[Modern Love]

It’s hard not to hear Move D’s tracks as essentially calm. Consider this: “Quit Quittin'” is one of his most jacking recent songs, plush with arpeggiated trickles and acid stabs (not to mention the shrill of “oh YEAH”), but Move D stabilized the whole thing with a gentle analog suspire. The calmness, a major thread in David Moufang’s music, is almost as consistent as Move D himself. After almost 15 years of producing, he shows no signs of complacency; Move D has kept a workmanlike pace that never comes across as belabored. Instead, tracks like “Ac1d” and “Got Thing” sound so assured, so deliberate that their pacing verges on matter-of-fact.

Thankfully, his work is also inhabitable — for all the smooth exteriors, Move D makes sure each is inviting. For his forthcoming ambient album, Songs from the Beehive, he crafts warm and comforting spaces from crisp sounds. With “Drøne,” Move D invites you to get lost. The limited edition single is straightforward – one endless glissando and spiraling drums – their effect is anything but. Beginning with a gasp, “Drøne” takes it’s time before it kicks into full gear. There’s a clear trajectory, as the initial sprinkles of noise and delay setup the back half’s chug. The drums owe a large debt to Basic Channel, as well as the vinyl’s generic packaging, but Move D isn’t worried about killing his idols – he takes their strengths and makes them his own. On the same token, the drone drifts and sways like an introspective cousin to “Mandarine Girl.” But touchstones be damned — “Drøne” is fully-formed. You could call it one long brood of a track, but it’s just as much a calming one. It’s a funny paradox, but one that’s easy to get lost in.