Review: Late Arcane - Extravagance (Business Casual)

Review by Alyx Poska, November 2023

On October 13th, Business Casual released the new album from Late Arcane titled "Extravagance". The Manchester-based producer has flown under the radar for a few years but their first releases came out in 2019. The album prior to this, titled “Prequel”, was released on the re-launched Fortune 500 Bandcamp back in June.

On "Extravagance", Late Arcane brings the energy- and sometimes entropy- of vaportrap and vaporfunk to the table. The stomping drums are straight out of the 80s but they are overlaid with clattering percussion and skittering hi-hats. The drums push the energy up a notch, closer to future funk territory at times like the new-age disco banger “Continuance”. The production on this release is dense and detailed, never relying on a single sample while overlaying fat synth bass as well as keys to fill out the sonic palette.

Living up to the album title "Extravagance”, Late Arcane uses elements of the past to reconstruct a luxurious vaporfunk album that skillfully uses digital plunderphonics to transport you back to the glamorous side of the 80s. You can check out the album over on the Business Casual bandcamp and pick up a tape while you’re there!

You can hear the whole review over on Episode 11 of the Podcast or on YouTube!