Scott Hansen’s alter-ego is as graphic designer ISO50, and his visual work and musical creations share a similar aesthetic: saturated, faintly nostalgic tones, artfully arranged compositions, with a complex internal rhythm and color-outside-the-lines joy that’s both easy on the eyes/ears and tremendously addictive. Past Is Prologue is an ideal point of entry into Tycho’s world: “Dictaphone’s Lament” is an anthemic rush of melody and rhythm with cross-panned, dueling basslines and a gauzy, late-afternoon feel; “Send and Receive” sounds like a music box designed by Brian Eno, a fine mesh of melodic plips and plops and brisk, skittering hi-hats. The title track is a low-level stunner, splitting the difference between Rhodes-heavy ambient and drum ‘n bass—both laid-back and frantic. Past Is Prologue also includes remixes from Dusty Brown, Chachi Jones, and Nautilis, as well as a new remix of “From Home” by Mux Mool, in which the Brooklyn producer expands the modest ambient swell of the original into a bass-heavy beat symphony. As its title implies, Past Is Prologue is only the beginning. In the years since its initial release, Scott Hansen has been refining his approach, woodshedding new material and buffing it until it shines like polished brass. For Tycho, the past is prologue to a limitless future.[info from label]