Sim Nagai - Palm Dreams (Cold Busted)

Sim Nagai, the Belgian maven of sonic traveling, brings a Latin-influenced flair to the latest installment in Cold Busted's Jet Set series. Either by plane or the flight of the pelicans on the cover art, Nagai's Palm Dreams seeks to transport the listener to warmly resonating climes. "In Rotation" opens the EP with choppy electric piano chords that are soon joined by a strutting breakbeat and sunshine guitar riffs. Next up is the spacey "Cuban Delirium," adding drama to the release with vibrating key pads, flavorful percussion, and flashes of flamenco. The title cut imagines a bossa-getaway, as an angelic female voice croons over a crackling downtempo beat, celestial effects, and loungey guitar strums. The EP closes out with the beachy "Copacabana Sun," adding uptempo and uplifting instrumentation that sparkles over halftime rhythms.

Pillow Talk (PillowTalk Music) – “Cool summer vibes.”
Kid Loco (Flor) – “Great grooves and moods.”
ALTZ (DFA) – “Love the Copacabana Sand mood.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “A delightful 4 some of musical goodness.”
Dr. Rubberfunk (Funkydown) – “Lovely Rhodes on ‘In Rotation’, sets this EP up nicely. Definitely sunshine sounds!”
Floored Capri (Kane FM) – “This is a smooth smooth release. Some much needed coconutty/greenleaf/blue sky/warm sand relief for someone who's not seen palm trees for a long long time.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, AND Spotify.

mtbrd - Just Visiting (Cold Busted)

Prolifically crafting beats from the UK, mtbrd is the latest artist to tackle Cold Busted's high-flying Jet Set series. With his self-released singles and albums — including last year's coffee-flavored Damn Fine — mtbrd has attracted a large following of downtempo-minded fans awaiting his latest beat-scapes. Just Visiting, his 4-song Jet Set installment is just the ticket. mtbrd's soulful rhythm constructions and cut-up loops make the EP a top-flight addition to his growing discography.

The title track opens Just Visiting with a bang — heavy boom-bap beats, cleverly assembled vocal hits, and its dramatic change-ups give the cut an irresistible velocity. "So Long" carries its soulful vibe through shimmering electric piano, short guitar riff splashes, and a crackling snare drum. Next is "Ti Amo" with its cinematic flair, assisted by big drums, a pulsing low end, and evocative string phrases. "Lost In Translation" ends the journey, laying out chiming guitar chords, driving hand percussion, and infectious vocal melodies.

Redstickman (The Ambient Mafia) – “Beautiful! Love this EP. All of the tracks are deliciously downtempo.”
Kid Loco (Tromolo Records) – “This is brilliant.”
Andrew Emil (Glenview Records) – “Fantastic EP!”
DJ T-Bird - Los Chicos Altos) – “Nice head nodding beats.”
Stylax (Kane FM) – “Wicked sounds.”
Crate Invader (Point Blank FM London) – “Stunning. Superb. Sublime. Cold Busted is killing it.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Fiendsh - Hayashi Reborn (Cold Busted)

Fiendsh returns to Cold Busted with Hayashi Reborn, the Bangkok-based producer’s long-awaited follow-up to 2016’s To The End. The title refers to the Hayashi, a group of instrumentalists in Japanese Noh theater. Noh often revolves around themes of life, so with this album the Fiendsh alter-ego takes on the role of the Hayashi of the young beat-producer’s life. The album’s sounds are introspective and rich, combining deep rhythms and warm melodies. Sometimes a hint of Fiendsh’s Thai culture drops in, but mostly the influences are straight from the well of hip-hop, soul, and jazz classics.

Hayashi Reborn opens confidently with “Astronaut,” jazz sound blasts giving way to compressed beats and evocative strings. Midway the song transforms to a dream state as things start to flow in reverse. Other highlights include the subdued trip-hop of “Eye Pt. 1,” the shimmering piano boom-bap of “Jun Satori (feat. Puddie),” and “No Limitations” with its pulsing feel and ambient audience sounds. “Champagne Promises” and “Lucid S Dreamin” display a mellower side to Fiendsh, making Hayashi Reborn a well-rounded listen. This album’s a choice set for audio explorers everywhere.

Crate Invader (Point Blank FM London) – “Sometimes uplifting, sometimes emotive, always sublime - just some brilliant programming right here.”
Kid Loco (Flor) – “Fancy the beats, don’t I? I’m dancing.”
Michael Moebus (Meem) – “A nice, atmospheric release.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Nice atmospheric & jazztastic trip hop experience.”
Andrew Emil (5Magazine) – “A really lovely LP.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “A mega selection of tunes to warm your soul and ears.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Oilix - Nothing But Summer (Cold Busted)

Cold Busted presents the latest in the Jet Set series, with a new flight path from Russia-via-Kazakhstan producer Oilix. The Nothing But Summer EP delivers warm vibes that’ll erase the deepest winter, four tracks that typify the genre that Oilix half-jokingly refers to as ‘sunhop.’ “San Francisco” opens the a-side with a jaunty bounce, feeling like a ‘70s TV theme if not for the upbeat boom-bap rhythm. The title cut follows with more cheery guitar riffs alongside spacey synth lines, nostalgic strings, and a percussive shuffle. Flip the wax for “Southern Beach,” featuring some potent block-party disco vibes delivered with horn blasts, cool keys, and a jazzy guitar solo. The single closes out with the pensive “Sunset In Mallorca” which transmits a delightfully lazy feel through its pronounced swing and Oilix’s smooth instrumentation. Nothing But Summer is a reminder that no matter the season, the sun’s always shining somewhere.

Black Mighty Wax (Irma Records) – “Very good EP. It’s like travelling around the world.”
Ket Shah (Mucho Soul) – “A couple of really cool grooves on this release.”
Andreas Kinzl (Play.FM) – “Sweet melodies for the beach.”
Crate Invader (Point Blank FM London) – “Stunning production, full on Summer vibes.”
Lakatos Sandor Suefo (Radio Tilos FM 90.3) – “Nice, easy tunes. I’ll play them.”
Jon Wesley (Music Goes On radio show) – “Great downtempo jams for Spring and Summer. I’ll play them all.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Apple Music, And Spotify.