Following collaborations with Tom Clark as False Image on Traumraum and Bar 25 and his recent release with Pablo Bolivar here on Biotop, Canadian Berliner Noah Pred returns with his first solo release in over a year: Rare Beast.

Arriving just in time, the title track seems custom engineered for summer open airs. Revolving around an iconic chord line, spacious acid, pinging bells, and a bouncy low end keep everything in motion. Employing a similar sonic palette, Demiurge exchanges Rare Beast's borderline euphoria for subtle melancholy; gliding subs, plaintive leads, and dubby chords make for a somewhat darker yet no less memorable journey. Qualia closes out the release with a quirky yet cinematic exploration of advanced studio techniques built on a sturdy analog foundation.

Returning to form with three sprawling tracks of modern club fuel, Pred delivers his unique dancefloor vision with a keen sensibility for both rhythmic essentials and evocative atmospheres, deploying vintage gear and digital processing alike to stake out a territory all his own - a Rare Beast indeed.

Rare Beast will be released in June, complete with sensitive mastering by Werner Niedermeier and a beautiful cover design by Ninash Noori. More information: www.biotop-label.net.