Junk Culture, a.k.a. Deepak Mantena records sample based music in the vein of abstract IDM producer Machine Drum for his debut on Illegal Art. “West Coast” starts off with a handful of microsamples, cut up and looped over a herky-jerky rhythm, like a poolside party caught up in a whirlwind. All the sonic elements are condensed and merged down, saving themselves from identification- an 808 cowbell peeks out from a hodge podge of snippets, that much I can tell- with all of the samples crowding the midrange, coming off more gritty than cool and sleek. A voice sample goes off like a siren, mounting the offbeats, before dropping in pitch and joining in on the chorus. A female voice oscillates between starting and stopping, and complements with a drum kit and synth line and bringing gravity to the song. Mellow feelings ensue.
