djsemaj.bandcamp.comTacoma’s DjSemaj released his sophomore record yesterday, independently on his Bandcamp page. The follow up to his sleeper hit, the Some Kind of Wonderful EP (2010), Painting Jimmy is a sixteen-track collection of beats that provides a great sampling of his craftsmanship.”Candy Coated Dreams” is the most tantalizing, style-defining beat in the collection. Its rhythm is surprisingly infectious: the skittish hi-hat clicks an audacious line before the snare snaps back; the punchy kick ambles throughout. Over the top, wavering electric keys and a casually picked guitar are set up front, then teased by a restrained vocal swoon and even gentler strings. Semaj exhibits patience here, letting the quieter pieces fall into place, and hang in the background while the elements gently interlace, until they appear organic within the confines of the track.Many of the samples (the primary vehicle for Semaj’s production) are handled keenly enough that they seem to emanate from the body of the track, rather than pile up noisily on top of each other. He does a great job of selecting clean loops and dressing them up for their appearance. Any major gripes I have with the record have to do with the lack of progression: each track presents a theme and rides it out to the cut-out without much deviance. On the same coin, the tempo doesn’t fluctuate more than a handful of BPM the whole sixteen tracks, which, on one hand, makes for great background music, but on the other, makes the album kind of a blur.Even when the songs blend together a bit though, there are bits that catch your ear and pull you back into the mix: the way the keys jump between left and right channel on “Knot Juan”, and that same track’s especially tasty bass-line are fine examples. Even here though, the slow repetition of the cymbal/snare package could put you to sleep. The delay on the guitar on “Drawing Picasso” is another moment where a cool aesthetic gets tired, which is a feat on such a short track. A lot of the album’s short, musical statements might serve as effective backing to film accompaniment as the trailer suggests, or as sonic turf for an MC to run over as notable MC Derek 32Zero does during the album’s lone feature on “Roaming the Palace”. Instances like this, where an MC, or a tricky drum cadence–as on “Candy Coated Dreams”–are added, are the moments that stand out amongst the rest.These are cool little glimpses into Semaj’s hard drive with sometimes mixed–yet always interesting–results. Painting Jimmy is a quality release for the producer, even if it’s not a huge step forward musically. The tracks show consistency in his beat-making game, and, while some ache for a lyricist’s handiwork, they’re a good listen front to back.