“A project reflecting the harsh reality of change and appreciation for one’s home.”
Lotek, an all-jungle imprint founded by local producer/DJ Soeneido, just last week released its first-ever full length album: Juxtoposition by 4d. Opening with a frenetic, noisy free jazz intro overlaid with cartoon sounds and sampled news broadcasts declaiming the serious challenges of affording life here, the album is simultaneously a love letter to the artist’s home in the Bay while also a no-rose-colored-glasses portrait of the wealth inequality that has completely transformed the area. It’s also an absolute party, briskly blending together bebop, dub, and soul palettes into its drum and bass vortex, elegantly juxtaposing tranquil half-tempo ambiance with 160+ BPM breaks as effortlessly as it juxtaposes the themes of struggle and love.
