Somewhere in between producing for both Phonte and Big Pooh of Little Brother and doing a full album with Texas MC, Kay, the Netherlands smoothest producer Nicolay found the time to make an electro-pop record. Following up his timeless City Lights Vol. 1 and Vol. 1.5 is City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya.

First things first, this LP has Nicolay venturing far from the soulful bounce that can be found on the first one and a half installments of the City Lights series . It’s evident that along with he and Phonte’s critically acclaimed second installment as Foreign Exchange, Nicolay began to change his style from space age bounce to disco-dance groove. But it’s all to the good, Nicolay’s new found vision is a refreshing journey of live instrumentation and programmed drum beats. Tranquil beats like ‘Rain In Ueno Park’ and ‘Omotesando’ are reasons I believe Nicolay’s a master of his craft.
However, it’s tracks like ‘Satellite’ and ‘Saturday Night,’ which features Carlitta Durand, that secure this record a spot in Express for Men and crowded techno club’s rotation’s. But, aside from a few hiccups, Nicolay does a stellar job leading listeners off the trail of breadcrumbs he’s scattered over the past few. Shibuya certainly breathes a breath of fresh air into the world of sped up soul samples and boom-bap drum breaks.

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