kousto: after elsewhere
Francisco Espregueira
French producer Kousto, now based in London, has built his sound around house music with a strong sense of melody and a taste for sounds that travel beyond the usual club references. Drawing on live instrumentation, samples and memories of the South of France, his productions often sit somewhere between deep house and more cinematic territory. On After Elsewhere, his four-track EP for Egoplanet, he opens up that palette a little further. Drums, keyboards and analogue textures shape the arrangements, but the tracks are given room to breathe rather than being locked into a single formula.
“Channel 16” sets things in motion with a steady groove, while “Eye Contact” pulls back and lets its melodic details come through. The focus track, “Out of Range”, takes a more spacious approach, balancing a measured rhythm with a sense of openness. Closing track “Slows” drops the pace to a gentle 90 BPM, bringing the EP to a more reflective end. Across the four pieces, Kousto moves between dancefloor momentum and quieter listening without making too much of the distinction. With After Elsewhere, he keeps that connection to the club, while leaving enough space for the music to drift elsewhere. Available via Bandcamp.