Shigeto – The New Monday

It’s fitting that Zachary Saginaw, better known as producer Shigeto, opens his new album with Detroit Part II. In its free-flowing saxophone wrapped around a mix of hip-hop beats and ambient electronica, the new track – a sequel to Part I from his 2013 record No Better Time Than Now – symbolises his deep immersion in the record culture of his Michigan hometown.

It follows that The New Monday, named after the weekly Monday Is The New Monday event where Shigeto has taken residence, is something of a love letter to the musical community of Detroit. Considering its deep heritage though, that’s no easy task. Still, Saginaw experiments with genre, mixing together classic house loops and techno with jazz and, with Kaleena Zanders’ vocals, soul. Following their collaborative album, he also reunites with rapper ZelooperZ, creating a satisfying blend of semi-experimental trap that plays to both parties’ strengths. Don’t Trip, meanwhile, morphs from being a heavy, beat-driven cut to a swirl of euphoric electronics. Instead of being jarring, Saginaw somehow makes it a thrilling juxtaposition of tone.

There are moments where things becomes a little sluggish, though perhaps a stumble here and there can be expected when an album tries to fit so much into a short space. For the most part though, The New Monday is a valiant attempt at distilling Detroit’s musical culture into a single, cohesive record.

Listen to: Barry White (ft. ZelooperZ), Don’t Trip (ft. Silas Green)