label. Unsurprisingly, Montreal native Valentin Stip’s glitchy, downtempo electronica does not sound out of place next to the moody left-field house of Jaar’s full-length debut Space Is Only Noise. Synth washes, slow soulful keyboard, fractured vocal loops, and a wide assortment of rhythmic clicks weave in amongst each other resulting in 27 minutes and 3 seconds of serenely melancholic techno. The title track “Anytime Will Do” calls to mind the glitch-heavy IDM of Matmos‘ lipo-suction sampling track “Lipostudio…And So On”. Although Stip’s production is not quite as innovative as that of Matmos’ circa 2001, his ability to re-interpret the sounds of his peers (and elders) and experiment with them further is surely worth some recognition. On the EP’s dazzling centerpiece “Gravels (I & II)”, Stip composes a meandering ten minute opus that slithers along coyly with its clipped vocal samples, lurking bass, bongos, and wistful keyboard melodies. “Anytime Will Do” EP builds upon Jaar’s sonic template and serves as further experimentation in space and sound. At its core, “Anytime Will Do” is pure minimalism. Stip lets his grooves slink in and out freely while twitchy drum samples sustain a rhythm. The layers of sounds drift over top of each other effortlessly without ever allowing the music to sound excessive or overwrought. Now that’s subtlety at its finest. (A special thanks goes out to Aaron Sawatsky for introducing me to Valentin Stip)

CS006 Valentin Stip – Anytime Will Do EP by Clown and Sunset

You can purchase Stip’s “Anytime Will Do” – EP on:

• Beatport
• iTunes
• word and sound