Ki Oni is a producer from California with a thing for
elephants. Specifically, Sumatran elephants. As a fellow elephant lover, I was
intrigued when reading that they were the inspiration behind Elephas. I
typically don’t listen to very much beat or ambient music but I was eager to
give this one a listen in the name of elephant appreciation.
I appreciated the ways the nature influences were brought to
the forefront. Ultimately though, the music felt pleasant but repetitive. I
listened to it all the way through multiple times and each time I reached the
same conclusion. Songs do build, yet when they take shape the end results are
inconsistent.
For instance the track “mandopop” didn’t engage me at all.
There were a lot of good and cool parts to the tape though. I really liked the
weird sample on “mantanga” and the chill but danceable song “autumn breeze”. I
found more redeeming value than that on the tape too. I just couldn’t get into
it as a whole as much as I wanted to. I highly urge those who might be more
into danceable ambient music than I am to still give it a try.
Stream + Buy: https://innerislands.bandcamp.com/album/elephas
-- Roy Blumenfeld
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