Sup! I'm Muse! Here, you'll be able to find a bunch of cool music stuff. I'll put reviews, recommendations, and whatever else I might think about- as long as it's music related, you'll find it here! Down the line, I'm hoping PATCH figures out how to slap a music player on here somewhere so you can jam out to some fun 90s and 2000s tunes while you're here. Catch you on the flip!

So, I've dabbled in music production as a hobbyist for about fifteen years. Every now and then I upload stuff, but for the most part my music just kinda floats on my computer. So I thought to myself, why not post some here? Here's a take on some early 2000s atmospheric jungle; I hope you enjoy!

Artist Name: Caia | Album Name: The Magic Dragon | Release Date: April, 2003 | Genre: Downtempo, Electronica | Runtime: 56:07 | Tracks: 11 | Standout Tracks: (2) Remembrance, (5) La Telecabine, (9) Subway Freedom | Links: (YouTube)

From the mind of Groove Armada's Andy Cato and Japanese electronica artist Maiku Takahashi comes The Magic Dragon, a collection of downbeat electronica tracks that blend dub-y drums, hip-hop vinyl scratching, tropical percussion, eastern musical flavors, and smooth keyboards to create a pleasant hour of easy listening.

Many of the tracks are lengthy (with a few clocking in around 7 minutes) and feature a linear, parabolic song structure as opposed to a standard verse-chorus blueprint, but the sonic ideas presented are pleasing enough to not feel as though they're dragging on. There are no big surprises here, and for an album like this, that's a good thing- it gives you plenty of time to enjoy the atmosphere.

I first stumbled on Caia through Pandora Radio, soon after their first- and only- album's release in the spring of 2003, but it wasn't until much later that I was able to listen to the album in full. It was difficult to find online outside of buying a copy of the vinyl, but thanks to the advent of audiophiles and collectors on YouTube, it's now much more easily found.

Throughout the album, Cato and Takahashi transition smoothly between a variety of genres. The first track, The Rose Room, is built around hip-hop sentiments, featuring a vinyl-scratched spoken sample and wah-wah keyboards over a funky bassline. It's followed by Remembrance, a laid-back, vaguely tropical groove that evokes the feeling of relaxing on a picturesque beach somewhere far away. Elsewhere on the album, you'll find the hypnotic Eastern-influenced Summer Lightning, the chic, piano-driven La Telecabine, and the grungy, metropolitan Subway Freedom. The album wraps up with a lounge-y smooth jazz groove in Afterwards @ The Bar, best paired with a cosmopolitan and one of those fancy French cigarettes.

The Magic Dragon drips with style, and stands out among its peers as an exceptional entry into the albums of the downtempo golden age. It's an underrated gem that would make a great addition to a vinyl or CD collection.

Rating: 4/5