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Jiaolong
Jiaolong in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $24.99
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Daphni
, the more dance-oriented project of
Caribou
's
Dan Snaith
, is bold and direct where his main project is intricate and subtle. While the different name lets
Snaith
's fans know not to expect more
, on
Jiaolong
it's still kind of remarkable just how different his approach is. With samples aplenty, raw-sounding keyboards, and looped beats,
deals in a very simple, roots-based kind of dance music. Given how elaborate
's music can be, stripping things back as much as
does on
is probably a big part of the challenge -- and appeal -- of the project on his part. He also made the album partly in response to what he saw as a glut of uninspired dance music in the 2010s, and while
isn't necessarily an alternative to bad EDM, it might be an antidote to it: tracks such as "Springs" hark back to a day when synths went woop-woop-woop instead of wub-wub-wub, and the splashy reverb and drum rolls evoke dub instead of dubstep. For the most part,
features exercises in linear repetition, addition, and subtraction that boast grooves so relentless that they could bore holes in the dancefloor. Album-opener "Yes I Know" mixes punchy brass, a soul music sample, a four-on-the-floor house beat, and lots of filter tweaking into something that's as catchy as it is kinetic. However,
doesn't give up subtlety entirely on
, as the tiny differences from track to track reveal. He alternates between more serious, groove-driven songs and more playful ones like "Light," which, with its flute loops and oddly harmonized keyboards, is more experimental than danceable despite its undeniable beat (and it also has more movement than many of the other songs here). Likewise, the mix of faux-exotic rhythms and cheap 'n' cheerful synth tones on "Pairs," and the herky-jerky funk of "Jiao" add some whimsy, calling to mind a particularly inspired use of presets on a vintage keyboard. "Ahora," meanwhile, turns
's trance-inducing vibe into a sleek nighttime cityscape with a distant melody that sounds like whistling in the dark. At their best,
and
definitely have a vitality that some dance music -- and even some of
's other work -- lacks. ~ Heather Phares
, the more dance-oriented project of
Caribou
's
Dan Snaith
, is bold and direct where his main project is intricate and subtle. While the different name lets
Snaith
's fans know not to expect more
, on
Jiaolong
it's still kind of remarkable just how different his approach is. With samples aplenty, raw-sounding keyboards, and looped beats,
deals in a very simple, roots-based kind of dance music. Given how elaborate
's music can be, stripping things back as much as
does on
is probably a big part of the challenge -- and appeal -- of the project on his part. He also made the album partly in response to what he saw as a glut of uninspired dance music in the 2010s, and while
isn't necessarily an alternative to bad EDM, it might be an antidote to it: tracks such as "Springs" hark back to a day when synths went woop-woop-woop instead of wub-wub-wub, and the splashy reverb and drum rolls evoke dub instead of dubstep. For the most part,
features exercises in linear repetition, addition, and subtraction that boast grooves so relentless that they could bore holes in the dancefloor. Album-opener "Yes I Know" mixes punchy brass, a soul music sample, a four-on-the-floor house beat, and lots of filter tweaking into something that's as catchy as it is kinetic. However,
doesn't give up subtlety entirely on
, as the tiny differences from track to track reveal. He alternates between more serious, groove-driven songs and more playful ones like "Light," which, with its flute loops and oddly harmonized keyboards, is more experimental than danceable despite its undeniable beat (and it also has more movement than many of the other songs here). Likewise, the mix of faux-exotic rhythms and cheap 'n' cheerful synth tones on "Pairs," and the herky-jerky funk of "Jiao" add some whimsy, calling to mind a particularly inspired use of presets on a vintage keyboard. "Ahora," meanwhile, turns
's trance-inducing vibe into a sleek nighttime cityscape with a distant melody that sounds like whistling in the dark. At their best,
and
definitely have a vitality that some dance music -- and even some of
's other work -- lacks. ~ Heather Phares
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