Don’t sleep on this new self titled album from Brelstaff. It dropped on July 23rd this year. Brelstaff is a relatively obscure producer from Edinburgh who specializes in super chill, jazzy, soulful instrumentals. Usually when a producer tells me they make chill, jazzy beats I’m a bit apprehensive because a shit ton of that stuff tends to be super generic and kind of uninteresting. It often just falls into the background for me. It’s like it lacks soul. However, that’s not the case at all with this project. These instrumentals are all super melodic and attention grabbing. At no point was I bored during the runtime of this record. The beats are detailed and dynamic, so it doesn’t get old or predictable. There’s not a single track here that I don’t like. I’m just gonna mention some of the highlights that stood out to me since this isn’t exactly a full review.

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Right off the bat, this project kicks off with a highlight entitled YOUR LIFE. It’s a super melodic, chill beat. I love the horns, and at one point he includes the same vocal sample that Ludwig Göransson used for Flight of the Navigator by Childish Gambino. The whole track makes me feel like I’m chillin’ on my Trinidadian grandma’s porch while the sun is going down. It’s just such a relaxing, joyful song. It’s followed by MOSHI, which I think is an even better song. I love how so many different instruments were incorporated here. It’s a really intricate sounding instrumental. It sounds less celebratory and cheerful than the opening track. I can see someone like Freddie Gibbs spitting over this. There aren’t a lot of beats that I can’t see Freddie Gibbs killing though. For whatever reason, Raekwon also came to mind while I was listening to this, even though it sounds nothing like a RZA beat. It’s dope as hell though. The next major highlight for me is called MASTER OF SOME. I love how nocturnal and jazzy this beat sounds. It sounds like what I’d hear in my head as I’m riding in the back of a car at night while stoned out of my mind. It kinda switches up after about 70 seconds too. Well, I’m not sure if I’d exactly call it a “switch up.” It just kinda evolves. It’s an amazing beat, and definitely one of my favorites on the album. I think it’s dope af. It’s followed by LEAVING, which was kind of a frustrating track for me. It’s not a bad beat at all. It’s just that I’ve heard that sample before, and I can’t remember which song I know it from, so that’s been bugging me ever since I first heard it. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know. If I ever remember where it’s from I’ll update this page. Anyway, the next highlight for me is called THE BATTLE OF NIDDRIE TUNNEL. This track sounds a bit more Electronic than a lot of the other beats. It’s still very nocturnal sounding, but it also sounds like the BGM for a video game like F-Zero or something. It’s not that fast paced though, so maybe it’d be more appropriate for Star Fox. Either way, I love it. The penultimate track is called JAM!, and it’s another highlight for me. This one also sounds relatively Electronic, except this time it makes me think more of Metroid than anything else. Metroid Prime though. Not the original side-scrolling games, or the weird third person ones like Other M. It’s got kind of a robotic, despondent aesthetic. I think it’s dope as hell. The closing track, NOBODY, is another big highlight. It sounds more lighthearted than the preceding track. It makes me feel like I’m sitting under a veranda smoking weed while it rains in the evening. It’s a very lighthearted, enjoyable track. It’s dope as hell to me.

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_{This is a great album. There’s not a single track here that I don’t like, and there are a ton of highlights. The instrumentals here are detailed and layered, and none of them just feel like lazy, repetitive loops. I’m typically not very good at breaking down instrumentals, so I don’t have too much to say. All you need to know is that I love these beats, and I’d most definitely put this on while smoking a shit ton of weed. Don’t sleep on it. This shit is dope.}

Favorite Song: MASTER OF SOME
Least Favorite Song: RECLINING

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