Album of the Week: Natural Wonder Beauty Concept - Natural Wonder Beauty Concept | 2023 Week 28

The seeds for Natural Wonder Beauty Concept were sown three years ago, with acclaimed artists Ana Roxanne and DJ Python having both released incredibly well received records in 2020, when they first met during the New York winter.

With the life of a solo electronic producer and DJ already somewhat lonely and nomadic, these themes were compounded in the isolation of 2020, with DJ Python (real name Brian Piñeyro) and Ana bonding over these shared experiences, that led to a friendship and eventually their innovative new collaboration, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept.

A beautiful meeting of musical minds, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept’s self-titled debut album manages to let both artists signature sounds and styles shine through while still being greater than the sum of its parts. Python’s trademark “not quite dance music, not quite ambient” styles meet Roxanne’s ambient-tinged alt-pop & experimental r&b flavours, with the results pushing beyond what we’ve heard from each of them individually.

Sitting somewhere in between the downtempo magic of Bonobo, the ambient composition side of Floating Points and the organic deep house of Anthony Naples, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept twists and turns from beatless compositions to cuts that could work on more discerning dancefloors at the start or very end of the night.

The best of the rest of this week's records:

Claud - Supermodels [Saddest Factory Records] USA

Indie / Pop

Disclosure - Alchemy [Apollo / AWAL] ENG

Electronic / Pop

Immy Owusu - LO-LIFE! [Hopestreet Recordings] AUS

Highlife

Jack Ladder - Tall Pop Syndrome [Endless Recordings] AUS

Alternative / Pop

Lil Tjay - 222 [Colombia / Sony] USA

Hip Hop

Lindstrøm - Everyone Else Is A Stranger [Smalltown Supersound] NOR

Electronic

Palehound - Eye On The Bat [Polyvinyl] USA

Alternative / Rock

Simona Castricum - SINK [Dinosaur City Records] AUS

Electronic / Alternative

Voyager - Fearless in Love [Season of Mist] AUS

Metal / Pop