D.Dahlinger Exquisite Spirits

Cold Busted presents Exquisite Spirits, the latest from D.Dahlinger, a self-described “Northern California-bred, Japan-based dusty dollar/yen bin loop digger.” The follow-up to 2016’s debut album Brisk Temps (and his appearance with Pigeondust on Cold Busted’s Only On Vinyl 2 compilation), Exquisite Spirits is another brilliant exercise in tough, boom-bap beats at meditative tempos and engaging sample source genre-clashes. D.Dahlinger’s influences are wide-ranging, with Paul’s Boutique and Paid In Full hotly tipped alongside psych-rock and shoegaze, as well as the attitudes of west coast skateboarding culture thrown in. A relocation to Japan also created noticeable inspiration, giving the music a wandering flavor that often feels like solemn exploration.

A prime example of D.Dahlinger’s distinctive sound is the curiously titled “B,” which dreamily combines glistening harps, compressed vinyl noise, and lovely piano over a solid beat foundation. There’s also the pensive build of “Color Scheme 13,” with a gentle flute that deceptively calms the listener before the approaching sonic storm; the molasses intro of “Wind Back Up” which increases in tempo to reveal an intricate construction of samples and melody; and the deft trip hop thump of “Anyone’s Out There,” featuring layers of D.Dahlinger’s trademark hypnotic embellishments. Exquisite Spirits lives up its name, being both haunting and hard-to-ignore ... beats designed for the ages.