Tune the radio to a distant studio out in the Mojave Desert, where Gonjasufi creates and produces his latest. The crackling bandwidth sheds the bigger sounds and samples delivered on his Gaslamp Killer produced debut A Sufi and a Killer, turning the dial to messy, treble-maxed beats and cut-up string lines for drips of atmosphere.

Introductions are never easy, but Gonjasufi is happy to throw a few difficult numbers to open the set. White Picket Fence is like a piece of smooth jazz vinyl being spun slowly in reverse. Feedin’ Birds follows with muffled vocals and minimal sounds. Admittedly the guest vocal from the musician’s partner (April) is highly effective.

Then we stumble upon the tunes that burn in a more intimate light, using the melancholic air to breathe. Nikels and Dimes has an unrushed delay, each line sung across the thick and wavered keys and blown out cymbal-heavy backbeat. This is barebones, scuffed electronics with a deeper soul. It is matched by Rubberband, a track that takes Shadows’ Midnight in a Perfect World lead with the cavernous break. The interference is maxed out but the ambience is crystal clear.

But it’s not all so listenable, track like Timeout and Skin for instance, the latter being a discordant moan where the delay trickery is far less effective than that on Nikels and Dimes. Then there is the snail-paced funk of Blaksuit, again the production is de-tuned, pushed through some dirty filters and left to nod knowingly alone, unconcerned by who might be watching.

What should we expect from Gonjasufi next? Here he’s left us with a muted appreciation of his clear but yet obstructive talent. I’ve tried grappling with the record numerous times, but keep skipping to tracks three and four.

-Maria Flores-