''Mirror Maru'' is the debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by Norwegian DJ, record producer, musician and turntablist

Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...

, released on 22 October 2012 by Pelican Fly.

Recording and production

For his EP, the Norwegian producer employs a wide array of drum machines and unconventional

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...

s, including

autotune Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances. Auto-Tu ...

d bedsprings, in order to craft a background for melody.

Composition

On his debut EP ''Mirror Maru'', Cashmere Cat blends a technical sensibility with pop playfulness. It consists of four tracks that feature warm, colorful

EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...

steeped in R&B leanings while backed by methodical drum samples. ''Mirror Maru'' demonstrates Cat's skillfulness with a soft-touch approach to

bass music Bass music is a term used to describe several genres of electronic dance music and hip hop music arising from the 1980s on, focusing on a prominent bass drum and/or bassline sound. As one source notes, there are "many different types of bass musi ...

. The EP contains sparse, forlorn pianos and throbbing, mechanically jointed percussive elements that are not very rough-edged or aggressive, and convey blissed-out feelings.

Critical reception

Jonah Bromwich of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' gave the album a positive review, stating, "''Mirror Maru'' consists of four tracks of colorful, warm

suffused with R&B leanings and backed by regimented drum samples. And though it's only 15 minutes long, the EP manages to communicate a fully realized artistic persona, one that finds the beating heart underneath all that scratched vinyl." He concludes, "It's clear Høiberg has experience catering to two very different types of audiences. On ''Mirror Maru'', he takes what he's learned and creates something that's sure to unite the entire congregation."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2012 EPs Cashmere Cat albums Indietronica EPs Albums produced by Cashmere Cat