In the late aughts, when I was living in Copenhagen, I became friendly with many of the artists there propelling the growth of a vibrant dub-techno-meets-downtempo scene. As has often been the case with musical subcultures in CPH, these guys were doing fine, eating and doing expert work creating a scene that almost nobody outside Denmark was really clocking at the time. Now that geography and era mean so much less for art and its inspiration, it should come as no surprise that an artist like Mute City–based in Somerville, MA–would feel freedom to make music like this, despite being in a place where he’s likely disconnected from any robust local scene particularly expressive of this exact style. “Never the Same River” is delicate, dubby, and songwriting-forward in a way that would have made it perfectly at home amongst that school of Danish masters 20 years ago. It feels sort of like condensation on a single pane window on a day like today: facing out into an icy winter, with the warmth and light of hygge behind it.

This is from Mute City’s newest record, Entroponetics, Vol. 1, a collection of [mostly] previously-released compositions and remixes. It really runs the gamut stylistically, so don’t expect only dubby Nordic vibes. Case in point, Mute City also sent over another song from the record, which sits in distinctly different territory. His remix of SLC artist Below the Smoke is glitch-heavy and distorted–indicative of the album’s (and artist’s) range.You can download both songs below, then go grab the record from bandcamp. FYI, bandcamp only on this one.

Mute City – “Never the Same River” (mp3)

Below the Smoke – “Follow Me” (Mute City’s Corrupted Save File Mix) (mp3)

Also, check the visual for “Never the Same River” below, after the jump.