Beautiful Being - EP

Album Review

Eastern Sun is a duo consisting of West Coast mainstays Brian Saitzyk and DJ John Kelley. Kelley is a well-regarded breaks DJ who has toured with the Crystal Method and Orbital, while Saitzyk made his bones DJing in California clubs and at desert dance parties. When working together, the pair favors a more ambient, chilled-out sound — one that offers plenty of rhythmic interest, but within the context of a more gentle and soothing mood. Beautiful Being is essentially a maxi-single consisting of four mixes of one of the showcase tracks from Eastern Sun's debut album, In Emptiness, along with two non-album tracks, "Intersubjective Collective" and "Dematerialization." The four mixes of the title track are different enough from each other to make them an enjoyable listen one right after the other, thanks in part to the creative mixology and in part to the lovely vocals of Monica Hayes; the "Linnear Fractal Chill Mix" is both the funkiest and the most drastic deconstruction of the four. "Intersubjective Collective" is dreamy and dubwise, and the nine-minute-long "Dematerialization" borders on the spookily dark and is devoid of beats (though not of rhythm). This EP is a fine companion piece to a very enjoyable album.