CD: Ex Mykah - 16, 17

Ex Mykah is a multi-instrumentalist and producer on the LA music scene who’s worked with the names such as Mark Ronson and Miike Snow. His own debut album sounds very far from either of those.

Instead it comes from the warped, alt-hip hop end of the pop spectrum, while also recalling that brief Noughties blog flourish “chillwave” (the likes of Neon Indian and Washed Out). This is music dipped deep in a woozy, druggy feel, but which also never wanders far from an actual tune.

Ex Mykah is Colombian-Cuban-American Bryan Senti who deeply resents the direction his country has taken and the PR material for this album pushes this angle, noting that various songs directly concern social issues. However, listen to “Faceless” or “Suspicions” and we do not hear “an unflinching perspective that spotlights society's grim realities” or a critique of police brutality, respectively, so much as brilliantly odd post-Prince, post-Frank Ocean pop grooves. Sure, the latter song has a chorus that runs “Should have looked out for each other before the time is too late”, but the lyrical content is generally splurged down in the mix, gloopy and strange, part of the feel rather than a bolt of critique awakening the listener.

More importantly, both are riveting offbeat songs, packed with interest. Perhaps the words creep up eventually as the listener lies bong-hazed one revelatory evening. For 16, 17 is thoroughly involving debut wherein Senti weaves a mass of organic instrumentation into a psychedelic-electronic stew. “Thinking of New York”, for instance, appears to feature strings, sax and… ukulele. There are many highlights to relish: the twinkling Empire of the Sun-ish “Machines of Loving Grace”, the Air-ish closer “Dead Celebrity”, “Interventions” which sounds like a sludged out Barry White remix, and more.

Many have attempted to take LA’s Flying Lotus/Low End Theory/Brainfeeder post-hip hop style somewhere new but few ever manage to attach it to something that’s recognisably catchy. Ex Mykah has and it’s to be hoped his debut gathers a wide appreciation for that.

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