Brendan Angelides is the man behind his solo project under the name of Welder. With his debut on a San Francisco based collective, Cyberset, Angelides demonstrates that he's just as proficient at downtempo as he is at breaks under his other alias, Eskmo. Following this full length release, Welder got picked up by a West Coast downtempo label, Native State Records, for a digital only Bamboo Snow EP. The Purple and Orange track gets upgraded to another EP with additional remixes by Bluetech, Fanu, Dov, and Audiovoid. Ranging from world music to orchestral glitchy instrumentation, Vines And Stream is simply a fun album to listen to. From the very first track, you're enveloped in easy bopping beats, that take you on a ride in a country with the convertible top down and your spirits up. The production is tight, the percussion is crisp, and the broken melodic patterns get stuck in your memory. The uplifting and organic mood of this IDM-meets-trip-hop album, reminds you that mother nature doesn't have that something that we call "bad weather", and as it rains outside you'll feel delighted to embrace the falling drops. And you'll smile. I place Welder somewhere between Portishead, Tricky, Banco de Gaia and The Orb. Favorite track: Rain.

Vines And Stream by Welder who is also know for his House and breaks project “Eskmo” has hit me like a whiff of fresh spring breeze. The album is all about Welder’s unique fusion of world music with downtempo breaks and freestyle electronica with generous doses of psychedelia, somewhat in similar vein to albums by artists like “Flexitones” or “Deviant Electronics”. The first track “Rain” is a steadfast one with a nice groovy bass with tinkering bell sounds along with a rolling drum beat that sets the mood for rest of the album. Next track “Ants Are Small” has bought about the biggest smiles I have ever seen when I am playing, the playful orchestral sounds that keep evolving along with phat beats and some squeaky bits splattered across, a sure winner. “Purple & Orange” kicks off with a oriental gong and some Chinese instrument with lots of dirty turntable sample loops mapped onto acoustic guitar riffs with a very mystical vocal sample mentioning something about some floating object that bursts into a purple and orange aura, another winner. “Crosshatch” changes the direction to a more broken beat oriented style and once again its the groove that gets you hooked almost instantly. Next track “Valeez” has a very glitchy hiphop beat with lots of multilayered percussion. “In the park” has a industrial and urban feel with a somewhat darkish atmosphere somewhat similar to sounds by artists like “Moby” or “Enigma”, a great track anyways. I just don’t believe the quality of sounds on this album, we are half way through and each and every track till now is just pure auditory bliss. lets see what follows. “Shiva” as the name suggests is a very ethnic influenced track with broken beats that are intertwined with the Indian instrument called sitar. “Distance” maintains the ethnic effort and has a wide range of instruments like tablas, sheenai etc, another lush and exotic world beat influenced track. Nearing the end welder chooses to drop the tempo a bit and give us laid back breaks along with serene and mild atmospheres with “Find You Here”. Welder explores his experimental side with “Amber Dime” which has a very sharp beat with a cartoonish vocal sample looped over and over, a strange but decent effort. Continuing further we stumble upon “Isle Of Skye” that has a gritty and industrial sound that blends into a melancholic but melodic vibe. The last track “The Heart” has lots of layers with a guitar loop that dominates, not a favourite but I can’t really make up my mind. Welder is one of the best surprises of 2006, I am simply loving this album. This is an astounding effort for a debut with excellent production quality. All the sounds are playful, organic, very uplifting and danceable. I see many happy faces listening to Welder this summer.