Mixed feelings right now as the joy of discovering an amazing record mixes with the shame that it took me so long to find out about these guys. Team Doyobi is right up my alley. As a long-term fan of vintage computer game music – whether original or new tracks that reminds me of the classic gaming sounds – I can’t emphasise enough how spot on Digital Music Vol. 2 is.
Team Doyobi is in fact Christopher Gladwin and Alexander Peverett, two chaps who first released under the name on Fat City Recordings back in 1999. Following that initial split 12″ (with REQ) and a follow-up split 7″ (with Lucky Kitchen) they became an embedded part of the Skam Records label, where they’ve been ever since. From what I can see they’ve clocked up eleven releases on the unparalleled electronic label, despite a three year hiatus from 2009 to 2012, returning to record stores last year with Digital Music Vol. 1.
The 8-bit “chip” sounds that drive their work are derived from the computer music tools that were built for ’70s and ’80s gaming soundtracks. Using no midi, the duo even comprised their earlier releases purely from Commodore sound chips, later evolving in to other tools. Generally anything labelled ‘glitch’ I’m keen to avoid, while new composition in the ‘chiptune’ scene tends to be difficult to enjoy past novelty stage with repeated listens.
Team Doyobi is different. They’ve taken the sounds as source and are creating proper techno compositions with it. The tracks are energetic, with computer funk at it’s soul, but none of the annoyance that skweee brought us. With the current race to the bottom as far as dirtying up your tracks go, Team Doyobi came across as an unexpected blast of fresh sounds. This record is just fantastic.
Check out two current favourites from the five track 12″ below, press release underneath that. Now if you’ll excuse me I have a back catalogue to order.
via Skam
Volume 2 in Doyobi’s digital music series…
The electronic tonalities and rhythmical arrangements deployed on DMV 2 showcase the duo’s more mechanistic and caustic aesthetic.
Convulsive compute-r-chunk beats and excoriated synth-noises are dramatically thrown into a blender then rebuilt to produce gelatinous slurries of pure Team Doyobi goodness.