pretty sneaky: koldd

Pretty Sneaky, the anonymous project that has been quietly hiding behind a banana peel logo and self-released white label 12" EPs, present their dilated and slomo sub laden atmospheres, this time for Marionette -- following elusive outings for label favorites Mana and Meakusma. After being introduced to PS through a common internet friend back in 2016, a year before their very first self-published white label release, it was only in 2021 that Marionette reconnected to discuss an album for the label. Maintaining anonymity all these years is something to admire and respect, and PS is a reminder that the music itself and the imagination of it is compelling enough without the need to attach the name, face, or any context to the listening experience -- going against the grain of trends. Koldd (aka Norman Levy), is a longtime friend and collaborator of Pretty Sneaky, and while Norman has played instruments on two previous cuts, this is their very first collaborative release, where five of the recordings were produced at Levy's studio in Marseille. The seven themes presented here lysergicaly weave field recordings of bird call and wind/water with pastoral synth lines and resonating modular patches that are on occasion sideswiped with a bass-heavy thump and stripped back percussion. This album is a mysterious offering for the heads out there looking to get transported to the macro space around us while reminiscing the dancefloor -- the sort of thing you'd play for your friends after a night out that blows them to smithereens.