- A collaborative remix with LV in 2010 was the last we heard from Toru Koda, AKA Quarta330, on Hyperdub. The label has been his main outlet outside of his native Japan. Ten years after Koda's debut on the UK label, Pixelated's padded chords and mellow synths feel like the return of an old friend. Pixelated is richer and less 8-bit-sounding than Koda's previous releases, but the introspective yet funky mood is the same. "Resonate 3," with its half-step pulse and G-funk synth, recalls classic dubstep. So does the junglisist bustle and off-beat accent of "The Fairies Homecoming," a key, energising track. But Pixelated is no exercise in nostalgia.
The tracks are fast and playful in a way that most macho dubstep isn't. Koda's arrangements and cohesive sounds provide freshness to a style that might seem like a throwback in 2017. Pixelated's four tracks are built to last, but they can feel understated and too subtle in a climate of swagger. Playfulness can tip over into cuteness, and introspection can turn into melancholy. There's nothing on Pixelated you could call a banger, but its complexity is worth savoring.
TracklistA1 Resonate 3
A2 The Fairies Homecoming
B1 Yatagarasu
B2 Digital Lotus Flower