Jimmy Penguin – Thumb EP (Fusion Net)

This 6 tracker from Irish hip hop mainstay Jimmy (the Hideous) Penguin on Fusion Net recalls a lot of varying influences from electronica (and probably Warp Records) heyday.
Thumb opens suitably with the hauntingly minimal Depiano, a beautifully-crafted sample composition which swells nicely, reminding one of many a post-rock effort minus the climactic drama.

‘7th September’ sees the first beats of the release, preceded by a fantastic acid sounding baseline, which got me very excited when I first heard it bubbling into the mix. Here, and again in ‘Howl’, a respectful nod towards artists such as Boards of Canada and Plaid is apparent.

“Wha” drops down to the 100bpm mark and is a trip hop affair with some excellent haunting vocal work that makes for a very full and rich track.
‘Rogen’ is a slightly weaker affair after the fullness of the previous track but the EP finishes strong with ‘Is It May’ – the initial beat pops from my headphones energetically and soon settles into playful, dark and fantastical melodies, playfully Plaidian in nature.

Wintery in its darkness and lovingly constructed, this release reflects a producer with a great understanding of musical arrangement and an eclectic bag of experience to draw on.

One of Ireland’s most prolific prodders, Jimmy has his scratchy fingers in many the Irish electronic pie for the last number of years building what is becoming an impressive back catalogue of music and an accomplished musical CV as a curator of Ireland’s finest free music festival, the Community Scratch Games which took place in Galway over Easter weekend.

You can pick up Jimmy’s Thumb EP here:
http://www.archive.org/details/fn_22JimmyPenguin-Thumb

more info on the scratch games here:
http://www.nozlrecordings.com

depiano by jimmy the hideous penguin

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