Over the next couple of weeks you’ll likely see a few posts on this blog that talk about albums that aren’t new releases by any stretch of the imagination. I’m hoping to cover a few albums that I’ve stumbled upon, often by accident, which have subsequently become regularly played items in my collection over time.

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First up is Yppah, which is a one man project by a dude in Texas called Joe Corrales. He makes instrumental tunes propelled by funky cut-up breaks which get jammed to by some cunning atmospherics and plenty of hook-laden guitar riffs, which are currently available in LP form under the title You Are Beautiful At All Times. Aww, smooth.

His music has a distinctive flavour that ties his work together, but throughout of the course of this album he covers a lot of territory – there are breaks, rock jams, downtempo ambient, hip-hop grooves – all brought together with the common themes of Corrale’s love for a good distorted drum loop, a spot of 808, scattered instrumental fragments and some guitar licks. Occasionally he gets as acid-like as being reminiscent of classic AFX, other times he’s riding an introspective hip-hop train in the tradition of DJ Shadow – the latter perhaps being what led to his signing with renowned electronic music label Ninja Tune.

It’s simple stuff that doesn’t seek to create a new grand statement in electronic music or reinvent genres – but it carries itself off bearing its own unique brand throughout. Corrales own statement on his Ninja Tune artist website says it all:

with “you are beautiful at all times” i was trying to combine all my influences plus the mood i had been in that past year i was writing it.

The album is also far from epic in its song structures – none of the 12 tracks here break past the 4 minute mark, but there’s something about the unassuming big heart that it offers that makes the tunes live well past their playing time.

I like this album a lot – it’s pure and simple and has a joyful thread that runs throughout the album. Give it a shot.

Listen

• Again With the Subtitles (mp3)
• We Aim (mp3)