By: Anand Harsh

Experimental electronic label YUKU, which has put out some boldly adventurous halftime and progressive bass over the past few months since its inception, stretched its legs even further last month with the release of Audeka's Leisure Lands.

The trio of Max and Marty Cepeda and Skyler Gerdeman assembled eight masterfully composed toybox hip-hop ballads that stretch longingly over a bleak soundscape. Using dusty samples and cacophonous elements, this ode to late-90s almost U.N.K.L.E.-esque dreary breaks is a gorgeous collection of sonic wonder.

While tracks like “Snail Gets Armor” and “Grass” caught my attention in particular, the haunting animated video produced by Oskar Alvarado for “Robots Have Emotions” won my heart. The spare, audio palette combined with these anthropomorphic critters took me farther away than I've been in the grueling, unrelenting bass world of late. Fans of vinyl collecting can still attempt to snag whatever slim stocks may still be on YUKU's digital shelves, because they are strict in their limited edition printing.

Get Leisure Lands by Audeka from YUKU