shinigami ⁶⁶⁶ – Terror Management
The lo-fi style sound isn’t usually experimented with in the electronic side of music, as more often than not you’ll find artists using digital plugins these days. However, when an artist such as Shinigami decides to experiment with the lo-fi aesthetic to blend it with electronic elements, it can lead to some extremely intricate, yet flavourful music.
Shinigami’s Terror Management combines lo-fi instruments such as pianos, and what sounds like an electric guitar, with some more modern basses supplemented with a wide array of complex percussion. The deep basslines accompany the subtle melodies quite nicely, and is reinforced with an interchanging groove that would fit perfectly in a hip-hop setting. The track opens with lo-fi swirling keys, progressing into a synth melody shortly after. The introduction isn’t maintained however as only a couple seconds later at the 0:25 mark we are punched with percussion and a heavy bassline. At this point Shinigami wastes no time into playing around with his percussion, only having the kick and snare stay constant. You’ll hear filtered hats, swirling synths, and really textured synths coming in and out throughout.
This track reminds me a great deal of Jon Hopkins album Insides where the intricate bassline and percussion is played with, yet still remains beautiful with the accompanying melodies. The heavy aspects of the track come to a sudden halt in the second breakdown of the track, where for a moment the pianos and the guitar complement each other to create a beautiful progression, just before outro finally kicks in to finish off the piece. I love this piece and I do hope that Shinigami continues with this style in the future, as he could really come into his own within it.
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