Ever since I started streaming from Spotify more frequently I have been getting some stellar recommendations. Soundcloud can be hit or miss with what it suggests. My More Of What You Like list doesn’t update as often as I like and the rest of the home page is splattered with playlists of the more popular genres of music that I don’t care for. Earlier this week on a steamy afternoon I sat in my garage, trying to get the most out of whirring the floor fan as possible life and scrolled through Spotify until my eyes landed on a square image of what looked like a sepia filtered beach. Heat Trax, the title of the EP read.
I listened through the entire EP and saw that the artist, Coast 80, had a Bandcamp profile. I hopped on over to his Bandcamp page and was about to buy Heat Trax until I saw that I could pay only $24 for the entire discography, saving 20% off. Once purchased, I would have free, unlimited streaming on the Bandcamp app and have access to high quality downloads. You bet I clicked. I started with the most recent EP, 1997, released back in January of this year. 1997 has a decidedly nu-disco and French House feel to it. The leading track, “American Drum Track,” reminds me a lot of the vibe throughout Goldroom’s West to the West album. It tickled me purple to go to Coast 80’s Twitter and see that he was followed on the platform by none other than Goldroom. Anyone followed by Josh Legg of Goldroom gets my extra vote of confidence.
Coast 80’s releases span the spectrum of electronic music, from softer, slower lo-fi hip hop beats to house to music slathered in synthwaves. No matter the genre, the music sounds crisp and clean. Every track is recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Coast 80 himself. Except for the bold, arresting yellow of The New Wave EP, the rest of the art for the EPs is very calming. It has been a few years since I have dug my toes in the warm sand of a California beach. The cover art makes me want to book a ticket and get pat down just so I can have the opportunity to breathe in that coastal Cali air once again. Who knews when that will be, given the prevalence of COVID-19. I am just thankful COVID-19 has not killed musical artistry.
By sunset, I had managed to listen to all of the EPs and was left with the question of which EP spoke to me the most . It was a hard decision choosing which EP was my favorite. I narrowed it down to the sun-kissed, velvety house rhythms and floating electronic melodies of Heat Trax, and the fun smorgasboard of beats on Fade Trax. What I love about these two Eps in particular is that each contains a track with a throwback sound I clearly remember racing to the dancefloor over. Fans of house from the heydays of Richard Humpty Vision may find Heat Trax’s “Bangin’ & Scratchin” to their liking while fans of the funky breaks may need to guard against an overwhelming urge to pop and lock when “Motor” from Fade Trax comes through their speakers.
The most chill collection of selections can be found on Paradise City and The New Wave. The gem on The New Wave EP is “20 G’s A Session.” It takes an interesting turn to familiar, high vibrational territory. “9 pm” is a head bopper and something I can see myself bumping with the top down. It’s not often I listen straight through an EP without skipping around. To say I was bummed when I reached the end of the last track of the final EP is an understatement. I needed more, so I went to his different social media channels to see what was on the horizon. By that time I had also decided to write about my discovery and wanted to see what I could learn from Instagram. As luck would have it, the latest post was advertising the newest EP.
Today, Friday, June 20th, is the release date for Weltklasse. I’m not well versed in German so I looked up the translation. Weltklasse is “world class” in English. It’s an apt title. I was able to preview the tracks, courtesy of Coast 80. If you grew up as a Bboy or Bgirl, or you just liked going off in dance circles, the first half of Weltklasse is the portion to break to. Like with all the EPs I have listened to up until this point, there are tracks that take a slight departure in sound and style. “Ventura” is one of those and could easily it into a retrowave/synthwave compilation. Out of all the EPs I have listened to, for me it is the most fun to dance to. This Gulf Coast gal highly recommends kicking off your summer with Coast 80.
I was listening to electronic dance music without even knowing it when I was listening to Jock Jams in the 90s. Fast forward to my senior year in high school and I had discovered Fatboy Slim. I have been listening to edm ever since and love writing about new sounds, good sounds, and the music that makes us move.
