San Diego producer Room E has come a long way since he first made trippy hip-hop beats on a shitty, archaic computer back in 2002. However ‘Penguin Child’ still doesn’t need to rely on slick production. Instead there’s a real water-drenched effect that runs through his debut album, his ambient electronica embracing live drums, woozy bleeps and skittering effects – although the end result is still crystalline bright. ‘Penguin Child’ shuffles along, driven by a gentle heartbeat but ‘Wooly Mammoth’ shimmers the most of all –with a wavery Avalanches-like swathe and xylophone twinkles that sound like the inside of an ice cave. Chilled and minimalist.
6/10
Words by DANNII LEIVERS