Kyle Hall - From Joy (2015)

Some two years on from the release of his acclaimed, in-demand debut album, The Boat Party, Kyle Julian Hall delivers the follow-up From Joy. Intriguingly, the eight tracks come from the Kyle Hall archives, all recorded by the young producer before the turn of the decade, and is presented as a homage to where Kyle lived at the time in his father's basement on the west side of Detroit on Joy Rd. From the outset, Hall's second album is loose, melodious, heady and synthesizer-heavy, with broken beats and wild, experimental rhythms combining effortlessly with jazz, jazz-funk, boogie, soul, Herbie Hancock and '80s electro influences. It makes for thrilling and hugely enjoyable listening and offers proof of Hall's musicianship and ability to repackage a wide range of influences.