Valetin Stip, the inherited love child of Nicolas Jaar and Other People /Clown & Sunset, recently released a cornucopia of transcendent, space-like sounds coinciding with a dreamy exploration, formatting the product of his debut album.
Stip emigrated to New York City, quickly becoming friends with active affiliates of Other People, thus forming a strong friendship with dream innovator Nicolas Jaar. Jaar then went onto aid Stip’s knowledge on the processes of electronic production. Upon learning the ins and outs of electronic music production, Stip discovered a new, more personal way of interpreting the darkly shaded piano music he'd been writing. It’s obvious that the album echoes Jaar’s work – warm organs are and earth sounds are prominent throughout as is the eerie yet soulful drone that acts as a backbone for most of the tracks on Sigh.
Pack your snorkel for “Tableau 11” – the distinctive analogue vinyl sample crackle could most definitely be confused with the sounds of the Red Sea. It’s undoubtedly like the formation for most releases; the album works as an 8 track continuous piece of somber music, but the transition from each track in this album is sublime, almost utopian. Is Hindi-hop a genre? If it is, “Aletheia” proves to be the complete definition, comprising of a Middle Eastern feel encapsulated into an almost conga-Afro beat.
The closing track and possibly the epitome of the album, “Sigh,” showcases an almost tumbling impact coinciding with repetitive quixotic piano work, whimsically encapsulating the beginning and end as one, almost as if the record has come full circle.