I've been sitting on this EP for a while now, and whilst it's only a couple of tracks, it's definitely one EP that has picked up my fancy this year. Chibi-Tech's 'The Mutual Promise', is an album which has been long in the works; she rarely releases much but whenever Chibi-Tech does, it's very good.
As with much of her music, 'The Mutual Promise' is sequenced on Famitracker, the music tracker that emulates the whole sound of the NES/Famicom, as well as the extra sound chip, the 'Konami VRC6'. Although the signature sound of the NES is generally associated with that of 'Mario', a lot of chip musicians really programme hard into it, with artists such as, 'Please Lose Battle' & much of the US chip-rock opting to ultilise the sound of the console.
Getting straight into the review, you'll instantly recognise that this album is really hardcore in terms of style and substance. It's evident Chipi-Tech takes much of her inspiration from genres like Dub-step & hardcore drum and bass.
'Tense Max Beam' is a good example of this, where the main hook hits you hard, with the lead breakdowning with such brutal force. You'll find yourself immediately getting hooked and tangled in the beat as it rides tightly along with the high pitched squeal. Her arpeggios too find their place in the song, acting as the crux of rhythm (besides the drums) for the melody. The arps also work perfectly as Chibi-Tech builds up the tension each time the songs comes up to a drop. After a good listen, 'Tense Max Beam' is a fantastic to start with and really manages to hook you in, through both it's lead, heart pumping drops & killer breaks.
Whilst 'Tense Max Beam' is a thumping song to get you in the mood, on the other side of the coin we have 'Neuromageddon', an extreme track based on fast & heavy drum and bass starting with a slow buildup.
Instead of there being a melody to follow like 'Tense Max Beam', 'Neuromageddon' has heavy breakbeats, which ferociously come out at you, along with the aggressive snapping of the snares. As well as that, there's one raunchy and lead, which serves as the hook to play along with the breaks. It almost feels as if it is it's own voice, something I've heard chibi-tech do prior in her tracks. All of this together, combined with some of the most distorted & scary samples I've heard in a while, 'Neuromageddon' becomes one solid & hard hitting track.
Chibi-Tech's 'The Mutual Promise' is such a great EP, with both tracks great contenders for being the best chip tracks of 2017. However I really wish a couple more tracks were included, as both 'Tense Max Beam & Neuromageddon' are hyped tracks that keep you wanting more.
~ Chibi-Tech ~
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