By Jake Krzeczowski

Tigran Mimosa wants you to feel good. The uber-talented young electronic producer reiterates that very sentiment throughout his new album, Sanctuary. Whether it’s lulling you into a relaxed trance or throbbing you off your feet in a fury of glitches, thumps, and wobble, the artist more notably known as MiM0SA recognized a chance to expand the realm of his music, and does so by exhibiting his signature distinct sounds, while not being afraid to experiment with new styles. 

“Castle in the Sky” is a reggae-infused groove that demonstrates Mimosa’s careful sampling and occasional synth rides. While not quite rocking you in to a stupor, the song provides a vast realm of what the young producer can do. The layering of the songs grows increasingly more complex as the tune develops, allowing the listener to quite literally feel the piece come together and watch as other pieces are added and subtracted.

Deeper in the album, Mimosa takes a different sound on to make “Dirty Money.” Employing a throbbing, rippling bass line with a voice over chorus, he takes the listener to another planet with quick snares that climb down before building back to the heavy bass. Not a song I’d put on repeat, but the sound that is culled is mind-boggling.

On “Tiger Blood” the West Coast product takes on a much faster, dancier sound that he fuses with a high-pitched sampling. The whole ensemble builds itself into a fury before taking off to the tune of evolving basslines. “Ice Box” takes things back to a slower pace for a bit while keying on an emphatic use of horns while maintaining a dubstep feel to it.

By fusing many of the tracks with dubstep undertones and glitch over the top, Mimosa is showing the mastery of two distinct methods and transforming them into something wholly his. This comes together while the airy, fun feeling remains as it has on past samplings. Drawing much more heavily classic house and new school juke and footwork, with a strong 808-feel, Sanctuary is much more nuanced than his 58 Degrees EP, a straight up, party-igniting riot comp.

Versatility is a key cog in the music business and with Sanctuary it’s fair to say Mimosa took a chance to put his many talents on display for the world to see, and he did so while accomplishing his original goal of keeping things light. To take such sonic risks shows the hunger that he has to rise to the top of the game. The maturity he’s show with this record is putting him well on pace to do just that.

Mimosa will be playing the Global Dub Festival in Royal Oak, Michigan on November 4.