Enabl.ed - Infantil (2020)

Enabl.ed (James Batista) returns this year with classic material. Infantil is a collective work of his hidden eps "Delicate Glitch" & "Dips33" together along with some hidden/Bonus tracks all written around the same time (2011).

At once hard and biting, soft and lush, dark and impenetrable, bucolic and bright, Infantil is an introduction to the beginning of Enabl.ed's older productions and the realm of his style. At the core of each track is a head-bobbing mid-tempo dance pulse perfect for late night summer mixes; the pads are luscious, the bass tones warm and inviting. Built on this is a precise balance of urban static, post-digital glitch, and minimalist melody that holds a cracked mirror up to the cuts he produces.

As we expected from his music after the release of his L.A.M.B [ep] and Tipsy Haux 2.0, Enabl.ed has become an intriguing writer of melodies. His skeletal leads leave much to the imagination, a fair accomplishment considering the ability of digital artists to become omnipotent over-writers. Check out the emotive sparsity of the strings on "Thelpwe" to hear how much he can say with so little.

Batista in general has a more concise approach to style in this offering. Where in like his newer productions are more sprawling as he explored every color and option of the IDM idiom, he is here dialing into a recipe of composing that suits him well. He has distilled himself into an intimidating potency and this 16 track [LP] of bliss bodes well for his followers.