Friday Five is where we highlight music by Washtenaw County-associated artists and labels.

This week features ambient techno by John Beltran, hip-hop from Approachable Minorities and Prhyme Rhyme Boss, indie-folk rock by Canada, and neo-lounge via Velveteen Blue.

John Beltran, The Lake EP and Hallo Androiden
As this Ann Arbor master of ambient techno preps to release Aesthete on June 23, he's made two previously released recordings available on Bandcamp for the first time. Pure Michigan electronica—take it to the lake!

Approachable Minorities, "Dabs & Anime"
First song in a minute from this long-running Ypsillanti trio features two of their favorite subjects. Tripped out hip-hop.

Prhyme Rhyme Boss, "I Wonder Why"
Pioneer grad Trenton Anton Davis—aka Prhyme Rhyme Boss—lives in Arizona now, and his latest single is under two-minutes long and almost all earworm chorus. 

Canada, This Cursed House and The How Dare You EP
Canada was an Ann Arbor indie-folk-rock group that helped inspire the launch of the local Quite Scientific label (read about it here) in the mid-2000s. I think the band's first two releases were available through Qui Sci's Bandcamp, but it looks like Canada has their own page now, too, so why not highlight these sweet jams one more time.

Velveteen Blue, Ultra-Romance, Shoot the Piano Man: "Live" on T.V.
Mezzanine, That Lonely Half Floor In Between, Practice Makes Perfect, "By Invitation Only" b/w "Kiss Me, Please Kiss Me"
Pioneer grad, Sproton Layer co-founder with his brothers Roger (Mission of Burma) and Benjamin, and a longtime Ypsilanti resident, Laurence Bond Miller has been steadily releasing the back catalogs by his various—like, dozens—of bands onto Bandcamp, including that of Larynx Zillion's Novelty Shop. Velveteen Blue was Miller's follow-up group to Mezzanine, but he's released all of the music on one page because both projects were part of that 1990s neo-lounge scene. 

Christopher Porter is a library technician and the editor of Pulp.