Layered yet dense, danceable yet trance-like, haunting yet playful - “Earth and Sky,” the nearly nine-minute opener of Winnipeg electronic musician Ken Trudeau’s new EP is epic. The even more epic “Civilization” blends spoken word into its dark, moody world with mixed results. “Seasons Change” houses ‘90s beats and synths, while “Above and Beyond” takes you to a place beyond the atmosphere, with enough digital twangs to freak you out, Bowie-style. Closer “Overview Effect” does just that, somehow summing up the entire EP’s style and substance in about three minutes. A lot of work clearly went into every beat and blip of this disc, worth a listen when coming down or getting off.

Published in Volume 69, Number 6 of The Uniter (October 8, 2014)