Transforming such intensity into a product so bewitching is an incredible effort, and the resulting works leave very little doubt that Colonial Patterns is more than some admirable interpretation — it’s a ruthless conquest.
Perhaps it’s the range of this record that is most impressive: the US dancefloor renaissance of which Leeds is a part has been largely singles-focussed so far, and few of its proponents seem capable of producing an album as diverse as this.
The ensuing collision of temporal zones creates a bewildering, all-encompassing present, which might be why Colonial Patterns presents a soundtrack for both blunting jet lag and long road trips in which the landscape is continuously cut and framed by the windshield window.
It's eerie without being really cinematic, and never seems to properly unravel from its own obscurity. It remains a quality album, though, and sometimes it's more fun to not have all the answers.
Colonial Patterns is not a flawless record, but it does open up a whole new world of possibilities for Leeds as a producer, and places him decisively outside any box people might wish to put him in.
Overall, Colonial Patterns shuns sleekness for seductive crackles and is all the more refreshing for it. This is a debut that is, at times, rewarding and marks out Huerco S as a producer to watch.
#31 | / | FACT Magazine |
#42 | / | Tiny Mix Tapes |