TEEBS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: LA beat scene veteran Mtendere Mandowa looks to a fresh set of talented collaborators (including Panda Bear, MNDSGN, Thomas Stankiewicz) on his new album for Brainfeeder. It is his first for five years and the results are superb. The 14 original tracks across the album constantly evolve and flourish. Opener "Atoms Song" is built around a loopy keyboard that's joined by drifting synths that wash over you like a warm shower, Shufflin' beast "Daughter Callin'" is something that Dilla would be happy to put his name to and album highlight, Sudan Archives hook-up "Black Dove" is an emotive, georgeously moving number, all at once proving Teebs' ability to integrate dynamic talents seamlessly into his own sonic realm. Warm and organic, "Anicca" is an essential piece of work.

Review: LA-based painter and beatmaker Mtendere Mandowa has previously impressed with his experimental work as Teebs on Brainfeeder, All City and Svetlana Industries. This second full length, which is being released simultaneously on Brainfeeder and Big Dada, offers a dreamy, ethereal alternative to the fiery intensity and heart aching poignancy of his 2010 debut album, Ardour. While that was recorded in the immediate aftermath of a death in the family, the warmth, lucidity and blssfulness of Estara reflects Mandowa's new-found happiness. Of course, it's still as fuzzy and eccentric as its predecessor, but puts far greater emphasis on melodic warmth, with his skittering, experimental hip-hop beats cloaked in pastel textures and watercolour sounds.