Detroit producer Shigeto has been making his own unique blend of house and instrumental hip hop for over a decade now. 2017 saw the release of both his third album, The New Monday, and his collaborative album with ZelooperZ as ZGTO, A Piece of the Geto. Now he comes back with a new instrumental solo EP, Weighted.

While last year was pretty busy for Shigeto, both albums he released left a lot to be desired, in large part because both projects featured ZelooperZ on the mic, who is not on the same level as Shigeto, and just feel back on cliched and sexist rhymes. The good news here is that there is no emcee to get in the way on Weighted, and we’re able to just sit back and enjoy what talented producer Shigeto is. On this EP, Shigeto is definitely leaning more in the house direction of things, with a heavy dose of jazz along the way. This is especially true on the last two tracks, which feature a couple of Detroit artists in pianist Ian Frink and saxophonist Marcus Elliot, both of whom take the opportunity to really flex their skills as soloists, giving an injection of melody to the EP. The whole EP dives deep into the house grooves, though, with some great pulsing beats and lot of smart composition work from Shigeto, who knows how to layer, build, breakdown, and put everything back together, without ever losing the beat. It’s something that is best listened to all in one sitting, dancing the whole way through.

Weighted is short and too the point, but it’s expertly done, the type of EP you’d expect from a talented veteran producer like Shigeto. He knows house music like the back of his hand, and he’s given us a nice contribution with his latest EP. It’s danceable, first and foremost, but it’s also full of some great musicianship that rewards you no matter what level you’re engaging on with the music.