NanoSweep 13
 |
Album Title: NanoSweep 13 |
| Record Label: NanoSounds / SuperSweep |
|
| Catalog No.: NS-013 |
|
| Release Date: December 31, 2011 |
|
| Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
NanoSweep is an ongoing series of original music that was initiated in 2004 by various members of NanoSounds and SuperSweep. It usually features members from each of these companies and occasionally a guest composer. This is the thirteenth original album and features compositions by Hiroshi Okubo, Ryo Watanabe, Shinji Hosoe, Ayako Saso, and Takahiro Eguchi.
Body
Hiroshi Okubo opens up the album with “TAKE CONTROL.” Similar to his Nanosweep 12 track, “Wob.,” this track features a prominent use of the wobble featured in many dubstep style tunes. However, I find this piece to be a much more successful track than his last contribution. It’s a drum n’ bass style tune with lots of energy, some trance effects, and of course, the wobbles. It gives the track a very distinct flavor and one that would fit perfectly in a Ridge Racer soundtrack. In fact, it makes me wonder if any music of this style will be featured in the Playstation Vita’s Ridge Racer game.
Ryo Watanabe’s “LAGI” is very similar in style to “Brutal” from NanoSweep 12. It features an intense tech-house flair, but unlike “Brutal,” it manages to incorporate some of Watanabe’s signature style from previous Nanosweep albums by incorporating some jazzy piano chords and some slick bass grooves. It’s an awesome fusion of styles that really manages to work. As the track nears its end, some chiptune influences in the melody line and some electronic beeping. It’s a highly successful track and, although it isn’t as melodically engaging, it is guaranteed to get your butt moving!
My hands down favorite on the entire album is Shinji Hosoe’s “Wob waste building.” The amount of times I have listened to this song since this has been reviewed may number in the 70s. It’s the catchiest Nanosweep tune I’ve heard in a long time, focusing on an intense electro house beat with plenty of wobbles. The vocal samples, both the normal and vocoder samples, really add a lot of fun to the track, with the former giving it a bit more of a jovial atmosphere, particularly in the latter portion of the track, while the vocoder samples give it a more robotic feel. The electro house drops, though, are absolutely to die for and I love how he incorporates the wobble effect. I want to see more of this style from Shinji Hosoe in future Nanosweep albums.
“Missing Parts” by Ayako Saso is another awesome track. It combines Saso’s normal rave style for these sorts of albums with some more contemporary electronic styles, incorporating, although not nearly as frequently as Okubo or Hosoe, the very popular wobble. These sections, which usually come after the end of some vocal sample sections, are absolutely amazing and really contrast quite nicely with the overall jovial atmosphere of this track. The piano and vocal sample combination is also quite lovely. In the end, I think that Saso created another amazing track that ranks up there with some of her best.
Lastly, the electronic wonder Takahiro Eguchi ends the album with “Redring.” The opening is an intense percussion set offering a preview for the rest of the percussive style of the track. The drum n’ bass style that Eguchi opts to use on this track works extremely well with the melodic sections. The artist incorporates some exotic vocal samples, giving the track a bit of a heavenly touch, however what I love most about this track is how beautiful his synthesizer melody is. It never ceases to amazing me how Eguchi always manages to craft an extremely hypnotizing and stunningly beautiful melody for every single one of his Nanosweep tracks. This man seriously needs to start composing for some large game companies, whether it be contributing to the Ridge Racer series or even a shmup from CAVE. His electronic talents are so diverse he’d do well in any sort of contemporary setting!
Summary
Clearly, NanoSweep 13 manages to excel in creating a very cohesive theme. It definitely stands among the best in the series, offering some more contemporary styles mixed with some more established electronic styles of music. All the artists manage to create a theme that I can’t stop listening to, although some more than others. This is definitely one of the NanoSweep EPs to get your hands on if you can.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
5
Posted on August 1, 2012 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on August 1, 2012.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
Related Posts
Final Fantasy VII Remake Acoustic Arrangements →
Fleeting Symphony →
Final Symphony II – music from Final Fantasy V, VIII, IX and XIII →
