Alex Wiley • Tangerine Dream

Late to the Alex Wiley train that left the station quite some time ago, I've been forced to eat my words, or at least my lack of attention. The Hyde Park rapper moved to Los Angeles in 2015 which obviously means a smaller live presence in Chicago, but he's really come into his own as an artist since moving out there, upping both his bars and his aesthetic as a musician developing his own specific sound that is 100% Alex Wiley. Now he brings us Tangerine Dream, a project enveloped by hazy vibes and mellow instrumentals, a smooth ride from start to finish.

Tangerine Dream, Alex Wiley’s follow-up ‘tape to last year’s Village Party 2, invites us to experience a fantastical adventure placed in an ethereal world populated by himself, the multi-faceted duo Low Gravity, Hippie Sabotage and more. There's a strong night-time vibe almost veering into jazz at times and Wiley's ping-pong ball flow ricochets across the mixtape, bouncing off the walls of his mind. The feel is internal, an environment Wiley thrives in as a lyricist. The production is fleet footed, but not as quick as Wiley verbiage, who’s literal speed and mental quickness can be matched by few. With just 10 songs featured and hovering at around the 30-minute mark, the project sure feels like an ephemeral dream that ends way too soon; thankfully we get to hit replay as many times as we want.