Loukeman * Sd-3 [New CD]

Loukeman, the project of Toronto producer, DJ, and songwriter Luke Fenton, delivers Sd-3, the trilogy-closing third installment of his vibrant, far-reaching, free-flowing electronic music. Since 2021, each album has seen his profile rise steadily, bolstered by high-profile shows along some notable names in dance music, as well as songwriting and production work for A$AP Rocky, PinkPantheress, Dyltwosix, and more. He’s toured internationally alongside the launch of his own series of club nights and earned praise from various corners of the underground dance community, including Resident Advisor, Mixmag, and Pitchfork. The latter outlet pinpoints Loukeman’s “percussive musicality,” an ability to bend vocal earworms from R&B, folk, and pop into restless, imaginative tracks that shift from booming house bangers to wistful, airy excursions. What holds Sd-3 together, like the music that preceded it, is Loukeman’s knack for emotional resonance and a curiosity to go anywhere as long as it’s honest and unforced.

Threaded throughout, the contemplative stretches — like the spiraling guitar on “All Kindz” and “John Bird Song” or the woozy synth and chatter of “What a Rip” — give Sd-3 extra depth and reveal a tinge of vulnerability for Loukeman. He reflects, “I can see the angst, you know, the anxiety in certain songs. I think those are my favorite ones, the ones that are just dealing with love in some way.” That gets to the heart of what makes Loukeman’s music so effective: one can move to it and be moved by it. Sd-3 is further proof of a singular talent, closing one era, and surely just getting started.