[Mindshift Records]

For many producers, starting their own record label is the only way to have total control of releases with their name on it. The Chicago-born, Seattle-based Mindshift imprint started in 2003 as a vehicle for founder Jay Hewlett and his tracks as The Anonms Emcee, DJ Journee, and Murdoc. But like many of his peers with their own musical platform, Hewlett couldn’t resist releasing other producers’ work and compiled various artist EPs featuring Tim Xavier, Dave Pezzner and Avondale Music Society, among others. The fourth record in the Trouble V/A series brings together Kenneth James Gibson (better known as [a]pendics.shuffle), Hewlett, and Seattle’s Derrick Deepvibez.

The EP opens with “Another Answer” by KJ Gibbs, a sprightly tech-house track whose gauzy, marimba-like patterns soften the edges of sturdy percussion. While its saccharine melodies occasionally recall the great marimba fad of 2008, the diving synth leads and filter fiddling suggest its playfulness is thoroughly considered. Murdoc’s “Fast Talkin’ Hustler” is comparatively cut and dry, fitting segments of funk bass and brass into hyperactive drum patterns. Constrained by its limited elements, it’s best suited as a transition point between more arresting tracks. This is also true of “Zen Eclipse” by Derrick Deepvibez, whose minimal house beats are barely draped in murky bass tones or subtly shifting pads. In all, Trouble 4 is more likely to inconspicuously extend a DJ’s set than turn many heads by itself.