MEISHI SMILE SEOUL

I got like food poisoning or something. It's not very fun. I'm only eating the freshest, most sanitarily made food ever from now on. I probably won't, but that's really all I want to do. No more germs, I've had enough. So I'm in my dressing gown sitting on the sofa feeling generally shiddy. But it's ok because I thought of something nice to write about to perhaps lift my spirits.

I've been meaning to write about this guy for a while now, but much of his recent SoundCloud stuff is mixes, live sets - basically not original songs that I could pick out and pin down with writing for you all here (whoever is reading). His name is Meishi Smile and he's a DJ, producer and co-founder/owner of Zoom Lens, a label/collective that releases some pretty leftfield, experimental stuff. I'm happy that finally I have found something that I can write about, an original Meishi Smile song to send everyone blissfully into a nostalgic dream. Indeed, the man himself describes his own music as "an eternal homage to the feeling of summer and youth taken by 2D form." Taking many cues from videogames, anime, and Japanese pop culture in general, that's certainly what it sounds like.

This particular song I believe had an earlier form, as it's apparently the "2013 Ver." but I've not heard it so let's imagine I never said that and listen to it instead. It's called 'Seoul' and it's ready for your ears now.

Delicate glitter needles of synth like shards of magic ice raining down provide the first melody that melts in your mind. Soft rolling chords provide a wash of cushioning for the piano notes and the minimalistic house-style beat with its thin open hi-hats and reverbing claps. Magical chimes glissando into to the main section of the song, where saw-wave bass synth alternates between octaves and white noise hisses throughout. The melody is now layered to include strings and popping flute sounds, too - an ecstasy of noises - all the way to the all-too-early end of the song.

Inspired as it is by Bomberman 64 (I actually spent a while getting sucked into its soundtrack) and Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon (two grrrrreat games for the N64!) the song contains in it that charming, memorable, melodic feel of videogame soundtracks - the ability for music to both soak into the background AND into your memory is quite a feat indeed. Speaking of videogames, 'Seoul' is taken from the new Zoom Lens-curated Untitled Mix, a downloadable collection of songs that goes towards supporting indie game developers and their projects. Go for it!

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