Presence by Petit Biscuit
ALBUM REVIEW
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Born and raised in Rouen France, 18-year-old Petit Biscuit (Mehdi Benjelloun), goes to high school by day and produces electronic music by night. Despite his age, Petit has managed to break into mainstream electronic music by tapping into a similar sonic vein as artists including Odesza and Porter Robinson. Merely a blip on the radar 6 months ago, Petit gained support in the electronic music community following a few “trending” singles as well as an eclectic list of features including Lido, Møme, and Panama.
Petit positioned himself well for a successful 2018, by standing out from the “in your face EDM” that gained popularity in the 2010’s, and pursuing a more atmospheric and soulful side of electronica. Velvety layers of synths blended with organic melodies and vocal chops steer his tracks into an almost trancelike yet utterly chill state.
Petit’s first L.P., Presence, dropped on 11/10 featuring 14 songs averaging about 3:40 minutes. Presence is a satisfying blend of unexpected novelty.
Despite the general uniformity in Presence’s sound, Break Up, is one of the highlight tracks off the LP. About a minute into the song, the song drops into a grimy hip-hop beat characterized by a heavy bass line, high hats, and a Far Eastern flute. This song reminds me of What So Not and Mura Masa and how fun this song would be to see live. Expect to hear DJ’s dropping this at live sets at SnowGlobe this year.
Sunset Lover, was the song that launched Petite into the limelight generating more than 226 million streams on Spotify, yeah 226,000,000 crazy I know right? Chill and melodic, this song has a similar sound to Autograf yet still maintains a uniqueness that gives it character.
Beam, is another standout of the LP. The piano guides the listener on a pleasant journey through time while violins accompany the bass during the chorus. Nostalgic, uplifting, and unassuming.
From front to back, Presence, gives listeners a glimpse into the utopian soundscape inside Petit’s head. Keep an eye out for Petit Biscuit and expect to see a significant rise in collaborations and a large festival circuit in 2018…pending his high school diploma.