Meantime

London producer and multi-instrumentalist Kwesi Sey (or Kwes, as he liked to be called) cut his teeth mixing demos for The xx before joining forces with Micachu & The Shapes for a project titled Kwesachu. This led to him remixing songs for Damon Albarn, Hot Chip, and The Invisible. Here, the opening cut “Klee” serves as an introductory piece. It’s an ambient instrumental that plays for two and a half minutes, juxtaposing analog keyboards with digital tones and background sounds that are hard-panned for maximum stereophonic experience. “Bashful” is a more engaging track, in which Kwes coolly sings in a hushed British accent over a blend of R&B and downtempo. He gets more experimental in “Honey,” mixing in what sounds like samples taken from a busy kitchen; they provide background percussion as Kwes croons above a flurry of collaged synth-based bells and whistles. He saves the best for last: “Igoyh” muses on a beverage as Kwes’ production wizardry approximates the libation’s essence, right down to an ice cube solo.