- Avant-garde beats through Diplo's label.
- Foodman is often called a footwork artist, but that label feels inadequate. The Japanese producer makes brash and inventive dance music, using bold strokes and abstract shapes. Take "Dege," the housey opening track from his first Mad Decent EP. The core elements—synth chords, vocals, jittery snares—feel like they're held together with Sellotape. It's challenging music made with lighthearted sounds. "Dege" is a great introduction to the world of Foodman, which more people might now get to know thanks to Diplo's patronage.
Foodman hasn't dramatically altered his sound for Mad Decent, but ODOODO focuses on his brighter, sillier side. "Funiki" is a fresh house track with tinny drum sounds and a marimba loop, while "Colosseum" has comedy boings, uneasy percussion and Foodman going HAM on an orchestral synth keyboard. "Fue" sounds like a drunken Madlib beat, while "Moyashi Kids" is simple but funky.
Only "246," a collaboration with the Tokyo producer Ryuw, sounds like it belongs on Mad Decent. It's loaded with the kind of exaggerated sounds you hear in big-room trap, but, alongside roaring lions and electric guitars, "246" resembles an EDM banger. What's initially jarring becomes the EP's highlight, as Foodman's odd melodic sense comes to life. It makes you wonder where he could have taken ODOODO had he fully embraced Mad Decent's big-room style.
Tracklist01. Dege
02. Funiki
03. 246 feat. Ryuw
04. Moyashi Kids
05. Otokogi
06. Fue
07. Colosseum