- A breakthrough EP from a future star of the new minimal underground.
- It's hard to catch a break in the rarefied world of the new minimal scene. While aspiring DJs hunt for track IDs in SoundCloud mixes, every day a new label seemingly pops up to drop a limited run of '90s-indebted 12-inches, hoping to make it into an Instagram reel at Sunwaves or Dimensions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (who doesn't want more music?), but it does mean it can be hard to stand out amidst this crowded field. In 2021, Chengdu producer Rui Bai's first release as B.AI hinted that she had a slightly different take on these sounds. Her tracks took Nicolas Lutz-style techno and added nimble melodic detailing. Her sophomore release is even better. On Let It Be, Bai combines electro-fused techno with touches of flamboyant melody. Both silly and sinister, the project is a study in contrasts.
The record's high points come at its bookends. "Take Me To Your Galaxy" is Bai's action movie montage moment. A minor chord progression and snare rolls throws their weight around, while a melancholy synth lead tears up with sci-fi pings underneath. The electro drums on "Aqueous" are funky, but Bai adds a sample that sounds like it's being put through a paper shredder. She finally breaks the tension in the final third of the track with a bouncy, upbeat melody that sounds like Jayda G making a track for Binh's Time Passages label.
The remaining two tracks are equally excellent, albeit more restrained. "Let It Be" is introspective, involving a twisting arpeggio and drums triggered so tightly they sound knotted. I also love the House Of Horrors organs that kick in at the five-minute mark on "No End." Each of these tracks would easily work in a marathon afterhours set, but they'll also have a wider reach—I can just as easily imagine Craig Richards playing these tracks as Mor Elian. These are niche club cuts, in other words, that'll have big tent appeal for the global underground.
Tracklist01. Take Me To Your Galaxy
02. Let It Be
03. No End
04. Aqueous