Shifting Gears fuses dextrous jazz with deviant house on the unmissable 'Drum Nation' EP

Tokyo-based artist Hoshina Anniversary returns to release action, this time operating under his little-used Shifting Gears moniker.

The virtuoso musician and uniquely talented producer has been in exceptional form of late, having released a dazzling full-length album and two-track EP on Lovefingers' ESP Institute in 2021, and previously presented work on the likes of Musar, Safe Trip, and GND Records. With a sound that elegantly blends refined jazz keyboard wizardry with delightfully oddball house, techno and electronica, few dance artists can match the complexity of his carefully woven productions.

'Drum Nation' arrives on Brooklyn's Toucan Sounds, a label known for purveying far-reaching indie disco and house tunes from the likes of Yusek, Drop Out Orchestra, and Musclecars. The EP opens with the growling bass arpeggios of the title track, with its dizzying piano scales cascading over stripped beats before off-kilter synth solos burst through the panorama to propel the cut into stratospheric realms. Upping the energy just a touch, the wonky lo-fi groove of 'Average Hoshina Sound' blends stirring Latin drums with freaky synths, wildly atmospheric pads and sub-heavy bass, closing the EP with a club-ready flourish. Raw, profoundly musical, sparse but sonically rich, this is more exquisite and entirely unique work from the maverick producer.

Released digitally, the EP is available now as a Traxsource exclusive before going on general sale on January 28. You can buy it on the player above