E s t a r a

As an original member of Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder collective, Mtendere Mandowa has seen his production style grow right alongside the richly hued paintings he's had featured in galleries worldwide. And while music is a more recent pursuit of his than visual art, both mediums benefit from Mandowa's distinct voice: one that's warm, polychromatic, and collage-ish, as if he'd somehow bottled L.A.'s smog-battling sunshine and sold it back to us via broad brushstrokes and bold sample banks. The latter of those is decidedly lean, to the point where it's nearly impossible to identify the guests on Mandowa's second proper Teebs LP, from his Sons of the Morning studiomate Prefuse 73 to Jaga Jazzist bandleader Lars Horntveth. Aside from the Toro y Moi double takes of "Holiday"—a rare vocal track featuring Jonti—E s t a r a is very much Mandowa's show, a laid-back affair led by light guitar lines, rattled field recordings, and skittish beats. Step back and take a long look, though; like a paint-splattered canvas, its many layers demand repeat visits to truly reveal themselves.