Detroit-based musician and producer Mike Masch, aka Moment, recently dropped his new album, Return to the Boulevard, a collection of chillhop, jazz-hop, lounge, downtempo, and lo-fi hip-hop.
Speaking about the album, Masch says, “This release is a follow-up to the successful 2017 jazz-hop album, ‘Sanguine on Amplified Blvd.’ The new album expands on the easy-listening lounge style but expands into lo-fi hip-hop. This produces a slightly modern edge over the prior album. As mentioned from the prior album, sanguine means staying confident even in tough or difficult times. This kind of music inspires that level of emotion and feeling, and I am ready to bring more of it to others. This is vital, as everyone can use something like this during these times or just throughout their days.”
When not working on his chillhop/jazz-hop material, Masch writes and performs under the name Moment, delivering slick rapping rhymes over potent hip-hop music.
At the age of five, Masch was taking piano lessons. Later, he moved to Philly, where he worked as a DJ and elevated his knowledge of production and audio engineering. He followed by working with a diverse array of musicians as producer and audio engineer. Now back in Detroit, Masch is focusing on his solo career.
Encompassing 15-tracks, Return to the Boulevard begins with “Sanguine Return,” which opens on low-slung glimmering colors flowing to a syncopated rhythm topped by smooth, chill layers of lustrous, percolating textures.
Entry points include the plush, resonant “Blissful Memory,” with its creamy, undulating motion flavored by elements of lo-fi hip-hop. A personal favorite because of its easy, laid-back flow, the tune evokes a visible, luxurious mood.
A bit darker yet still burnished by cool, cashmere surfaces, “Smooth Chances” features a deep, throbbing matrix along with luminous, tinkling accents. While “Life of a Dream” conjures up suggestions of Simply Red, drifting on tasty washes of soft jazz.
The gentle, sparkling coloration of “Sun in the Rain” evokes feelings indicative of the title, walking through the rain as the sun breaks through the grey above. Tender violins and gleaming tones imbue the tune with luscious movement.
Singularly imaginative and impressive, Return to the Boulevard offers delicious, spellbinding soundscapes, at once velvety and glossy.