Been a while I have not shared any breakbeat / IDM, so I today turned to my breakbeat playlist and tried to single out an artist we have not touched upon just yet. I ended up setting my eyes on a favorite artist of my good friend DJ Antoinette: Ex-Terrestrial. This Canadian producer, also known under his real name Adam Feingold, is a very talented artist who’s been producing a lot of 90’s influenced IDM/breaks, yet bringing a lot of his personal touch to it, to the point where it’s easy to recognize his style from others in the genre. I wouldn’t want to repeat what is being said in this nice interview of him on Ransom Note; so please do check it out!

I learned of him through DJ Antoinette, who one day blessed the crowd in front of him by playing this absolute banger of a track: Mojave Skyline.

Ex-Terrestrial - Mojave Skyline (2018)

A true dance music masterpiece this one! It playfully juggles with all the tropes of popular rave music genres: a scarcely sprinkled yet ultra fat hardcore kick; a filtered acid line, the dreamy pad of dnb, the cheesy (yet perfect) vocal sample typical of breaks. The track is masterfully produced, carefully balanced; there is no downtime; only different trips within the trip. When you hear something like this, how can you not seek after the entire catalog of the artist producing it?

Interestingly though, only listening to this track would probably give you the wrong impression about the guy, as most of his catalog is not as dance-focused as this one particular track. Most of his productions are (self-described) as ch/illbient, this kind of genre which is close to trip-hop; or at least what it used to be before it was commercialized. A popular example is Blue Smoke, released on 1080p in 2016 and then re-released on Temples (a label he runs) in 2019.

Ex-Terrestrial - Blue Smoke (2016)

I think here the 90’s influenced part of my earlier description should truly jump to your ears. Instant classic, timeless music? Most certainly. It is close to the dnb tracks we have heavily discussed on this blog; yet a lot more down tempo; decisively more ethereal vibe… in a way almost ambient-like? It surely sounds like so when you listen to the EP cover to cover, which I duly recommend doing!

Final note before signing off, Ex-Terrestrial works hand-in-hand with his good friend Priori, who oftentimes does the mastering for him. I will very soon touch upon his music too as he is also an excellent producer from Montréal. Until then, peace out.