With this rhythmic sputtering EP for Concrete Collage, Renegade Android (aka Oklahoma-based Shawn J Shackelford) continues to unroll the goods with seven tracks that slice and dice through a multitude of explosive old-school gaming-infused electronics.
Explosive old-school gaming-infused electronics
With this rhythmic sputtering EP for Concrete Collage, RENEGADE ANDROID (aka Oklahoma-based Shawn J Shackelford) continues to unroll the goods with seven tracks that slice and dice through a multitude of explosive old-school gaming-infused electronics. “Metaflex” sets the tone with its whirling bass’n breaks combined with braindance sensibilities—a combination of spastic beats and floating melodic textures. The frantic heartbeat, shifting glitch, and wobbly low-end waveforms of “Benson Park Ghosts” persist as a darker element permeates the surroundings. After the halfway point, “Remember The Good Times When You’re Hollow,” a lively video game-enriched theme that fidgets through glittering blips and bleeps, slows things down just a little.
The Good Times attempts to take us back in time by offering a glimpse into the early years (mid-80s / early-90s), traversing memories of my classic video game console trifecta: Atari 2600 (thanks to my cousin Davide, where we spent endless hours playing Megamania in his basement), Commodore 64 (courtesy of my grade school friend Jamie, who had one in his kitchen across the street—Pitstop!), and ColecoVision (thanks to my parents, where my older brother and I played River Raid continuously in our dimly lit basement).
And just like Squarepusher did with his earlier albums of spastic drill’n bass shenanigans (Hard Normal Daddy or Big Loada), “Dream Acid” traverses those early days of broken rhythms and splintered drums as we take in its oddly alluring soundscape and propulsive flow. This EP closes with the glitch-n-clicks of “Radical,” a powerful, electrically charged, pixel-pushing arch. Good times, indeed—and recommended for fans of Kracfive Records (ie. Proswell, Colongib, and Octopus Inc).
The Good Times is available on Concrete Collage. [Bandcamp]
