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Gifted & Blessed – Heard And Unheard LP [39156031]

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Gifted & Blessed returns with ‘Heard and Unheard’, an album that distills years of making music in a variety of styles and under different names into a singular statement. In addition to producing electronic music as Gifted & Blessed since the early 2000s, Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker has dabbled with many other aliases over the years: as Frankie Reyes, he explores his Puerto Rican heritage by playing Latin standards and originals on vintage keyboard instruments; as The Abstract Eye and The Reflektor, he creates dancefloor anthems with electronic hardware; and as GB and Julian Abelar, he’s released sample-based productions and techno adjacent dance music.

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Gifted & Blessed – Heard And Unheard LP [39156031]

GB – Yamaheaters EP [TSEP888]

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Here we have another offering from GB on his Technoindigenous Studies label. The spirit of all his Gifted & Blessed productions remains, but this time the tools used to create the music differ. Upon finding what he thought was an old broken toy Yamaha keyboard tossed in a trash bin, GB decided to take the toy home and see what it did. For years it sat unused while he kept creating with his usual analogue setup, but he later realized that hidden within the toy keyboard was a vast array of sounds which, via MIDI, he used to produce this offering. Here were have five pieces made with that little old Yamaha synth. This approach sums up what technoindigenous studies is all about: using the technology of those before him to explore uncharted territory with a modern twist.

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GB – Yamaheaters EP [TSEP888]

The Reflektor – Taíno EP [TSEP999]

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Technoindigenous Studies is the newest outlet of producer/composer Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker, aka Gifted & Blessed, serving as a platform for his many alter egos and side projects. As the name implies, Technoindigenous Studies is the union of modern musical technology with the ways and intentions of the ancestors. The first release on the label is from one of Gabriel’s lesser known monikers, The Reflektor. This new EP, simply titled Taíno, is a tribute to his own indigenous Caribbean ancestors. Each of the 4 track titles is taken from the Taíno language. Call it techno, electro, music to move to, whatever you wish. There’s room for your own personal interpretation. That’s what makes the Gifted & Blessed sound what it is.

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The Reflektor – Taíno EP [TSEP999]

The Abstract Eye – What’s Real Anymore [DX-3]

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Although he is known to have an incredibly wide range of stylistic approaches, he is probably best known for the music he makes for the dance floor. His classic releases Cool Warm Divine (Valentine Connexion) and GB Presents: The Abstract Eye (Eglo) have solidified a unique analog electronic sound of his own as The Abstract Eye that he further explores and expands on in these six pieces. This record displays a diverse range of emotions, textures, rhythms and colors, sounding like it could have been made any time, past, present or future. While simultaneously staying open to the ever-changing world of music and also observing the current record industry in which many factors besides the quality of the music itself seem to take precedence, The Abstract Eye asks the question, what’s real anymore? For him, it comes down to the feelings this music evokes. That is as real as it gets.

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The Abstract Eye – What’s Real Anymore [DX-3]

Merwyn / Inkswel – Cloud Eaters EP [HS003]

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Hot Shot Sounds label with former Virgo Four producer Merwyn Sanders teaming up with Inkswel on a heavy hitting platter that has a pair of killer remixes tucked away on the B Side. Ultra cool funk drenched tracks, with remixes by Linkwood and Gifted & Blessed (aka GB). New label coming from the Peoples Potential Unlimited guys.

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Merwyn / Inkswel – Cloud Eaters EP [HS003]

The Reflektor aka Gifted & Blessed – Las Ruinas Mayas [WO-2K12]

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There has been much speculation about the significance of the Mayan system of timekeeping. Many researchers on the subject have verified that the Mayan long count calendar, which is only one of several advanced timekeeping tools devised by the Mayan people, comes to an end on December 21, 2012, with no real clear explanation as to what exactly that signifies. This musical offering is not meant to speculate on the meaning of this date. Instead, it serves as a tribute to one of the most astronomically, mathematically and architecturally advanced civilizations in the history of planet Earth. Each track is a tribute to one of the many Mayan spiritual sites known to date.

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The Reflektor aka Gifted & Blessed – Las Ruinas Mayas [WO-2K12]

GB – The Abstract Eye [EGLO023]

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New material from LA’s Gifted & Blessed, this time dropping on the UK’s Eglo Records under his The Abstract Eye guise. A man of many names, the ever illusive musician/producer/dj/director. With a fetish for analog hardware, drum machines and synths, GB’s sound techniques, range and versatility separate him from the pack.

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GB – The Abstract Eye [EGLO023]

GB – 7 in 24 [ACGB12X1]

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Second outing on the label from LA’s GB (Gifted & Blessed).  2 tracks here with 7 in 24 a dense 808 led up-tempo workout with a hypnotic groove while on the flip “Dogon” is a techno-electro hybrid with a nod to the pre-millennium Motor City sound.

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GB – 7 in 24 [ACGB12X1]

GB – The Provider EP [DX002]

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Superb interstellar electronic grooves from LA’s Gifted and Blessed. A-side is a loosely jazzed, freeform Techno number called ‘Provider’, nodding to Drexciya with a fluid, hardware driven sound close to those recent smarts from Aybee. Flipside features the flashier Electrofunk of ‘The Receiver’, coming again with the soul-flowing 313 signatures and an irresistible feel for wired, metallic grooves, while ‘We Can See You’ neatly balances nastier EBM flavours with damn sweet chords and a heavy dose of roughed-up machine funk.

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GB – The Provider EP [DX002]

GB – The Xpander [DX001]

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Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker aka GB comes with The Xpander ep. He delivers some deep introvert electro tracks. A-track The Xpander is an uptempo track, while the flip side is a more introvert electro piece that slowly builds and builds until both feet aren’t touching ground anymore.

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GB – The Xpander [DX001]