<[Maslo]

In spite of substantial praise from respected corners, Vester Koza’s music still feels like a guarded secret. Maybe this is because it feels so inherently “for the heads.” Koza’s tracks are gritty but not lo-fi by any stretch, dubby without being a drag, and influenced by eminently subtle producers like Jonas Bering. The producer’s ambitions are elusive, which has made his string of self-released EPs a pleasure to sink into.

On the A-side, a low throb and gusts of bass form a kind of rhythmic undertow, while static-y organ stabs ring out on top — a typical dub techno formula, sure, but it feels more like a Levon Vincent or Prince of Denmark than most by-the-numbers tracks you could think of, as it is robust and spacious at once. Koza ends up capitalizing on that space for propulsion, dropping in a flicker of a break, nodding to UK hardcore’s energy without going over the top with the reference. The B-side is less immediate, but it might be more mesmeric in the long run, with a neatly spaced step-and-rattle smothered in amorphous drone. As with much of his material, the changes come gradually, surely honed from playing the groove for hours on end. Listeners ought to try the same sort of immersion.