Everyone's favorite beatsmith is back in action with his recent release, Unreleased Bits & Pieces Pt. 2. In case you haven't heard of Little People, he is an electronic downtempo music producer from London. In this day and age, there is currently a huge increase of bedroom beat producers due to readily available software and equipment. This makes it harder and harder to set standards and really shine through to stardom. However, there are a selected few in this field where they actually managed to breakthrough. One of them is Little People.
Little People has been in the game for about seven years now. His debut album Mickey Mouse Operation is what really propelled him forward in the underground music scene. This album received lots of positive feedback from the public, which makes you think that this sudden popularity would make him crank out more, right? The fact of the matter is, Little People only has three official releases, and two of the are short EPs, including Unreleased Bits & Pieces Pt. 2. A majority of his time was devoted to live sets and remixes, which is arguably just as effective as releasing original material. He has finally given listeners something to drool over recently, which leads us to Unreleased Bits & Pieces Pt. 2. As you start down this journey, expect shifts in his style and unique approaches that definitely departs from the distinct sound he developed on Mickey Mouse Operation.
First up to bat is "This Music Is Not My Own". This tune is quite unique, in that there are distinct 'sections', if you will, within the song that are quite different from one another. This would usually bother me because I tend to like songs that sound as a whole cohesive and have smooth transitions, however Little People made it work. Using lots of samples and looped vocals, he stitched and laced a good number of layers to create an orchestra of beats and sounds. Every 'section' is a fresh new look of the track, and will continually keep you intrigued and interested to the very end.
The next track on the list is "Start Shootin" (Little People's Americana Remix). The original "Start Shootin" is his own track off of Mickey Mouse Operation. I was a little skeptical at first about this remix. First off, "Start Shootin" by itself is an awesome song that can be used in a kickassery montage with its killer beat and piano progression. Little People added a few more elements on top of the original which subtly sways the direction and mood of the song. Some of those elements include a guitar and more 80s style synths. I must admit, this might be my least favorite track off of the EP. Nevertheless, both versions of "Start Shootin" are head-bobbers and are ripe for the listening.
The following tune is yet another remix of a song from his first album. The approach to "Moon" (Little People's Western Lies Remix) seems a little different than usual. Instead of trying to keep the integrity of the original piece, it seems like he has almost re-invented this particular track. The original is in classic Little People style. That dark piano progression starts, followed shortly by those delicious beats that has won him fame over the years. Instead of keeping these characteristics, he decides to go more electronic heavy with those 80s synths we scraped over in the previous track. Initiating the song with a sampled vocal, it cues a simple beat with the a few synths layering on top of each other coupled with a woman's looped vocal. These synths are quite dominant throughout the song, almost like he is paying homage to Pilot Priest. It's a very interesting remix, straying from norm. Fantastic.
The second to last song on this EP is "4 and 8". This track maybe my favorite out of the bunch. "4 and 8" is a dark, majestic tune that will transport you into another world. The tune starts off with soft chimes, slowly crescendoing with modest effects to give it an extra boost. An actual beat doesn't show itself until at least a minute and a half into the piece. Then, ambient sounds and a very soft piano joins this dark, slow train of a tune. The high chimes really gives me the shiver. It adds that subconscious connotation of infant-hood which is coupled by the dark, mysterious ambiance the layers seem to give us. This is definitely a direction I wouldn't mind seeing Little People take.
The closing song of Unreleased Bits & Pieces Pt. 2 is yet another remix, but of a different artist. Little People remixed a track by Joey Fehrenbach, who is an electronic producer ranging in styles from downtempo to dance. Little People took the liberty in remixing Fehrenbach's "Underwander". The original is an extremely soothing electronic ambient piece, sending us images of an underwater utopia. With creative license, Little People added his own flare to really vamp up the song. In this remix, he keeps the overall structure and essence of the original, but introduced a catchier beat and saturated effects to give it more dance-ability. The remix is still fairly soothing, but the added beats and effects prevent you from sitting down and nodding off. "Underwander" (Little People Remix) is an excellent showcase of Little People's remix game.
Unreleased Bits & Pieces Pt.2 is an interesting EP, as well as part 1. I honestly thought he would keep his mojo flowing by creating tracks based off of Mickey Mouse Operation. However, I do indeed like this new direction Little People is heading towards. Adding synths and slightly darker vibes makes for extremely dynamic sounds and beats to bob to. He is honestly teasing us with these small EP releases, as I have been waiting for a long time for a full album release. So far, I have come up dry (obviously). With that said, I am far from disappointed by the material he has given to us, especially since it's free. I can only assume that all this time is time being spent exploring new avenues, improving, and changing his game.
Little People, it's still your move.
For those who have been missing out, you can still download Little People's work for free at his website and his Facebook page.
