8bitch: Equinox EP (Seed Records)

These four tracks from producer 8Bitch nicely walk the line between a bunch of electronic music genres. The skittery stereo drumming of opener “Orpheus” has the tweaked charm of classic IDM, and its supporting synth pads and melodic elements further the genre comparison. It makes sense given most of Seed’s other output, including records from IDM acts Posthuman and Digitonal, but the EP evolves to include more of a future R&B/dubstep crossover sound. “Hathor” has the chugging groove of dubstep with some smooth looping vocal harmonies — it’s the most direct track in alignment with current trends and helps this EP crossover. “Astarte” is more along the lines of the opening cut, with glimmering melodies and twitchy drum tracks, paving the way for “Isis” as a sparkling closing track. Its arpeggios and bright synths close out the EP nicely, lacking any of the drum tracks that drive the rest of this release. It’s a nicely balanced collection of tunes, likely to appeal to fans of a variety of sounds within the instrumental electronic arena.

Watch/listen: Hathor

Buy it: Amazon | Boomkat