Producer/emcee Substantial started off 2017 with a bang, releasing the excellent album The Past is Always Present in the Future. Most people probably think of him as an emcee, but he’s been making beats this whole time, and he’s set to release an instrumental album this coming spring titled The Garden. Before we can have a garden, though, Substantial sets the scene and releases this instrumental EP, Seeds.

Seeds exists in that blurred area between EP and beat tape, where some of the tracks feel like complete compositions and others feel like beat samples that could be developed further if the need was warranted. That said, while this EP won’t blow you away, it is a solid collection of instrumental tracks. Substantial takes us from hard-hitting, aggressive beats to laid-back downtempo beats, and even into some sexy Quiet Storm territory for a minute or two. It all flows together nicely, without any lag time or unnecessary tracks. The whole purpose of this EP is to merely tide fans over and let them know that yes, Substantial is a producer and he’s been making beats this whole time. It’s an enjoyable listen, something that you can relax and enjoy listening to on your headphones when you want to get away from everything for a little bit and clear your head.

We’ve been promised the more substantial (pun-intended) release later in 2018, but for now we get to spend a little bit of time with Seeds. It’s nothing too fancy or ground-breaking, just a solid collection of instrumental tracks from a veteran producer. There’s nothing wrong with that.