“Vault” is the moniker adopted by producer and musician Danny Ward (aka Moodymanc) for a new project based on lo-fi downtempo beats. The liner notes for “Cows on a Beach” hasten to point out Ward’s involvement with Grand Central Records and establish some bona fides, but it’s hardly necessary: a lot of my favorites for this kind of shit are by relative unknowns (in one case, quite literally making soulful sample-based downtempo cuts from Siberia). The beat maker scene has always had an emphasis on what’s on the record over the name at the top, and the record here is phenomenal. The 20 track collection steers from R&B to downtempo with a cool aesthetic and warming vibe. You can warm up more than your hands on the rolling “Love & Smoke” and dizzy jazz of “Bumble.” Tracks on these albums always, always, always feel like pieces of a whole, which makes it kind of incredible that Danny says some were written decades ago before having the dust (but not to much dust) blown off of them.
Vault: Cows on a Beach (Well Cut Records / April 2021 / Digital)
1. Vault: Love and Smoke (02:58)
2. Vault: Wanted (04:07)
3. Vault: Quiver (03:12)
4. Vault: Woo Ha! (01:06)
5. Vault: Era (00:29)
6. Vault: Bead (03:50)
7. Vault: Q Soundz (03:29)
8. Vault: Heroin (03:22)
9. Vault: Bodyworx (01:05)
10. Vault: Niceness (03:02)
11. Vault: Dismalia (05:01)
12. Vault: Easy (00:39
13. Vault: 0161 (04:00)
14. Vault: Bumble (01:36)
15. Vault: Sliced (02:48)
16. Vault: Peace (05:54)
17. Vault: Swingin’ (02:10)
18. Vault: Boxer (03:44)
19. Vault: Roxy (05:16)
20. Vault: Old (00:55)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo on behalf of the label.
This was originally published in 5 Mag issue 189: #DieTrying with Josh Milan, Ashley Beedle, Terry Farley, Jackie Queens & more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
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