Mercury
On paper, James Hinton’s formula is simple: dusty, chopped-up vocal sample, an old club beat, and a misting of pretty synths. Voilà—a rave anthem recast as a tiny porcelain figurine. Part of what makes the approach appealing is that Hinton never shies away from the emotional current in his music. It feels both big and small at the same time. So, while his nods to trip-hop (“1995,” “Ricercar”), rave (“Bicameral”), garage (“Not for Me”), and other forms of UK dance might scan as nostalgic, the feelings he elicits from them are fresh, sweet, and present.
On his first album in six years, the Vermont-based musician continues to flesh out lush, melancholy house music with amateur vocals sourced from the internet.
The not-to-be-missed fourth album by EDM artist James Hinton aka the Range is simultaneously his most retro sounding and forward-looking. Mercury is engrossing.