April 29, 2022 - Lost Palms
Lxury aka Andy Smith cuts through the scene like a hot knife through butter that is not hot. The Londoner has been busy releasing what is likely the work that was being worked on during a brief release lull in 2021, with an EP out on Shall Not Fade and this full-length on their sibling imprint. As the name suggests, Vivid Night Experience is full of technicolor late night bangers.
The project opens with a hallmark to Smith’s production style, featuring soaring textural pads, crisp percussion, and nimble basslines. ‘Motion’ epitomizes its title, sending listeners on a journey through the skies. The tracks that follow get weightier in a way that drags them back to earth rather than adding depth, with ‘Surface’ and ‘Get Down On’ specifically lingering on for twice as long as they’ve got the steam for.
The clouds part for the second half of the project, breaking the sound barrier and leaving the first half behind. ‘YT Storm’ pillars up around an infectious series of digital organ riffs with anthemic sections of on-the-beat marching giving structure to unbridled revelry. ‘What Selects’ stacks layers of samples and melodies and loops and hits “Duplicate,” sending a stream of audio in all directions. It's chaotic in the best way. Smith rides the waves of disparate loops like a seasoned surfer, teetering on the edge of controlling the current and letting it crash over itself. My favorite Lxury tracks find themselves in this balance between supervision and turbulence, when the music feels like it could break free of the confines of the digital audio workstation. Smith wields a deft hand on ‘Ninja H2R Flyby,’ letting the track soar to new heights before steering it back down, a playful game of catch and release.
‘Ride’ closes out the project in similar fashion to how it opened, though with less rigidity and more of the looseness found in the second half. Mechanical percussion butts up against organic vocal swells and a climbing melodic line, leading again upwards towards the night sky. The music fades as fireflies rise from the trees, adding movement and unpredictability to the seemingly static stars. 🍍