The Casino vs Japan/BoC style lush deep melodies are still present, but they don’t overwhelm as in previous releases where it seemed like the whole mix was just oozing delightful melodic candy, and Formal Format leaves a lot of open space which lets you fully appreciate the intricacy of each component at play here.
Long-time IDM veteran Ilkae returns with another installment of their unique, minimal and absolutely quirky sounds. Eschewing their usual drippingly sweet cute-combo-attack melodies for a somewhat more sonically sparse approach. This time around, the Casino vs Japan/BoC style lush deep melodies are still present, but they don’t overwhelm as in previous releases where it seemed like the whole mix was just oozing delightful melodic candy, and Formal Format leaves a lot of open space which lets you fully appreciate the intricacy of each component at play here.
Ilkae albums have had bizarre, twisted, insanely detailed little sounds and rhythms going on in them, but never have they been so starkly on display, at least, in my experience. It’s hard to describe what a typical Ilkae sound is like—maybe a small plastic toy destroying itself in a foley room? Fans of the Team Doyobi style of twisted static and video game noises will know generally where I’m coming from here. Personally, I really love it, at no point will you go “oh, Ilkae never did THIS before,” but I find myself constantly finding elements of their sound I never fully appreciated until they were carefully displayed right in front of my ears.
A great album for long-time Ilkae fans, you’re sure to find the kitten somewhere under all the pointy claws in this one—and a great album for first-time listeners who will get to fully appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into one of the most unique styles in IDM.
Formal Format is available on Inpuj.
