REVIEW: Hirobleep’s “Psycho Disko 22”

In the past, Hirobleep has released music on EP’s that have shown one side of his creativity but in perfect, single-based form. What I mean is singles perfect for radio airplay, if radio was still a major means of impact for music today. For Psycho Disko 22, he extends that single-based mentality and extends it to a non-stop 31 minute track.

If you are a fan of techno, acid, and a bit of minimalism along the way, this one is an incredible listen. While you can take it in as one massive 31 minute track, it sounds like there are about five or six different songs within this one mix, or at least Hirobleep gives the track a number of different dimensions and textures so that the listener can sense when one mood in one section changes into another. This may come when the drums and percussion makes a slight shift, and a keyboard riffs maintains itself as another sound drops out, another fades and turns into something else. It would be great to hear how this transfers on the dance floor, and I’d love to hear how DJ’s would manipulate this to cater to their needs. Hirobleep expands his pallet slightly merely by expanding what people have known him for and shows what he’s made of.

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3010877420/size=venti/bgcol=E3DC80/linkcol=567B57/

REVIEW: Hirobleep’s “Toy Soundz” (EP)

In the time it has taken me to sit down and do a review of Hirobleep’s Toy Soundz EP, he has released four more projects. Four! Insane, but I know how that is, and it’s more than welcome.

For Toy Soundz, he is taking his music to where it sounds like perfect incidental music for movies, still doing his thing with that minimalistic Casio vibe I know and love, but with this one he reveals a passion for creating music that would be the perfect thing to find on a soundtrack long forgotten. Bits and pieces would’ve been perfect in a film from 1981 or 1982, and yet it still sounds like music that has has to find the right place and time, as if what is heard will exist in some fashion from now until a period in the future that will eventually become the past. I simply like that Hirobleep continues to explore, and I’m enjoying everything I’ve heard.

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3953564494/size=venti/bgcol=5E88D6/linkcol=FFFED9/

FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD: Hirobleep’s “NOX”

Hirobleep is making music faster than I can keep up, but that’s a good thing. NOX is the latest EP from him, mixing up a bit of techno and getting into a a bit of minimalism, which I like a lot. That 8bit vibe is still within, but it’s almost as if the “ghosts in the machine” realize they’ve grown up and want to explore. NOX is the playtime.

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=908861054/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=000000/

REVIEW: Hirobleep’s “Gaijin”

Last month, I had made Hirobleep my Bandcamp Suggestion and a month later, he has a new album out (well, it’s a 31 minute album, so a short album) with even more music for people to enjoy.

Gaijin is for fans of 8-bit and chiptune music, and while it might sound simple on digital paper, there’s a bit more thought going on in these tracks. Imagine smoking a lot of hash while playing video games at the arcade, you pull out a quarter, token, or look for more stolen one dollar bills from your mom’s purse, and then your hash-filled mind is now playing the currency. Gaijin comes close to that.

What does that mean? Well, any type of computer-generated music will lead to people saying it’s programmed, that it requires little to no human interaction. “Otaku” sounds like what would happen if Kraftwerk were given a bunch of effect pedals and they went crazy, while “Moshi-Moshi” manages to make you feel comfortable before the time signature goes from 4/4 to 3/4 out of nowhere, then back to 4/4. “Banzai” sounds like someone from the Taito factory discovering the VCS3 and saying “I can do better”. “Nanchatte” comes off like a bit of 8-bit action if it grew up in the streets of New Orleans, complete with deep bass frequencies that may mess up a few cars.

Basically, if you grew up loving music played by video games, and wondered how it could get so intricate and perhaps funkier like the other music you listen to, Hirobleep’s Gaijin is for you. What I enjoy about 8-bit/chiptune stuff is how a lot of artists are working out of the box even though its sound origins come from being made specifically to be in a box. Job well done.

(ADDITION: Hirobleep was nice enough to tell me that this recording was made using the Korg Monotribe.)

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1326840096/size=venti/bgcol=F67641/linkcol=E7E43E/

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0050G7VR4http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=thisbosmu-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005M2CCKM

VIDEO: Dark Side Of The Moon, 8bit style

A lot of electronic musicians and 8-bit enthusiasts have been covering older music and intrepreting them as if they were made in the era of Nintendo games. So what if Pink Floyd were gamers and decided to release Dark Side Of The Moon as an 8-bit album for the NES? It would sound like this. Moon8, created by Brad Smith, can be downloaded for free by clicking here.

To hear some of Smith’s other works, head here or look over his credentials by checking out Rain Warrior

(Mahalo to Bomarr Monk for the link.)