Spending lots of time lately with this weightily-named 2016 beat tape, Amadeus from DJ Ivan, who also goes by the moniker Melonic. At 18 tracks there are lots of intriguing compositions here–jazz pianos, sped up Motown samples, amusing dialogue slices–undoubtedly the product of many studies of the schools of Dilla and Kanye. I keep coming back to this one because of the mix throughout: In an age of floor-shaking low end, there’s an almost complete absence of bass here, which makes for a very fresh sound, with the treble snap in his snare drums is turned way up. This lends a light and airy feel overall, especially on tracks like “How Funky Is Your Chicken?” and a different sort of heavy smack to “Summer Sixteen.” Many of these beats are calling out for someone to rap over them.