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Of all of Alphabets’ considerable number of releases this year (there have been at least nine), DDR is certainly one of the most unique. What you’ll get here is a mash-up of a lot of genres, each being pushed through the Alphabets grinder and coming out on the other end sounding like something completely new.
Take, “Fish/Jelly,” for instance: The song tosses nearly every annoying sound effect you can think of — including a honking horn and a phone ringing — into a slowed-down salsa beat that sounds like something Nemo would have created while tripping on acid.
The rest of the record follows suit, playing with those same sound effects throughout, and dabbling in drum-machine-driven industrial salsa in a way we haven’t really heard from Alphabets in the past. This is easily the most percussion-focused addition to the sizable Alphabets catalogue, and while it certainly still sounds like the group’s other handiwork, it’s not nearly as tripped-out, relaxed or delay-driven as a lot of its previous releases. Stream below, or get a free (band-sanctioned) download.
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