Maroki - Pit Stop Papi (Shall Not Fade)

 

Title: Pit Stop Papi

Artist: Maroki

Label: Shall Not Fade

Cat Number: SNFDIGI057

Genre: Bittersweet Beat Ambience

1: Pit Stop Papi

2: We’ll Always Have Paris (Maybe)

3: Bigman Icecream (This Is A Song About Vulnerability)

4: Satellite City Showdown

5: We’re Going To The Dinosaur Park

This release from Maroki balances a number of elements that come and go in varying proportions across the five tracks, occasionally coalescing in surprising places. There’s a ghostly, vocal presence; break beats, and a sunlit uplands ambience across the whole package, which segues the tracks into some sort of unofficial sequence. Bookended by ‘Pit Shop Papi’ which is beat less for over half its length, and ‘We’re Going To The Dinosaur Park’ which closes on a similar tone, but with more enthusiasm and energy, the tracks in between each weigh up the wisdom of stepping outside their respective domains with various levels of intensity, and are more structured and solid. This is a moot point though, as I have slight differences of opinion on where each leads every time I listen. A strong release though, that treads a sure path through wistful, gossamer draped soundscapes and the passing notion that this can be a funky experience.