Laerec - Paradise

Laerec

Paradise
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Born and raised on the west side of Chicago, the up-and-coming alternative producer named Laerec just released his EP entitled Paradise, which infuses instrumental hip-hop with other genres such as chill-wave and EDM. Laerec calls his music “vibe” but falls in line with acts such as Flying Lotus and Prefuse 73 except the music feels like you popped a Xanax. Listening to this relaxed vibe makes you feel as if time might be slowing down but not in a bad way. There is no reason to get excited because everything will be just fine.

The first track is called “Introduction” and is comprised of warm synth tones, and up front and center drum beats. As the tracks progresses it doesn't change a whole lot. Laerec cuts up the beat leaving a half second of silence at times to change things up a bit. ”Vibe” is a chill song that is like a dose of Ambien. There is nothing jarring about this track as it sets you up for a moment of relaxation. This song combined with a hot tub and I think it would calm my nerves for a week. A similar vibe continues with “All The Time (LA∑R∑C Mix),” which utilizes a scattering vocals sample that when combined with the whirly synths and electronic hand claps makes this track one of the highlights on the album. 

“Purgatory” is still chill and starts to feel eerily psychedelic as well as if you are on the 10th hour of a trip that you want to end as you are trying to get to sleep at 2:45 in the morning. Vocals samples are like ghosts in the background that are abstractions that add to the overall ambience.

The album ends with the most energy filled track called “Al-Hamdulilah.” Arguably this is the best song on the album as the song produces drones filtered through a vocal sample that are manipulated until they are barely recognizable. This features some of the best programming all around as he ends the album 

Laerec made a solid instrumental hip-hop that has some good ideas as well as execution. The concepts are there and I’m interested to see how they evolve with his future projects.

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