What does Shirobon sound like?

The review of ‘Breaker’ by Shirobon

The title ‘Breaker’ is quite literal when it comes to Shirobon’s latest EP. These are songs he created when he was recovering from a broken leg. The chiptune, electronic artist clearly wanted to get back on his feet to dance again because this EP is crammed full of bangers.

The beauty of Shirobon’s music is that chiptune finds its way into other electronic music genres seamlessly. ‘Cypher’ cracks open the ciders with bendy synths, bleeps and bloops that are backed by a heavy trance beat. I particularly liked the fact the main chiptune melody has a banana peel slip sound effect to it. Is that a reference to a leg-breaking fall, or just the party atmosphere – who knows – but it works a treat. Add in a kick drum forward middle eight and a key change finale and you have an anthem for the bleep and bloop crowd. ‘Fragile Movements’ has a heavy kick drum but a smoother tempo and synth arrangement. Whilst the beats hit hard, the throbbing trance synths are more floaty as they seep in and out of audible sound. The rubbery lead bends and prances around like a champ, making it a smoother throwback to Shirbon of a decade ago.

Switching to garage beats, ‘Bubbles’ pairs frosty, thin elevator pads from the 80s with popcorn-esque keys. A trait across the EP is having something ping-ponging or falling down an octave and here it is like we’re playing music tennis with notes. Light, graceful and with a clean percussive machine as a spine, this is another gem. ‘Vamp’ sounds more aligned to the recent darker dystopian synthwave world Shirobon has been dungeon crawling recently. Bassier, sound effect driven, and with an inherent dissonance between the various synth and bass layers – this is a darker tone. By the time it hits its full stride, it’s like a slowed-down dystopian rave. ‘Garaage’ is on the flipside – a playful house/chiptune hybrid. A bouncy skippity beat, positive upbeat chords, and a distinct retro electronic sound – it’s short but oh-so-sweet. This sounds like it belongs in a Jet Set Radio sequel. That leaves us with Shirobon’s take on Dance Dance Revolution. ‘Champions of Chiptune’ is a visceral, highspeed, thumping riot of pacey electronic music that turns up the BPM wick subtly across the middle of the track. It is a lost boss song from Beats and Shapes. It is a lost extended version of a DDR track circa 2000. This is a blood-pumping classic for Shirobon fans.

Hopefully, this EP won’t cause anyone else to break their leg and Shirobon can continue to work his electronic magic. In just 20 minutes we get a varied, fun and energetic tour-de-force that takes us back to Shirobon’s musical origins in many ways. Long-time fans will drink this up with glee, whilst those looking for more direct chiptune-centric electronic music should use this as a gateway to an artist who continues to deliver banger after banger. The EP was composed on the Dirtywave M8. This is the perfect advert for it.

Recommended track: Cypher

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