Raär - Mental Tools, Vol. 1 (2023)

Raar has recently put out material on Hayes and Arts. Now he lands on Antiverse with this fine collection. "7 Of Diamonds (Incantations mix)" and "Voodoo" see him focus on an abstract sound, with dubby textures evolving over broken beats and gnarly rhythms. On "Warm Up", he shifts focus to the dance floor, delivering a rolling, tribal groove, one that is littered with warped metallic percussion. Both "No See" and "Cruise Control" build on this approach. Faster and more streamlined, they match cavernous soundscapes with pulsating rhythms and tough kicks. That passion for deep sounds is also to the fore on the release's highlight, namely the esoteric synths and pulsating pulses of "Blue Mitsubishi".