Hyperdub: Diggin In The Carts - Pioneering Japanese Video Game Music (180g, Colored Vinyl) Vinyl 2LP

"Diggin' in the carts?" Yes, you read correctly and that isn't a typo. For Diggin In The Carts, Hyperdub head honcho Kode9 teams up with Nick Dwyer (co-director/writer of the RBMA series of the same name) to unearth rare electronic music, sourced from obscure Japanese video games of the 80's/early 90's. The duo have curated an absolutely stunning selection of deep cartridge cuts (many of which from games that most people have never heard of - this reviewer included) that break the boundaries of what "video game music" should sound like. Of course, contemporary video game music can be any kind of professionally recorded music, but at this period, video game composers were restrained to a very limited tool set - making these tracks all the more revelatory.

"From Soshi Hosoi's Steve Reich like minimalism in Mister Diviner from The Majhong Touhaiden, to the dazzling high-tech chip soul of Toshiharu Yamanishi's Shooting Stars from legendary Mega Drive shooter Thunder Force IV, and not forgetting the saw tooth heavy darkness of the Konami Kukeiha Club on titles like Mouryou Senki Madara and Esper Dream II, Diggin in The Carts, aims to bring the pleasure and depth of this music to an audience inside and outside the gaming world." - Hyperdub

Presented on heavy 180 gram double vinyl in translucent yellow and orange, complete with gatefold sleeve, and 3 printed inserts featuring an original manga from Studio °4C artist Koji Morimoto, and detailed liner notes in English and Japanese by curators Kode9 and Nick Dwyer. Recommended.

• translucent yellow + orange colored 180 gram vinyl pressing
• gatefold sleeve w/ exclusive manga by Koji Morimito (Studio °4C) + album backstory by Kode9 and Nick Dwyer
• 3 x 12" printed inserts w/ liner notes in English + Japanese
• digital download included
• music label: Hyperdub 2018

reviewed by Otakun 10/2018