Not to rag on my life choices here, but…the paradox of being a freelance worker is that, despite technically not having a set schedule and more free time, you are way more likely to sacrifice that free time in favor of paying work. Weekends, more or less, don’t exist (or maybe I need to set personal boundaries). Anyway, this past Sunday, the JACK Vs. Maltine event happened at Akihabara’s Mogra, featuring…well, look at this roster. Based on everything I’ve heard (i.e. looking at Twitter) it was fantastic, and oh how I wish I hadn’t had to cover something else that day.*
And so, I am living vicariously through this special EP released ahead of the Mogra show, featuring two new songs from Japanese producers Tomggg and Parkgolf, along with new tunes from visiting artists Maxo and Peter Berkman (of Anamanaguchi), DZZ and Tanuki. It’s an energetic collection finding everyone operating at what you’d expect — Tomggg’s “Farmers Market” is a fuzzy, slightly heartwarming cartoon come to life and Parkgolf’s is a manic bouncer full of chopped up vocals. The highlight, though, is Tanuki’s lightspeed “Aurora,” boasting the best energy of the five. Get it here, and join me in pretending you were at the actual event.
*though at least I got to see Vocaloid holograms, that was neat