New Jersey producer AKO has recently launched a series of instrumental releases by the name of periodic portfolio of elements. The first volume, VAPOR, was released in December, which will being followed up soon by condensation. Each song is titled after an element on the periodic table, and this all ties into the collective of artists he belongs to, Chemistry Music Collective.

I’ll admit it’s been a while since I’ve studied chemistry, but aside from everything sounding cool, I can’t exactly explain the exact correlation between songs and their titles, or the overall title of VAPOR. Maybe it’s a subtlety that I’m not picking up on due to my own ignorance, as I can’t say that a song like “Carbon Monoxide” sounds especially like a poisonous gas. “Helium” does have a certain sense of floating to it, but I don’t know how much more I would apply that description to that track in particular over others on the album. Before I get to hung up on this angle, though, let’s talk about the music itself. Overall, VAPOR is a beautiful collection of songs. More than anything, I’d say that AKO has a talent for creating moods in his music, and VAPOR is very calming and peaceful. The whole album moves casually at a midtempo pace. AKO has a penchant for crisp snare hits, but they often get balanced by a gentle melody created with some string samples or a Fender Rhodes. There are definitely nods to jazz and soul of the seventies, most notably on “Carbon Monoxide,” with it’s combination of flute on melody, Rhodes chord changes, and some short male vocal samples.

VAPOR is a well-crafted album from a producer that I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from. He’s already got a lot planned for 2012, and if this record is any indication, AKO has a solid foundation to build from. I know I’m curious to see where this project goes from here.