I had never heard of young Swedish electronica producer Cloud until this new album landed on my desk, and how surprised I was that this was the case. This guy has got some serious talent in him, both in his sense of composition and in his crisp, plump production skills.
The Grid eases us in with a slow-burning feel, chuggy BPMs molested by a masterful chord progression that’s as hypnotic as it is pretty. Innocence takes things to a more sultry, sombre vibe with deep, gruff vocals, before the life-affirming gorgeousness of Satka bursts through with its twinkling, plink-plonk synths, rubbery bass and lovely pad blasts.
All Over is drenched in classic house feel, ploddy and warm and lifted by gorgeous vocals, but he keeps his percussion to simple functionality rather than the cluttered excess of loops). It allows his riffs and melodies – and how many great ones there are – room to breathe. It gets more beautiful still – the mesmerising proto house sheen of Strings is topped off with the most graceful of string samples, and What You Want delves into deep, dubbed-out territory with a fleck of African rhythm.
He amps things up to a dancefloor destroying intensity on the acid-fuelled glory of Snakes & Diamonds and the classy, slinky bass of Voltige, before we get our second glimpse of vocals on the lustrous Diamondtrack. Chasm takes it back down to a contemplative deep house throb before Jupiter Drift brings the whole thing to a close in an unexpectedly downtempo, jazzy chorded kinda way.
It’s like this young Swede has swallowed some of the best bits of Booka Shade and Metro Area and combined them with his own delicate touch and warmth to create something truly gorgeous and captivating. His music is alive, evolving and enchanting, yet never over complicated. It’s electronic music, rather than a collage of sounds stuck together electronically, if you get my drift. Another very proud moment for Swedish electronica.