Stream and purchase: https://eranbenzeev.bandcamp.com/album/adult-dreams-pkm006
Australian label Pocketmoth values quality over quantity. Indeed, the label owners hold a simple philosophy: if it’s good, release it. Operating from Brisbane since 2017, Pocketmoth has explored a broad range of styles under the banner of underground electronic music.
Their latest is firmly titled in an electronic direction, and it comes at us via live act Eran Ben-zeev, an up-and-coming Israeli producer based out of Berlin, Germany. One half on the Annos Woland project (alongside Stan Yaroslavsky), Eran and Stan have played numerous shows and released tracks for labels such as Fact, BlueCode and Catenaccio. On a further collaborative tip, Eran has also worked as part of the Ozacure project, which released a live mix and a handful of tracks via Pocketmoth’s last complilation.
Eran’s music is renowned for an appreciation of minimalism with an emphasis on innovation, traits that are showcased quite expertly here via the expertly produced strands of the Adult Dreams EP.
Spread across three killer tracks, the action gets underway thanks to the supple, classy sounds of ‘Zeev (Dreams mix)’. An acid-drenched track that’s coated in old-school sensibilities, it also maintains a future-sounding aesthetic, and is the sort of classic-sounding gem that would appeal to similarly-inclined producers a la DJ TLR or Carl Craig.
The ‘Emotions Repressed’ version of ‘Zeev’ goes deeper than deep in search of kicks, with this one forcing parallels with the likes of Dream 2 Science. A sophisticated, laidback jam that will sound best when the night takes a turn in direction, this one has almost certainly been crafted with an after-hours vibe in mind. Culminating the release is the ‘Spasmodic Impulse Mix’ of ‘Zeev’, a delectable gem that’s always engaging, never boring and keeps the listener second-guessing throughout courtesy of its many unpredictable mannerisms and diverse approach.
A keen drummer, Ben-zeev has only recently began turning his hand to solo work, with this only his fourth release as a solo artist. Pocketmoth evidently, is a suitably diverse place for his sounds and we’re already looking forward to seeing what else label and artist have to say for themselves over the next while.