Written By Daniel Peraza
LP Giobbi’s Light Places, the deluxe edition, is one of the albums that I try to recommend to everyone when I get asked that question. Outside of most electronic circles, I always wonder why no one formally just has her on their radar. A list of collaborations on this album and the recent releases that contain Alabama Shakes, Portugal. the Man, and SOFI TUKKER. A star that has enough glow of her own and one that merits a review.
Photo by Carolina Isabel Salazar from DJ Mag
Single after single, many fans and I were wondering when she was going to produce a full album of work since her track, “Say a little prayer”, took off in the dance music circles. The question was finally answered on May 12, 2023 by the release of Light Places; a 12 track record that was being teased on a massive festival and concert run that she was on last year. The one thing that was getting played too at these festivals were remixes that started sounding better than the original. After the many plays and cheers, that question was also answered by the release of Light Places (Deluxe Edition) on August 25, 2023.
This album is a collection of some of the most exciting producers to date in the electronic world like Le Chev, DJ Tennis & Joseph Ashworth, and LP Giobbi again. I know she made the album, but her club edits give those four tracks a different life. A deluxe edition that doubles the song count and then some would make this review 4 pages long. The first of many tracks that should get you going forward is “If Love Is A Skill” featuring SOFI TUKKER. A soft introduction to what the first side of the double album is; a nice way to create the ambience that the rest of the album needs. The only voice on the song is Sophie Hawley-Weld, one half of SOFI TUKKER while LP and Tucker are working on the chord progressions. A simple message that carries more nuance the more it repeats itself. Don’t wait for a big EDM drop, yet, because the ending of this track involves more synths and bringing back the chilled house beat to go to the next song.
I’ll bounce around this album due to the size but another track I want to direct your attention toward. Something that gives a lot more bounce and KICK to its original creation. The “All in a Dream – LP Giobbi Club Edit” that is on the second side of the record. Musicality is a word thrown around for many artists and that is not any different to her. At times it will feel like she is going to copy a lot of the same song structures from the plethora of other house producers, but the difference comes from her live performances and teachings that allow her to make edits that will have the greatest effect on the crowd. The main kick and bass run throughout the track until you go onto the next one…like “Body Breathe” with Monogem. In true Giobbi fashion, an elegant piano, high hat, and the vocals float for the first 50 seconds to get the main message going through the listeners ears. This song does make you want to play it when there is a get-together and the night progresses into something livelier. On the cusp of doing something more than talking. Sometimes a song doesn’t need to have a complex answer to living or a solution but just a simple message, spaced out synths, and a bass drum.
The album has 27 more tracks for a unique journey to get a glimpse of who Leah Chisholm is. I won’t write this and try to make the case that this album is at the forefront of what electronic music has to offer but I will say that this record has its own identity of what an electronic album should do. It should create a story or a narrative of what the artist is about and be able to create a more sonically interesting experience for any new or old fan.
Alright, so we made it to the end of this album. Good job listening to at least 90 percent of the rest of it. Her next album, Dotr, is being released soon and the singles already out are hinting at it being better than this one.
BUT for this album I give it a 9 / 10.