Ernest Gonzales is many things. Middle school teacher. Record label owner. Husband. Father. Even as a producer, he wears many hats. As his alter ego Mexicans With Guns, Gonzales makes hard, aggressive beats rooted in dirty low-end bass, collaborating with hard-edged rapper Freddie Gibbs and electro-Afrobeat fusionist Chico Mann. But sometimes he takes off his Lucha Libre mask and explores his softer side, creating gorgeous, lush electronica under his given name, and that’s where we find him on his third Friends Of Friends release.
In a lot of ways, Natural Traits picks up where his first solo album, Been Meaning to Tell You, left off. On that record, the sentimental producer drew inspiration from a period he spent away from his wife and home, a stretch of time marked by desolation and loneliness. Natural Traits is similarly introspective, focusing on the feelings evoked by the realization of the beauty of nature; on “When Synchronicity Prevails”, you feel the warmth of the sun as everything in the world falls into place, and on “The Scattered Thoughts of Raindrops”, you feel the weight of every raindrop hitting the ground.
Gonzales’ true gift is on display here. The San Antonio producer showcases his talent for creating gorgeous, emotive melodies that seamlessly blend digital and analog instrumentation. There are many styles at work here—Natural Traits juxtaposes delicate synth melodies, reverb-heavy guitar, and real and programmed drum beats—but it doesn’t work against him. Every sound and song is crafted with taste and precision. Many attempt to fuse the synthetic and natural, but most are unsuccessful. Gonzales seems to be the exception, navigating the space in between with relative ease.
Essential Tracks: “The Sentimental Sea”, “When Synchronicity Prevails”
