Premiere: Nelic Spore

Aurora is the new album by music producer Unknown Mobile aka Levi Bruce. Started in Ottawa and finished in Montréal, the project marks an evolution of Bruce’s “sound sketching” approach to composition that began with the wistful, hypnagogic songs of 2019’s Daucile Moon. Across Aurora’s eight tracks, the producer summons the contemporary jazz and ambient of famed labels Windham Hill and ECM, each sample and languorous synth pad framed by skittering percussion and deep, comforting bass. With nods to nature in its track titles (“Wailing Spruce” and “Aurora” – meaning dawn in Latin), Bruce has crafted a home-listening record that sounds as if you’re stepping outside, a sojourn into crisp, euphoric ambience and minimalist rhythm. 

We’re pleased to premiere the first track on the album, “Nelic Spore,” whose woozy shuffle and dubbed-out trumpet recall the early-90s chillout of Haruomi Hosono while beautifully setting the album’s bucolic tone. Aurora is out November 4th. Stream “Nelic Spore” below. – Lewis Gordon