Exos exhibits his full range of capabilities and expressive muscle on his latest album for Mutual Rytm, “Sweet Dreams”.
After an outstanding release on Tresor last year, Exos has been a busy man, keeping his schedule packed with touring and appearances as a remix artist. But there hasn’t been a lot of solo work since then. This album might be a reason why and where all the gold has wound up in the Mutual Rytm catalog.
There are the usual glitteringly exciting tracks filled with Exos’ patented energy, such as on “State of Mind”, ”Hvarvetna”, and “Fögur Er Hliðin”. But the real joys in this album are where he cuts loose with electro, broken beat, ambient, and his previously acclaimed dub techno.
Each of these excursions serves as an expression of joy and play found within the sound design. For example, if “North of January” isn’t getting into your electro playlist, maybe it’s time to really dust that one off. It’s a massive smash if you’re coming from the electro perspective. Also, the track “Freefall” is certainly a deeply self-introspective look at conveying emotion within the sound design inside the broken beat or UK bass format.
The entire album is ace. There’s absolutely no lag in the layout of this album, and nothing comes off as flat. “Sweet Dreams” is an album that clearly shows Exos is in his element, fully exploring his heart’s intentions and satisfying any musical idea that he desires.
In a way, the album can also be considered something of a liberation moment. Since opening up from his dub techno roots, Exos seems to be asking himself, ‘If I’m good at making uptempo floor-filling techno, maybe I’m good at pretty much everything else?’ And, to be honest, we’re more than inclined to agree.
-Sean Ocean
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