It’s All A Blur: Gigandect’s “ᔤᙈᙜᙜᙓᖇ” (“Summer”)

Try listening to the latest Maltine Records release while dozing off. Doesn’t matter if it’s during a lull in the work day, or right before bed, or even after taking a handful of cold pills and a cup of Nyquil (ahem). Something interesting happens when you just let this play, taking your eyes off the tracklisting. The original cut of “Summer” (sorry silly text) courtesy of Fukuoka’s Gigandect an energetic blooper, describable as “seapunk” if “seapunk” serves as shorthand for “sounds a lot like Unicorn Kid, who turns chiptune into mini-raves.” It’s a fun track, one that recognizes chiptune is just a novelty (“lol video games”) unless someone takes those Mario head-bonks and Q*Bert orchestras and turns them into something more…like a can’t-hold-us-back jam built for a July house party. Like Unicorn Kid’s best, “Summer” isn’t trying to make you laugh at memories of blowing into grey cartridges, but rather just wants you to have a good time.

Oh, right, dozing off. This Maltine release features the one original Gigandect song, and then four remixes from artists all over the place – from Americans Xyloid and Kosmo Kat to Japanese artists Faeru and Pa’ Lam System. Each mix is distinct…but, save for Pa Lam’s softer finale, revolves around the video game sounds. So, if you aren’t paying attention, Summer transforms into one giant, lucid song that’s slowly going mad as time passes. Regardless of how you listen to it, give it a go.