UNCLE PO “Night & Forest” (Erizados)


Russian producer Uncle Po, from Krasnoyarsk, drops a downtempo beat tape on Barcelona’s Erizados to help us watch the sun go down wherever we are. Perfect artwork here for Night & Forest, with the pink sky of dusk over the heavily shadowed but not yet completely obscured forest – the titular image! Po winds together delectable samples and laid-back techno, interspersed with snippets of incomprehensible dialogue, marrying the magic of the hour of the setting sun with imaginative melodies. The tunes drift like a cool breeze at a decidedly lower evening temperature, the chill in the air suggesting the imminent arrival of autumn. You gotta get out your flashlight before you venture outside anymore now – it’s just getting too dark.

It’s easy to get the vibe from the titles alone: “Beauty of Night Roads,” “Magic Dew,” “Dancing Around the Fire.” The birds chirp as they settle down for the night; frogs, crickets, and bats begin their nocturnal rituals; satellites and shooting stars flit across time-lapsed sky. Uncle Po breathes evening air, allows twilight to envelope him, and then guides us through the motions of the night. The rhythms are smooth and languid. We dance till morning.




--Ryan