Shungu is a producer from Brussels who has been releasing music since 2012. He’s been working at a prolific pace since then, with his last project, Exile Dreams, coming out on Hot Record Societe just last September. Now he returns with a new release, A Black Market Album.

While Shungu is from Brussels, listening to A Black Market Album, you might suspect he was from Los Angeles. That’s because on this album, Shungu is taking some downtempo music and injecting it with a heavy dose of ‘80s electro-boogie, resulting in some big, funky laidback beats that will sound great pumping out of your car windows as you drive around in the sun. One of the interesting things about Shungu’s production here is that while he’s got these big beats going, he leaves plenty of space in them, making great use of negative space with music, where your body will naturally react to what’s not there just as much as the instrumentation that is there. He also finds a lot of room with these funky beats to add all of these weird details to them, which might not be that obvious if you’re just kind of nodding along and appreciating the overall sound, but if you lean in and listen just a little bit closer, there are all sorts of unobvious musical choices being made, whether it be instrumentation or rhythmic or melodic lines. Of course, it’s all these minor details that come together to make the larger picture of the album come together in a way that make the music instantly enjoyable, but also distinct. On top of all this, we get a few guest vocal appearances, including Pink Siifu, Spote Breeze, and Mamoyo. My personal favorite on the album is the closing track, “Touch By Sun,” which features London artist Mamoyo delivering a spoken word piece over this jazzy, R&B beat with Rhodes and guitar at the forefront, but these bizarre sci-fi-sounds hovering in the background, adding just the right amount of tension to the track as Mamoyo waxes philosophical about heritage and identity.

A Black Market Album seems simple and enjoyable enough on it’s surface, but Shungu has packed a lot more into the project than you might realize at first. It’s funky and accessible, but also full of these unique and unusual moments that will keep you on your feet and reward with repeat listens.