Over the past week, prominent Tokyo netlabel Maltine Records has released two excellent (and free!) releases worth more than the 30-some seconds they take to download. First came the imprint’s 117th release – Carpainter’s hyper-colorful Double Rainbow EP. Maltine describe this one as sounding “future,” and they are certainly onto something – the four songs here are fast-tempo dance numbers that bend in all sorts of directions, like a sugar-addled Avec Avec. The title track bursts into color thanks to glossy synths darting past one another like hovercars. It brims with an energy that makes it one of the best songs Maltine has released this year. The rest of the EP isn’t too shabby either – “Mothership” teases a slower pace until Carpainter lets the synths boogie down all over the beat. Closer “Fancy Night Step” introduces manipulated vocal samples into the mix, the combination bringing to mind the likes of Disclosure, AlunaGeorge and Seiho. A really joyful little bit of electronic energy. Get it here, or listen to “Double Rainbow” below.
A few days later, Maltine followed Double Rainbow up with Last Movement by Yoshino Yoshikawa. The releases have a lot in common – both are bubbly electronic albums that sound drunk on HD-TV pixels – but Yoshikawa places heavier emphasis on his vocals, which go through light audio manipulation on each song here, bringing to mind Ram Rider. The highlight of Last Movement is “I’ll See You Again,” the most dramatic sounding cut here. Get it here.