Shigeto has always had the ability to travel between his influences with ease. Whether it's the sample based pastiche of early Four Tet, the compressed murk of Actress, the L.A. beat scene's disjointed funk or the dusty, downbeat house of his hometown, Zach Saginaw has built on these touchstones and created something truly unique. Saginaw's landmark 2013 long player for Ghostly, No Better Time Than Now, showcases his penchant for slow moving beats and shifting melodies. As a jumping off point, "Detroit Part 1" delivers one of Shigeto's best tracks to date (a Part 2 was finally released on The New Monday, also highly recommended). While it looks to hip hop, the track trades off some of the grittiness for more subtle flourishes. There are moments like this throughout the record; quiet interludes are upended by more funky affairs, slumping beats are treated to tiny xylophone tones. It's these juxtapositions that make No Better Time Than Now a great listen, one that has only gotten sweeter with time.

• blue, black & white marble colored vinyl
• full color printed inner sleeve
• limited edition
  
• original release year: 2013
• music label: Ghostly International 2023

reviewed by Joey Coco 12/2017