Tycho : Infinite Health

Scott Hansen has been releasing music as Tycho since 2006, starting with debut Past Is Prologue. Tycho’s sound can be described as low key electronic. Elements of chillwave, ambient, post-rock, downtempo, and IDM. Don’t know what any of those mean? Well, imagine groovy electronic beats layered in dreamy synthesizers with touches of guitar, bass, and low key dance vibes. It’s dance music for folks that don’t think they like dance music.

Tycho has been compared to everyone from Boards of Canada to DJ Shadow to German electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss. Scott Hansen’s Tycho project is the indie music fan’s dance band; equal parts head bopping and contemplative.

2014s Awake was the album that defined the Tycho sound, and has been the blueprint for future releases. On Tycho’s newest album, the propulsive Infinite Health, Scott Hansen makes a dance record for fall. Big beats coalesce with ethereal melodies and almost bedroom recording vibes. Intimate, personal, and at times even otherworldly, Infinite Health feels like a breath of fresh air on a brisk autumn walk.

“Consciousness Felt” opens with a synthesizer sound expanding into an almost indie rock groove, complete with a funky drum beat, guitar, and bass. Touches of The Information-era Beck come through the song’s uplift. It’s like a caffeinated Boards of Canada, without the downtempo melancholy. “Phantom” is more of a straight up dance track; four on the floor beat, light synth touches, and hints of classic Daft Punk come through. Title track “Infinite Health” has cosmic synth touches and a glitchy beat that is reminiscent of Baths at times. Big, expansive, and funky in all the right places. Hansen gets some help from singer/songwriter Cautious Clay on this track as well.

Infinite Health through its 33-minute runtime never lags, and no song hangs out any longer than it needs to. It covers both the dance crowd and the more ethereal and contemplative moments. It has everything you need to zone out and get lost in the moment. Tycho continues to make engaging, thoughtful, and at times visceral instrumental electronic music of the highest order.