Yesterday it was announced that Swedish electropop composer Kasbo would be returning with his third LP, with the singles “Drift” and “Atlantis” teasing what The Learning of Urgency may have in store ahead of its June 7 release via ODESZA’s label Foreign Family Collective. While that latter track is a pulsing and shimmering collaboration with Shallou and vocalist BJOERN, the former is largely an ambient work testing out different sonic textures before erupting in its final moments.
And while that eruption has largely been the appeal of Kasbo’s music thus far, the songwriter is equally keen on taking influence from more subtle compositions—the opposite of urgency, to invoke his new album title. “I’ve found myself listening to a lot of ambient music when trying to lower my pace,” he tells us. “There’s something about a lack of defined structure that helps me sort of forget time. It’s like we can only measure time based off clear markers, so if you remove that, you can sort of suppress that feeling of time passing. I’ve also found myself listening to electronic music with a lot of repeating motifs when I want to slow down—I enter this trance state that again has that effect on me. In an ever-accelerating world, I feel it’s important to take time to pause, to forget that feeling of trying to keep up with the world.”
As we anticipate the record’s nine additional tracks, which promise to explore the calmer side of the artist’s work, Kasbo is sharing with us a playlist of some of the most soothing ambient and electronic music that helps take his mind off the ticking clock. Check out his new singles here, and find his playlist below along with explanations for each inclusion.
Max Richter, “Path 3 (7676) - Pt. 1-3”
Max Richter is one of my favorite composers. This track is split up over several instances, but I only included the first three parts. It kind of gives me a feeling of being in the northern forests in Sweden at night, with, like, northern folklore creatures lurking around every corner.
Midori Hirano, “Mountains”
There’s something about the delayed piano bed in the background that really stuck out to me when hearing this for the first time. It’s another one of those very dreamy songs that keeps you from thinking of music in terms of structure, that just helps you get lost in the music
Rival Consoles, “Untravel”
One of my favorites of all time. There’s something about this one that just feels like it’s set in a dystopian future, but there’s also this calmness to it, like you’re viewing it from outside, not partaking in it.
Giovanna, “Dream World” (Tom Demac Remix)
Getting into the more dance-y side of this playlist, this song spans almost nine minutes so it gives you ample time to get lost in the repeating chords, vocal chops, and drums. There’s something about the chords that also screams the ’90s to me—not that I experienced it, but it feels like you’re backpacking through Thailand in, like, ’92. Might have something to do with it reminding me of the soundtrack to the movie The Beach.
Stephan Bodzin, “Singularity”
Another one of those more dystopian soundtracks. There’s something about those synths that just make me feel like I’m floating around in space
Kiasmos, “Looped”
Kiasmos are masters of atmosphere. Such a simple track, but nonetheless beautiful. I love how this one starts off with just a piano and beat and then by the end just erupts in this very hectic climax.
The Field, “Everyday”
Trying to channel the summer in the gloomy Swedish weather with this one. The way it’s playing with those repeating samples has this very entrancing effect on me—feels like I’m riding a bike by the Swedish archipelago.
Max Cooper, “Perpetual Motion”
The idea behind a perpetual motion machine is kind of synonymous with time not passing in a way for me—a machine that just keeps going on into infinity. To me it feels like Max Cooper very much encapsulated that feeling with this song.
Martin Kohlstedt, “GOL”
That piano line that comes in around the 1:15 mark is one of the prettiest things I’ve heard. It gives me the feeling that everything’s going to be OK.
Aphex Twin, “#3”
Aphex Twin is obviously a legend, and so is this track. Anytime I feel like I need to pause and breathe, this is one of my go-to tracks. The sound pallet is so meditative, and the chords as well—another one that makes me feel like everything’s going to be OK.
