It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from the Netherlands-based Fremdtunes label, but they are back with an album that’s perfect for the changing seasons. Kid Sundance is Dutch producer known for collaborations with artists like Boomoperators, Dudley Perkins, and Busy Bee, and even though he’s been recording for over ten years, Kid’s Colors marks his first official solo album. He makes it count, delivering a varied and interesting journey of instrumental hip hop that will finally get him into the spotlight.

It’s a very common occurrence when describing a record to feel a need to have some sort of blanket statement or phrase that you can throw over the whole album, so that you can try and get someone through the door before you get into the finer details. With Kid’s Colors, I’m at a loss to pinpoint this record as anything beyond “instrumental hip hop.” This is because Kid Sundance covers so much territory and switches things up track by track so much, I can’t really pin him down much further than that. One minute you will be listening to some very menacing, sci-fi, synth-driven electro-boogie, and then the next we’re on some beautiful, laid back, jazz-sampling hip hop, which then transitions into a Cuban-inspired beat with upright bass leading the way. It’s not always just song to song, either. On the opening track, “April Sun,” Sundance begins with an absolutely beautiful and gentle song built off the plucking of a harp, playing that against a very bright bass line, and then adding strings on top of everything. It’s very peaceful and relaxing, only to have a breakdown in the middle of the song where everything stops and a staccato bari sax riff begins. It appears that the tone is about to shift dramatically, only to have this riff sweetened out as a smooth clarinet melody comes in above it, eventually leading us back to the beginning of the song. It’s this sophistication of songwriting, arranging, and producing that makes Kid Sundance’s debut so successful. He takes you on a long and winding journey, and the turns aren’t always expected, but they always fit perfectly. It’s an album that you need to listen to several times through to get the full experience. It’s also this balance between different styles and tones that makes this such a great album for the fall - it takes you from the warmth and ease of summer to cooler and harder times ahead.

When an artist drops a debut solo album, it’s not usually after producing and recording for others for over a decade, and also not after they’ve been deejaying for over twenty. However, it’s all that experience and knowledge that Kid Sundance has gained over the years that makes his debut sound so accomplished and interesting.