Carefully using all kinds of colorful ingredients from the far-flung regions of the musical spectrum, Seb Taylor expertly weaves glitchy IDM-ish downtempo electronica with hazy jazz flavors and various mystical, sensual eastern scents to create his very own mind-expanding eclectic rich fabric. Loungy and trippy, alluring and quirky; Second Nature provides a cosmically kaleidoscopic listening experience.
[Release page] Creating and releasing music together with Natasha Chamberlain under the Kaya Project pseudonym, and also with Momi Ochion as Angel Tears, Seb Taylor is certainly not a stranger in the psychedelic chillout / downtempo / world music arena. Over the years he and Natasha released five successful Kaya Project albums (including the desert phase remixes album), and with Momi Ochion he released four Angel Tears albums. In 2008, forward-thinking Israeli label Aleph Zero released Some Things Never Change—Seb Taylor’s wonderful debut album as Hibernation. As Hibernation Seb focuses more on downtempo electronica that is a bit more experimental and artificial, but still maintains a certain electro-acoustic, east meets west vibe. While Some Things Never Change was more enigmatic and strange, Second Nature is more accessible and crystallized; but make no mistake, Seb simply took things a couple of steps further, and the magic is still very much there, alive and kicking, just in a slightly more polished, sleek way.
Carefully using all kinds of colorful ingredients from the far-flung regions of the musical spectrum, Seb Taylor expertly weaves glitchy IDM-ish downtempo electronica with hazy jazz flavors and various mystical, sensual eastern scents to create his very own mind-expanding eclectic rich fabric. Loungy and trippy, alluring and quirky; Second Nature provides a cosmically kaleidoscopic listening experience.
This album is the work of a talented musician. Besides doing all the programming on his albums, Seb Taylor also plays guitar and other instruments; this time he adds lovely guitar shades and organic basslines on several tracks. Interchill Records‘ vision of world music-infused downtempo electronica fits very well to the aesthetics of Hibernation. Based in Canada, Interchill offers a multicolored selection of electronic based music that gracefully brushes with dub, ambient, lounge, reggae, chill, all kinds of traditional eastern music and more. After releasing all the Kaya Project albums, Interchill gives us a glimpse into Seb Taylor’s other type of work.
Second Nature is certainly not some sort of typical psychill dish, nor one of those failing post-Shpongle efforts; it’s an original and inspiring work that has its own unique characteristics. The CD comes packed in a lovely three-part digipak that suits the imaginative spirit of the music it contains. Full of groove and spice, Second Nature is perfect for vivid, psychedelic, full of depth and limitless sofa traveling. This is another release of high quality musicianship and production by Seb Taylor. Genre-fusing at its finest.
Artwork was made by Andy Thomas.
Second Nature is available on Interchill. [Release page]
