Taking their name literally, experimental duo the Present approach their craft in an often improvisatory way, fusing together a variety of electronic dance elements, alternately ambient and harsh textures, organic instrumentation, vocals, and avant-garde sonic pastiches. The project of American producer Rusty Santos (Animal Collective) and Japanese singer/keyboardist Mina Ohashi (Fayray), they made their debut in 2008, and in the ensuing decade remained staunchly devoted to the raw immediacy and spirit of collaboration through releases like 2015's series of Energy & Sound EPs and 2017's Break the Dawn. Initially, the Present consisted of Santos, Ohashi, and White Magic drummer Jesse Lee. Santos, a longtime producer and collaborator with the likes of Animal Collective, Panda Bear, Owen Pallett, and Born Ruffians, among others, organized the group's first recording, 2008's World I See, to be written and recorded in stream-of-consciousness fashion on guitar, keyboards, and drums. A follow-up, The Way We Are, arrived a year later, combining a similar aesthetic of synthetic/organic noise and wild sound manipulations. Following a lengthy break, the Present re-emerged in 2015 without Lee and sporting a still visceral though more sensual sound that relied more heavily on Ohashi's vocals and slightly more structured songs. The full-length FSG arrived that year on Brooklyn indie Group Tightener Records, as did the first two volumes of the self-released EP series Energy & Sound. Following the third volume of the Energy & Sound series in 2016, Santos and Ohashi delivered the dance-oriented Break the Dawn EP in April 2017 via the Styles Upon Styles label. ~ Timothy Monger