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.

The Deli - Spacetime (Cold Busted)

Austin’s acclaimed hip-hop beatrepreneur The Deli embraces the celestial on his latest album, Spacetime. After the massive success of his album Vibes 3, its follow-up Jazz Cat, and the infectious track “Flowers” (over 50-million plays on Spotify so far), there’s been anticipation for his next long-player for Cold Busted. Look to the skies — Spacetime arrives like a cosmic gravity wave, sonic transmissions soundtracking happenings out among the stars. Load these tunes up for the next space mission and prepare to cruise.

Spacetime opens with “welcome2space,” bringing a sense of weightlessness with gentle piano chords and a sparse rhythm. “paracausalzone” lightly boosts the thrusters, with shimmering pads and unidentified percussion objects. There’s a perilous journey through the “astroidbelt” accompanied by jazzy, muted horns and languid beats; and a visit to the “spacecafe” where sub-bass with a side of vibes is on the menu. Spacetime is a 17-track mission, closing with the imaginative “goodbyelullabye.” On this final cut, bouncing bass blips, smooth synth lines, and stereo glimmers welcome our spacefaring listener back to Earth. But these galactic beats make a repeated returns to orbit quite inviting.

Anatoly Ice (Icebound) – “Very cool fusion of chill and dubby J Dilla kind of swing.”
Al Patterson (Vinyl Athletes) – “The Deli always delivers the heat.”
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Show) – “This is sensational. The Deli never fails to bring the goods, and this is up there with his best work.”
Andy Wilson (Ibiza Sonica) – “Top quality head nodding beats. This is dope.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “This is just our bag. We love it!”
Matt Sonzala (Radio KAOS) – “This dude is amazing. Been a fan for a while now and always happy to hear new jams from him. Excellent!”

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

LTTL - Watercolor (Cold Busted)

Watercolor is LTTL’s fantastic debut album, released by Los Angeles’s iconic Cold Busted label. The western NY-state beat-maker was trained as a live drummer, but, thanks to a sonic encounter with the sound of MF Doom, emerged as an instrumental hip-hop enthusiast. LTTL’s musical palette is composed of phat and precise rhythms mixed with what he calls “psychedelic elevator music.” Watercolor’s 17 tracks display his technique, resulting in tight, laid-back vibes that groove for days.

LTTL’s obsession with colors and the natural world is revealed in the hue-named song titles. “Vermillion Hue” opens Watercolor, ringing electric piano and crisp, classy drums leading into a strange sax-like melody. “Lemon Yellow” is next, sounding like the on-hold music for the chillest of skate shops. Other highlights include the dramatic pulse of “Sky Blue,” the bird songs, jazzy guitar, and boom-bap beat of “Ultramarine,” and the strange melodic pads and growling bass of “Sap Green.” With Watercolor, LTTL has carved out his path among a world of downtempo beat producers. The future is bright as he continues to paint his masterpieces with sound.

Rory Hoy (Super Hi-Fi) – “Absolutely beautiful release. Definitely supporting.”
Mr. Bristow (Subtek) – “Lovely, dusty and groovy.”
Crate Invader (Point Blank FM, London) – “Stunning and sublime. Props!”
Andreas Kinzl (Aromabar) – “Lemon Yellow is captivating.”
Salah Sadeq (The Crate Radio Show) – “Lovely sounds and vibe. I will feature and play these.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel, Sydney) – “Very slick downtempo grooves. Winner for me.”
Lakatos Sandor Suefo (Radio Tilos) – “Perfect for hangover mornings. Especially Ultramarine & Crimson Lake. I will play on air.”

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