_{By Luke Fuller}

Celebration House 91, the debut release from Sprit, is the type of sonic journey few have ever gotten to listen to, and even fewer have attempted to create. It references decades of work spanning all electronic genres. There’s bits of jungle and house from the 80s and 90s mixed with hardcore, IDM, dubstep, and even phonk from the 21st century.

Sprit as an artist is always trying to break the mold of what it means to make electronic music, and every track I have heard of his has pushed the envelope in often unexpected ways. He is so in tune with himself and the sounds he wants to make — it almost feels like a summoning ritual to watch him make things. He knows exactly what and where everything is, and he just needs to go find it. Even eight months ago when we met, he already had a plethora of tracks that deserve time in the spotlight. He was cranking out hardcore lo-fi techno on a dawless setup and is sitting on three albums of unreleased music. He’s been a great friend and mentor, and I’m so glad to see this music finally begin to come out. By the time he gets the first three albums out I would expect him to have about six more worth of unreleased tracks.

On Celebration House 91, Sprit does a fantastic job making tracks that are worth serious consideration, whilst still having fun and often including inside jokes or references. His tracks almost all have sections of simplicity, or even cheesiness, that make the average producer think “I could definitely do this!” that are immediately followed up by a level of complexity and intensity many can only dream of bringing out in their music. To him, it’s all just fun, and it really shows through.

The track “Celebration” uses this sense of humor to great effect. The track begins with a marimba style sound playing a simple melody and a 4-on-the-floor kick drum. It makes the listener wonder, a little bit, why this track would be included. It doesn’t seem to fit in right away. And just as the listener begins to wonder this, Sprit throws in some breaks and a ripping 303 lead that will knock you on your a** if you aren’t paying attention.

There’s also a lot of emotional depth involved here. For every floaty, high-energy track like “Jungle3,” there’s a dense and abrasive track like “WE DON’T NEED MEN LIKE YOU” to complement it. The highs and lows are treated with the same level of dedication, and it makes the listening experience exciting and memorable.

Celebration House 91 shows off Sprit’s talent in every field: the synthesis is rich and exciting, the sampling is meaningful and well-integrated, the instruments are mixed perfectly, and the pacing is just right. I’ve given this album quite a few listens since its release on CD and subsequent release on streaming services, and all I have to say is that I’m excited for what comes next. Whether his next step is to put out a classic dubstep EP, or an off-the-wall synth pop record, just know that it’ll give you that very same Sprit high that this album does.

Be sure to follow Sprit on Instagram and check out “House 91” from Sprit below!