Lone has been churning out workmanlike 90s rave nostalgia for a long time now. His work switches rhythmic swatches from album to album, from the straight 4/4 loops of Emerald Fantasy Tracks to the Dillafied snare hip-hop of Reality Testing to the hyper-kinetic breakbeat Galaxy Garden and Levitate. If that sounds jarringly varied, it’s not. Matt Cutler’s melodies and synth tones occupy a very narrow, very clearly defined space.
Opinions of his music seem to have more to do with the artistic value of nostalgia trips than they do with his music in particular. Is it enough to make a faithful recreation of the past in a boundless expression of love and appreciation, they almost always wonder? Or must we, always, ad infinitum, innovate? I tend to forget about these questions when I dance, so let me get back to the point: I’m here to tell you about the second entry in Lone’s Ambivert Tools EP series. Like Vol. 1, it’s a back-to-basics house affair and should satisfy those who think Lone peaked with Emerald Fantasy Tracks.
In advance of the EP, which drops August 25 via R&S, Lone has released “Minds Eye Melody.” Stream it below and pre-order the record here.
Ambivert Tools Vol. 2 tracklist:
01. Mind’s Eye Melody
02. Looking Glass
03. Under Cherry Blossom (Mind’s Eye Melody Reprise)