Moderator is a producer from Greece who has been releasing music since the mid-2010s. His most recent album came just last year, when he gave us Midnight Madness. Now he’s back with an EP for the French label Hip Dozer, In the Garden.

While other projects in Moderator’s catalogue might be grander in vision or more experimental in their approach, In the Garden is a much more straightforward project. Not that there is anything wrong with that, as Moderator delivers seven jazzy laidback downtempo tracks that are instantly enjoyable. In lesser hands, a project like this could easily become generic, boring, or forgettable, but Moderator is too skilled and passionate with his music to let anything like that happen. It might be a chill vibe, but Moderator is still finding melodies to keep your ear engaged, switching up rhythms, and letting the songs develop and take you on a journey. What this means is that Moderator finds the perfect balance between making a project that you can unwind and relax to, but still keeping the musical level high enough that you’re still engaged when you’re listening to it. It’s a delicate balance, but it’s one that a veteran producer like Moderator can handle with ease, as he does here on In the Garden.

In the Garden is jazzy, cool, and sophisticated. It’s gentle in it’s approach, but Moderator is still bringing a lot of interesting grooves and melodies to make sure that everyone is listening actively while they are having a good time.