Muskoka, Ontario Canada-based producer District Lost makes his entry on our site with his brand new instrumental project entitled Set Tha Mood. The 9-track body of work is a showcase of his versatile production skill and the use of relatable themes to drive his musical arrangements. The project is anchored on the concept of moods, emotions and feelings that emanate during the process of crafting the beats and listeners get a wide range of these emotions across the tracks.

As instrumental albums go, one can sometimes traverse the sounds created by the producer without paying mind to the underlying themes but on this project, producer District Lost makes it a point to match the beats with the respective emotions. So like in the “Introduction”, we get a feeling of urgency with the pounding drums, dub-styled piano stabs, and pulsating lofi bass lines while on “saké”, the calmness comes to play with a swirling bass lick, off-centre swinging drums and subtle percussions to boot. This is followed by “Drunken Blues”, which is introduced by a solemn string and dreamy sparkling keys. The drums come into play around the 30-second mark and help raise the punchiness but overall, the feeling of sadness is the underlying theme.

“Tag The Galaxy” sounds atmospheric and somewhat surreal with its layered pads, keys and somewhat cinematic sound design. For me, it evokes feelings of reflection with a bit of wonder and awe when one is searching for a purpose. Next is”Raw”, a horn-driven jazz-hop beat reminiscent of Slum Village and ATCQ. The dustiness of the grooves, heavy bass lines and warm chords give it that nostalgic feeling of the past and the comforting aura it gives.”In Your Dreams” continues in the same vein as the previous track albeit with a slightly bouncy groove and sparse sampling approach. I like the slight tension and resolution the keys give and the use of space between the keys. Overall, it has a dreamy and surreal feel and I can also hear some legendary neo-soul artists singing on it.

The last 3 tracks all display three distinct emotions as follows.  “Anger” lives up to its title with an aggressive choppy guitar-like lick and the rugged drum groove adds to the edginess. This has that gritty NY bop with an experimental touch. “Tired” is bolstered by a solemn piano chord, mellow bassline and a lethargic drum groove to boot. As the title suggests, listeners get the feeling of being worn out after a hard day’s work or after getting an emotional trigger but on the flip side, it also has an introspective aesthetic. The final track “Chillin (Til’ The End)” helps bring the entire project to a close with pure bliss and an overall calmness after going through a rollercoaster of emotions. The jazz chords are well-crafted and complement the punchy bass-driven groove and add an extra emotional comforting energy to the track.

Ultimately Set Tha Mood, is an interesting and well-rounded project that gives audiences different soundscapes to fit their particular mood. This is perfect to play while doing chores, studying or even during a meditation session.