Madwreck is a producer from Charlotte who used to be part of the group Dirty Art Club, but he has been working as a solo artist since the mid-2010s. His most recent release came just this past March, when he gave us the EP Fly Pose. Now he’s back with a new project, EMUXII.

These days, there are plenty of instrumental beat tapes out there, and most of them are not worth your time. They aren’t terrible, but they are generic and forgettable. It can be a little disheartening and frustrating if you listen to too many of them. Every once in a while, though, you get a project like EMUXII, from a veteran producer like Madwreck, and you’re quickly reminded of how good a project like this can be takes the time to do things right. The funny thing is that Madwreck isn’t giving you anything too far left field. He isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel with this project. He’s just taking all of his experience and acquired knowledge from working with other artists, playing live, and working in the studio, and using all of it to give you the most beautiful, well-developed beat tape possible. It’s all about the subtleties – picking good samples, finding the clever flip that reinvents the source material, and just finding those good grooves that immediately grab your attention. It’s also about keeping the music in motion, so you feel like this is all building toward something, and not just getting stuck in one groove until you’re bored. Madwreck is just working all of these beats with a gentle, patient touch to coax the best grooves and melodies he can, and then constantly doing all of the little things to push the project to the next level.

EMUXII didn’t have to be this good, but Madwreck isn’t interested in phoning in projects like this. He’s putting in the work to live up to his standard and his reputation as one of the most talented producers with a knack for making some of the most beautiful beats you’ll come across.