

The beauty of the Early Hours mix is that it exists in a liminal zone—are you winding down after being up all night, or are you just rising to meet the sun? It’s the type of space that allows for all kinds of surprises. Case in point: The music made by Philly producer Estoc, which often blends lurching, abrasive beats with a brooding darkwave sound palette, isn’t typically that conducive to chill environments. But her selections here take her in a beguilingly moody direction, finding common ground across Lamb’s trip-hop, Erika de Casier’s vibey R&B, SKY H1’s dubby excursions, ML Buch’s ambient guitar, and Mulatu Astatke’s classic Ethiopian jazz.