Kaleidoscope Jukebox: Infinite Reflection

Bloomington, Indiana’s Clint Carty has been one particularly high-profile dude behind the mixing board. On his résumé, he has remixing work for the likes of the Thievery Corporation, among others. So, having cut his teeth with fairly big name electronica acts, Carty now moves to his own project, Kaleidoscope Jukebox, and his new LP, Infinite Reflection. And, yes, it does sound remarkably Thievery Corporation-ish, with its mix of electronica, hip hop, jazz, and Middle Eastern influences. However, Infinite Reflection is also an album that feels original and of its own, and the tracks are generally strong and authoritative.

If one thing holds true about this record, it’s its title. Infinite Reflection goes on and on, with 11 of its 14 songs eclipsing the five- or six-minute marks. And while “Double Edge Sword” is a pretty good hip hop number with some easy-flowing raps, it does feel a bit out of place on a record that is largely instrumental, save for what are presumably samples. However, if you can forgive its over-length and odd misstep, Infinite Reflection is a disc you can easily get lost in and daydream to. You might find yourself, as I did, wanting to dance around to this record, effortlessly forgetting yourself as you shake your moneymaker around your apartment. As an artistic statement, Infinite Reflection hardly lags, and this is an appeasing mix of styles for those looking for something that is not quite chill out, not quite high impact. In other words, this is the perfect background soundtrack to cocktail parties, and there’s much here to suggest nothing but a bright, colourful future for this DJ and producer.