Presence is a mature, intriguing and imaginative body of work that does well not to let your attention drift.
Mehdi Benjelloun has amassed a hearty following over the past few years for his delicate and refreshing instrumental production work. This record continues along that vein, however there’s the welcome addition of some vocal samples on a few tracks including standouts such as ‘Problems’, ‘On the Road’ and ‘Wake Up’.
Petit Biscuit also plays beautifully with acoustic guitar in the opening track of this record ‘Creation Comes Alive’, before dropping an insanely dirty beat. It’s a slickly executed combo that proves this producer is working far beyond his years.
Overall, Presence offers a playful and vivacious sound, all the while remaining sophisticated and moody. Some could find the pace and sensation of this album a little similar throughout, but there’s no doubt that in the details of each track, there’s a lot of magic to be found. If you haven’t heard of Petit Biscuit yet, you’d do well to keep your eye on this not-so petite sounding producer from now on.
8/10
