Letherette: Letherette EP (Ho_Tep)

This odd and brief jaunt by Andy Harber & Richard Roberts is an exciting mish mash of downtempo beats and samples. Its eight tracks clock in at just over 17 minutes, and so each of these selections is like a sketch or a riff on an idea that ends just before it gets stale. It’s an interesting approach, and it’s working for them here. Sometimes their tracks have the woozy swagger of leftfield downtempo acts like Flying Lotus (in his earlier days, at least), but at other times the cut-ups are more compelling and breathe some extra life into the tracks, such as the smooth “Eye to Eye” or the smoky disco suggestion of “Furth & Myre.” But the clear winner is the strangely tuneful “In July Focus,” a short but sweet head-bobber that is built almost entirely around an unintelligible vocal riff with jazz guitar accompaniment. The track on its own makes the entire EP worth it, but thankfully there are more than a few good ones here. It’s a cool, fun assortment of samples, beats and ideas that knows not to overstay its welcome. Smart stuff and recommended!

Watch/listen: July in Focus

Buy it: iTunes | Boomkat | Amazon