Hey there, ChipWINners! You may remember a review I wrote a few months ago on Imaginary’s ‘Unnatural Flavors’ album. To refresh you folks a little bit, Imaginary is the head of a chipmusic netlabel known as Interpretation of Universal Transmissions, and as such, is affiliated with numerous chipmusicians from around the globe. At the very end of January, the Interpretation of Universal Transmissions Open Mixtape 2015 was released, featuring a number of artists both familiar and foreign. Each track brings its own unique flair to the compilation, but I’m going to be showcasing four specific tracks out of the many. Let’s go ahead and see what transmissions are being sent out today!
Half A Person is a new chipmusician to me, but a search on Soundcloud reveals that they’ve been releasing music relatively consistently for the past year. The groovy beat of their track, ‘Dirty 7s’, is definitely one that won’t soon be forgotten. Starting off with a simple rhythmic segment, the lead voice enters and establishes the main melody for the track before it picks up with regards to intensity. The percussion for this song is absolutely on point, with quick, staccato hi-hats and bell-like effects standing out in particular. A few other well-executed touches in ‘Dirty 7s’ are the triplet dog-bark at 1:11, the equally adorable cat-meow triplet at the 2:47 mark, and fierce pitch bends and octave-spanning slides past the halfway point of the track.
NEON’s ‘Wondering, Wandering’ is a relaxing trip through a soundscape that brings to mind warmer days. The optimistic, upbeat vibe that this track gives is sweet and soothing. The backing square swells have a piano-esque quality to them, which is a greatly appreciated touch. Both square voices and triangle voices are given time in the spotlight; for the most part, a square melody is the dominant voice. Close to the end of the track, however, the pitch of the triangle channel changes drastically, and takes center stage just before the track reverts to its opening, calmly closing in stellar fashion.
You may remember Marshall Art’s self-titled progressive chipmusic masterpiece from January of 2015. A track from this incredible album, ‘They’re Like Locusts’, makes an appearance on IOUT’s compilation. A calm, yet slightly uneasy tone sets the mood for the rest of the song, which melds expertly performed guitar playing with impeccably well-programmed chip voices. The contrast between the two voices is something to behold; specifically, the distortion of the guitar compared to the light tones of familiar 8-bit voices. The brief moment that the two instruments switch roles before going back to their roots, so to speak, is nothing short of genius from a compositional standpoint, and it’s executed to perfection. Needless to say, this is my absolute favorite track on this compilation, and was also arguably one of the best songs to come out of 2015, PERIOD.
Yerzmyey might be a name some recall from some of Kuma’s first Quick Shots articles, and his track ‘Time Machine II’ was a completely new adventure for me. An atmospheric work of art with a highly 80’s aesthetic, this is highly reminiscent of Jean-Michel Jarre’s mid-career electronic works. A slow, memorable melody is backed by orchestral voices and heavy kick-snares, and the main theme’s arpeggiated runs are much appreciated. Slight alterations to this same melody can be noted by the end of the song in terms of pitch before the track fades out calmly and quietly.
This album costs all of $0. It’s a free download with no option to pay, which is a bit unfortunate for those who wished to support the purchase of this album. However, for all of you chipmusic fans out there lacking finances, this is the album for you! IOUT’s releases are few and sometimes far between, but each one has been stellar, and this compilation is no exception. Go ahead and check out this amalgamation of 2015’s chip; you might discover something you missed from last year!
