Aera – Offseason Traveller

The debut LP from this Berlin-based producer, mainly known for his quietly seductive house output, confronts the structural difficulties which LPs sometimes present for electronica artists. Offseason Traveller gradually shifts through the gears over its opening three tracks, which draw upon gossamer-thin dubstep rhythms and 70s ambient synthscapes, before a strong sense of Aera’s project becomes clear. The album draws throughout on influences gleaned from travels in Peru and Bolivia, but maintains a glossy, hard-edged sheen.
 
Cambio is a silky, delicately layered take on Flying Lotus’ psych-hop: slow-mo samba rhythms are married with the textures of minimal house, while sparse piano chords add weight. Another highlight is Die Pferden, which blends flute and wood percussion loops beneath a laid-back, squelchy 4/4 beat, before dissolving into a haze of metallic, pitch-bent chords. That thoughtful structuring, both within tracks and across the LP as a whole, gives Offseason Traveller a compelling sense of narrative. [Sam Wiseman]