L33A.P is aware of precisely how one can faucet into nostalgia with out letting it overwhelm the current. D10R2004 is a shot of Y2K membership euphoria, drenched in bouncy home beats, 80s synth stabs, and 8-bit melodies that really feel like a misplaced ringtone from a Motorola Razr in the absolute best approach. It’s twee, it’s polyphonic, and it’s a feel-good anthem that refuses to apologise for revelling within the hyper-feminine aesthetics that popular culture likes to dismiss.
The London-based, NY-born producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist wears her influences on her sleeve, fusing the heart beat of UK dance music with the playfulness of early 00s Eurodance. The autotuned vocals glide by the combo with an suave duress, bending and warping like an overworked CD skipping in a neon-lit membership basement. There’s no self-conscious posturing right here—simply an artist celebrating what she loves with unapologetic confidence.
That refusal to adapt isn’t restricted to D10R2004. L33A.P has been busy remixing Every part is Romantic by Charli XCX with jungle-fuelled chaos and placing her personal stamp on the Twin Peaks theme with a pumpin’ organ home spin. She isn’t chasing developments; she’s constructing soundscapes the place retro-futurism collides with private expression, and D10R2004 is the right entry level. It’s music for the dancefloor, the dressing room, the evening bus house—wherever you want a dose of unfiltered enjoyable.
Stream D10R2004 on SoundCloud now.
Assessment by Amelia Vandergast