On their third release, the Dutch label Lowriders Recordings reached out to a Canadian artist, Montreal’s Hovatron. The youngster is part of a burgeoning scene there, one which I’ll have to learn more about based on the strength of this EP. He’s working with a range of influences that brings in the synthesized glitches and melodies of skwee and other European electronic styles and the bass and drums of Bay Area hyphy hip hop. This EP is split into two sections, with three original songs, and then four remixes of his material done by other artists.

In the first section, you are most likely getting your introduction to the artist, and things start off with “Super Soaker,” which is driven by a hyphy beat with hand claps pushing the beat as programmed snare and bass hits fill things out. Various synth sounds come in over the top, but the song isn’t driven so much by melody as it is by groove, and by that count, it is a nice one that will make you bob your head. “Young Blood” by contrast is a more tense and uptempo song that opens with a sci-fi sounding synth line that gives way first to a disco beat, but after the breakdown in the middle of the song, the beat morphs into more of a funky hip hop beat, but the synth line stays the same. The third song, “Gypsy Trader,” is probably the best developed of the three tracks, combining elements of the first two tracks, with a stronger melody and interesting variations on it as the song plays out.

Moving into the second section of the EP, we get two remixes of “Gypsy Trader.” The first remix comes from Prison Garde, aka Sixtoo, giving more of a house edge to the song, really pumping the drums to drive the song. The second remix of “Gypsy Trader” is done by Spoek Mathambo and Richard the Third with their Mshini Wam remix, which takes the song in more of a jungle direction. The next remix is of “Super Soaker,” done by Doshy is definitely my favorite remix on the EP, bringing in an pitch bent synthesizer re-invention of the melody and drums that are just a little busier and more uptempo to push the energy level up a notch. The closing track, the HALP remix of “Delorian Driver” is probably the weakest track on the EP, with uninspired Back to the Future rhymes and a more generic disco backing track make it somewhat forgettable.

Hovatron is pretty young, and he definitely shows talent as a producer and beat maker on this release. There’s not really a “wow” moment on the EP, but there is plenty to like, with good grooves and interesting layers of sounds throughout. I’m definitely curious to see where he goes from here.