We’ve had a keen eye on Laurel Halo since last year’s King Felix, a promising four-track EP originally released for free and later granted a full release by Hippos in Tanks.

This year, the Ann Arbor-born producer and vocalist has really started to fulfill that promise. Antenna, a recent cassette release saw Halo indulge the more ambient side of her tastes, while Hour Logic, a new vinyl EP for Hippos in Tanks, represents Halo’s best work to date. With the vocals less at the forefront than before (often non-present, in fact), Halo’s Michigan background really gets its time to shine, ghostly overpasses of Detroit techno and electro painted in the sky. At first glance some of Hour Logic‘s tracks could appear freeform due to the way they frequently dissolve, often reforming when you least expect them to, but there’s always some sort of constant, often a particularly un-obvious groove, that keeps it dancefloor.

As well as an accomplished live performer, Laurel’s an excellent DJ. Her FACT mix, titled ‘Pornoviewer’ after the Dopplereffekt classic, features Jeru the Damaja, VHS Head, Two Lone Swordsmen, Eric Copeland, Araabmuzik and more, and flows like few others could. Enjoy.

Tracklist:
Intro (DM Dream Syndicate)
Mira Calix – Too Slim For Suicide
Laurel Halo – Dia Sapiens
Dopplereffekt – Pornoviewer (Aleph Mix)
69 – If Mojo Was AM
Jeru the Damaja – Scientifical Madness Loop
Shed – HDRTM
Palm Skin Productions – Evolution of the Beast (Autechre Mix)
Chemical Brothers – Chalice (Virtual Crime Mix)
Sleep ∞ Over – Behind Closed Doors
Two Lone Swordsmen – Tiny Reminder #3
VHS Head – Ident
Ezekiel Honig – Material Wrinkle (Retimeless Mix)
Eric Copeland – Krankendudel (ABA Mix)
Ford & Lopatin – New Planet
Araabmuzik – AT2
Laurel Halo – Slugs