Noblonski is a producer from Berlin who has been putting out music since the beginning of the decade. He came to our attention just this past December, when he teamed up with three other producers from around the world – dsplay, rak., and marjen – to release the extremely interesting collaborative album, drmn. Now he’s back with a solo EP, The Colours EP.

The Colours EP is a fairly straightforward concept for an instrumental project. He gives us five tracks, each one representing a different color. We’ve got red, pink, green, blue, and yellow. I can’t say that there’s anything about the tracks that especially scream out the characteristics of those colors, so I can’t say that I’m all in on the concept of the EP in that sense. On the other hand, if you take a step back and just listen to the music, you’ve got a good collection of downtempo instrumental hip hop. My favorite track is the opener, “Rot,” which features Bakus, who brings a lot of charisma on the mic. The rest of the EP is instrumental, with gentle grooves, switching up melodic elements such as some jazzy electric guitar or more soothing acoustic guitar. Really, my biggest problem with this EP is that most of it is just “fine.” It’s not bad, but it lacks in the way of standout moments. You’ll enjoy it while it’s on, but there’s just not enough to make it stick with you after it’s over.

Noblonski has talent, and The Colours EP is a decent angle for an instrumental project, but it fails to rise to the occasion. It’s not bad, but it’s not good enough to separate itself from the crowded pack of instrumental releases out there.