Since his self-titled debut album in 2012, Sydney producer Harley Edward Streten has risen through the ranks home and away. Tracks such as Never Be Like You and Drop the Game spotlighted his talent for nimble, radio-friendly electronic fare.
On Skin, Streten matches a galaxy of collaborators with grooves: AlunaGeorge make merry on Innocence, Little Dragon add some hazy edge to Take a Chance, and Vince Staples cause a neat racket on Smoke & Retribution.
But you get the strong sense that these and the other match-ups with Beck, MNDR, Tove Lo, Vince Mensa and Raekwon are primarily about showing off textures rather than providing the breathing room for an actual song to emerge.
In some ways, Streten's own unaided work on Helix and Free are a better indicator of his skill with audio landscapes and wide sweeps of sound.
