AHI COMPILATION 10
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Album Title: AHI COMPILATION 10 |
| Record Label: Akihabara Heavy Industry Inc. |
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| Catalog No.: AHI10 |
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| Release Date: December 30, 2018 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
The AHI COMPILATION 10 is an album of techno music published by Akihabara Heavy Industry, Inc., and has ties to Supersweep’s Atsushi Ohara. How does this album, which veers towards more of a DJ usage mindset, turn out and how are the overall contributions by the various artists who participated on the album?
Body
The album opens up with “Akihabara Gateway,” a techno tune with a light industrial tone, bright synthesizers, and snares. It is an enjoyable tune with a pleasant soundscape, but can overstay its welcome due to its repetitive nature. “meth” features fun hand drum rhythms, vocal samples, and a tropical vibe throughout making for a fun tune with some wonderful synth hits and electronic accompaniment. Likewise, “Centre” is a super fun tune with an invigorating and bright sound that features. “RaTaTaTam (Mitaka Sound Remix)” takes the original and turns it into fun dance tune with plenty of bright and bubbly synthesizer.
“Star fort” is a hard techno tune with an industrial sound that ebbs and flows in intensity throughout the piece, making it a bit more dynamic and enjoyable throughout. “Voltech Burst,” by Ohara, features some cool drum rhythms and an industrial sound. Its’ a fairly catchy tune overlal, but does lack a bit in diversity and variation. “They Are Looking At You,” by KURAYAMA, is more ambient in nature with an industrial sound, but is more droning in execution and feels out of place on this album given the more active tunes present elsewhere on the album. “Echoes from the Distant Past,” from the same composer, is also more atmospheric in nature, but the industrial tone and the addition of an actual beat helps immensely. It’s still a dark tune but has a bit more musical texture in comparison. “Curricu/rhythm” is another intense industrial tune with plenty of percussion and vocal sample usage. It’s an intense tune that manages to keep interesting.
On the atmospheric side of things is Okubo’s “Luminus Flux.” While it does take a bit to get interesting, the brighter nature of the piece, with the addition of a beat helps solidify the tune and support its dreamy aesthetic. “CYGNUS (R406 Remix)” is another atmospheric tune blending ambient synths and a soft electronic rhythm to create a calming mood. As the tune progresses, it takes on a bit more intensity and busyness but it doesn’t detract from the overall feel of the tune too much. “RaTaTaTam (HIROSHI WATANABE Remix)” blends atmospheric sounds alongside techno beats, vocal samples, and string hits. The end result has a funk vibe to it, thanks to the keyboard, and the overall progression of the tune is quite nice. The album ends with “Galaxyscaper,” by HIROSHI WATANABE, and is a pristine and exquisite tune with a stunning atmosphere, chimes, and ambient synths. It’s a perfect way to end the overall album.
Summary
The AHI COMPILATION 10 is an interesting CD full of techno music. While it is designed to feel more at home in a DJ set, there are plenty of tunes that work on a standalone listen. Even the tunes that are not too varied have a nice atmosphere and a club vibe, but it makes for a very similar listen, as some tunes blend together. It’s certainly not for everyone, but is an improvement compared to AHI COMPILATION 09, as there is a bit more variety overall.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on July 7, 2019 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on July 7, 2019.
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.
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