- Alaska, with its luxe pads and Arctic-white sheen, is my favourite of Dev Pandya's many projects. It's the ambient jungle counterpart to his acrobatic drum workouts as Paradox—tracks like "Arcosphere" and "Boreal" count among his best. This 12-inch is the first new Alaska music in a few years. It doesn't play to the project's strengths as much as the last few records, but it's a welcome return to melody and texture from a gifted percussionist.
On "Solace," the more energetic of the two tracks, synths are plush and introspective. The bassline fits the drums like a glove, under one of Alaska's signature uplifting chord progressions. But there's a vocal sample that doesn't quite fit the mood, and the track starts to unravel. "Earthloop (Version)," with its half-time rhythm, gives Alaska fans what they're craving. It's interesting to hear Pandya's drums like this. They shift slowly and deliberately, but their gated impact still hits like a punch. It's easygoing but purposeful, which balances Pandya's impulses. If most of his work shows off his breakbeat programming skills, then Alaska is about songwriting. For half of this 12-inch, Pandya shows how great he can be at it.
TracklistA Solace
B Earthloop (Version)