Well, not “new” as the above video has been kicking around since January, but I missed it so…new to these parts!
Besides the trippy onslaught of colors in the video, the real headline of Osaka chiptuner 9 Letter’s “La Dance” is his decision to mix up his approach to 8-bit spazzin’ out. His trademark – turning video game noises into an almost oppressive wave of noise, sorta like early Crystal Castles but more intense – remains, and if the clip can be trusted, he’s also recruited a guitarist to add an extra layer of noise to the proceedings. What has changed, though, is 99 Letters decision to sing, as he does on “La Dance” through some song-appropriate vocal filters. It can be a sometimes jarring effect – if you are the type to complain about Auto-tune in pop music, turn back now – but it also at times adds a new wrinkle to the 99 Letters sound, an abrasive pop touch that imagines this style as something bigger.