Debut solo album from Lab alum Sabo! As a veteran producer (and DJ), Sabo heads up his Sol Selects label and has been releasing music for a long time. After 11 years in New York, he relocated to LA in 2011 to “chase a dream of playing deep, mid-tempo tribal music to fresh young years,” and Vibe Quest is a record that represents his dedication to creating experiences “that transcends a typical night out.” The 12-tracker explores post-moombahton; the slow burning tempos represent the genre that Sabo helped architect, but he takes a deeper, more spiritual approach where tribal and multi-ethnic influences—-African chants, Jamaican baselines, Caribbean steel drums, disco vibes, South American music, jazz, to name a few—-are at the forefront of the music. It’s hypnotic, positive, and sexy, and the album undoubtably is designed to make you move in a more meaningful, beyond-the-physical way. Check out the title track featuring his mother, who is a self-taught vibraphonist, as well as “Afro Fuego,” “Sure and Pure,” “Drop That,” “Singing game,” “Timbiqui Hasta DC,” “Black Flowers,” and “Force 4 Movement.”

• music label: Sol Selectas 2016

reviewed by donut savage 08/2016