Where his previous albums have crafted distinctly experimental-ambient experiences, the latest release of Edyth, aka Mohamed Abnaof, is a dance-fuelled sonic amalgam of Detroit bass, hard techno, house and more.

The Sudanese music producer based in Kuwait goes by two artist names: Edyth, for his more ambient and atmospheric pieces, and St Gold Plates, which gives room to industrial and experimental tendencies. Elements of dance music can be heard in a lot of Edyth’s previous productions, but this latest release, Exo, is where they reign supreme in a versatile collection of tracks.

The record opens with ‘Check Point,’ carving out a prolonged intro of superfast syncopated beats to raise listeners’ heartbeats. Around a minute in, and lower, fog-like synths creep in, creating a tense juxtaposition in pace and mood. “I was into a lot of Club and Footwork at the time and was just winging it,” Edyth tells SceneNoise. “I couldn’t help but bring in a little atmosphere though.”

Riding a synth-speckled stomp into an alternate universe is the album’s second track, ‘What It Is’, coloured with looping sequences that keep the overall vibe boppy and playful – this one, Edyth divulges, is the producer’s love song to Detroit techno and electro. The track takes a minimal turn in its outro, with off-the-cuff elements of space-like synths and a wiry closing note rounding things off.

Reaching more intense heights is ‘Burnout,’ a balance of madcap melody and labyrinthine arrangement. “My way of giving love to the Wave community, and infusing Keygen memories,” Edyth reflects. Strident bursts of high-pitched synth sequences tumble and meld into the next, propelling the sonic experience to video game levels of action.

Some of the parts, he shares, are AI-generated. “It’s scary, it’ll finish tracks for you if you want. I'm too much of a control freak to let that happen, but I've always let code come up with rhythm, melodies and sounds for me, whether through sampling or warping,” Edyth reflects. “With AI, you press a couple buttons and get so much melodic beauty from it, enough material to come up with a collage.” Meandering into full-blown techno is ‘Noid Ride,’ with stuttering beats under a sticky bassline that commands all attention. The track is lightened up by its melodic elements, a sampled voice singing nonchalantly that paints an image of a self-confident dancer in the club. ‘Like You’, for its part, is a quintessential house anthem, with thudding four-bars pulsing under warbling high vocals.

The last and longest track of the album, ‘Lemon Days’ is a deep house take with slick synths and a clean, introspective feel. “I made that track a long time ago, when I was yearning for it all to be for a reason,” Edyth recalls.

Why the name ‘Lemon Days’? “I was trying to quit smoking and ended up drinking a lot of water because I craved that sourness,” Edyth says. “I was addicted to harsh tastes, was into a lot of hardcore, noise, stuff like that. You know how sometimes, you make tracks to reflect how you wish it would be? This track was kind of like that: I picture it like being in a fresh-smelling House rave whilst lemonade’s being served.”

‘Exo’ is Edyth’s versatile take on a dance record, with the music producer showing himself to be a savvy shapeshifter and dextrous beatmaker. Floating between states of easy grooves and overstimulation, Edyth has crafted his sound design into this multifaceted, if amorphous, summer dance album.