Cosmic Sound II, the latest full length release from Stephen Farris, stretches across some serious territory. It a solid demonstration of one artist’s ability to conquer several different electronic music sub-genres, while slapping his own watermark on the listener’s ear. What’s more, CSII is refreshing in its architecture an as album. While many electronic musicians simply toss together an assortment of disconnected beats and call it an album, Farris presents a diverse and enjoyable ride with this 16 track course. It takes every turn, climb, and drop with a deliberate step, making for smooth transitions between a variety of house, funk, and hip hop influenced beats. It is a great example of a musician’s ear and a producer’s mind working seamlessly together, as Farris‘ clever combinations of organic samples, synths (both big and light), compressed beats, stutter-stepping vocal chops and bass grooves is enhanced by a solid understanding of music. You can check out this trail mix at his bandcamp for free, but consider dropping a few $$ on this solid collection of material.

Stephen Farris – Sleep Easy

Stephen Farris – Inaudible

Stephen Farris – Radio Drifter