Afro Monk

Thriftworks (Jake Atlas) may be the most underrated producer these days. Given the bona fide quality of his production, not enough people know who I am talking about when I bring his name up. His newest release, Rainmaker, encompasses the perfect combination of eclectic sounds with stunning harmony and satisfying bass. It is my, and a few others’ who I have discussed the matter with, favorite bass album of 2012 thus far. I have no qualms listening to it all the way through and soaking up every second of it; the name is fitting as the album is perfect for a chill rainy day. Infiltrated with gorgeous strings, swanky bass, and some peculiar sounds that I honestly can’t even identify, the 14-track album is thorough and gratifying. Just as I feel myself falling into a state of relaxation the next track will be a gentle pick-me-up. I especially dig Teach Me How To Camelot; it’s more on the glitchy side than the others and I love the assortment of pitches. I have yet to see Thriftworks live but would love to… I hope to catch him at the Naughty Yaught: Valentine’s Day Party in San Francisco that Afro Monk is playing at as well. That looks to be one rockin’ party!

Grab Thriftworks – Rainmaker LP on his Bandcamp Page. Believe me, you won’t regret it!

Street Ritual is on their A game. Their latest release comes from Thriftworks. The release is called ZenZero and sports some quality album art that get lost in every time I glance at it. Now lets get into what we are all here for… the music.

This is a complete 20 track album! The amount of diversity and quality in this is extremely rare to come by. It’s become extremely popular to release 4-5 track EPs but no Thriftworks defies the trends and release 20 brand new tracks and to top it off 2 FREE tracks to help promo the release! Incredible. You’d think it would be filled with small clips or experimental loops but no not here. There are straight up 20 full tracks ranging in all different styles but with a Thriftworks flavor that is heard in every tune.

Thiftworks style is what I would call melodic, chill, and sexy. The 20 tunes play with such a groove and flow. The synth lines are spectacular and the bass lines aren’t aggressive. There’s a little of everything from midtempo, dubstep, downtempo, and IDM on this. There’s a track “Zanibar Ophanid” that will appeal to any serious gamer out there. A few of my other favorites on this are “Thizza Thizza”, “Eisenblaster”, and “Cloud Chakra”.

I hope to hear some more from Thriftworks in the future and applaud the Street Ritual team on an amazing find. It’s great to see music like this getting a chance in this heavy bass market right now.

If I had to give this album a rating I’d give it a perfect score 5 out of 5, easy. Preview the tracks below and be sure to download the two FREE tracks. You can purchase from the widget as well!