Ever since the golden rave era, it could be argued that much of modern electronic dance music is psychedelic to some degree. Even so, Fowl Play — the solo vehicle of Orlando artist Joey Spencer — comes from a particularly psychedelic fringe of the genre that favors deep psychotropic effect over packing out the dance floor.
A pillar artist of the famously mind-expansionist local group the Jonesy Collective, Fowl Play has built a name on outer-orbit vibes usually more heady than physical.
That modus operandi continues on Fowl Play’s brand-new EP, R&D.
The four-track odyssey opens with the dubby, slow-ticking acid bubble bath of “Klaus.” But then, halfway through second track “Switch” comes a sudden record backspin that slices through the digital primordial ooze and drops a funky break carrying the rest of the song into high gear. But keep it up, party people, because the hop don’t stop for the remainder of the EP, even if it does chill out in downtempo closer “Groovtoob.”
The album is a pill-sized complete arc that goes from intro to party pitch to cool-down all in four songs. The language, of course, remains true to Fowl Play’s left-field mutant frequency with plenty of glitch and atmosphere. This is a notably funky outing that’s some of Fowl Play’s most floor-ready material to date. R&D now streams everywhere and sits atop TLU’s Spotify playlist.
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This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2025.
