Bleep

This EP centres around ‘Fair Chance’, a standout joint from Thundercat’s 2020 LP It Is What It Is. The album version of the track still wows here - backed by the velvet vocals of Ty Dolla $ign and bars of outsider-rap legend Lil B, Thundercat constructs a bittersweet neo-soul production in tribute to the late Mac Miller. Thundercat has developed a reputation for bringing a quirky playfulness to the sounds of jazz fusion and funk, but tracks like ‘Fair Chance’ remind one that he can also write music of great beauty.

As well as instrumental and acapella versions of ‘Fair Chance’, perhaps the most exciting feature of this EP is a remix of the track from Floating Points. This new take on ‘Fair Chance’ finds a sweet-spot between dancefloor appeal and emotional resonance - the addition of a shuffling four four groove may nudge things into UK garage territory, but the choice to maintain the original’s twinkling synthesisers and Ty Dolla $ign’s aching vocal performance gives the Floating Points remix serious tears-in-the-club potential.

Built around ‘Fair Chance’ - the gorgeous Ty Dolla $ign/Lil B collaboration which is surely one of the most beautiful songs in Thundercat’s discography - and featuring an acapella version, instrumental and garage-focussed remix from Floating Points, this EP is a wonderful addition to the Thundercat story.